The variety of functions to UK universities has fallen from final yr’s peak, figures present, with the proportion making use of to elite establishments hitting document ranges.
Last deadline information from Ucas exhibits 319,570 UK 18-year-olds utilized by the June 30 deadline – 2 per cent fewer than in 2022, although nonetheless the second-highest on document.
Reversing final yr’s development, 40.8 per cent of their functions have been to higher-tariff establishments – the joint-highest on document.
This means younger candidates haven’t to this point recalibrated their ambition after the cutbacks in UK intakes at these universities final yr, Mark Corver, dataHE co-founder, informed Occasions Larger Schooling.
The variety of functions to lower-tariff suppliers from UK 18-year-olds fell by 4 per cent, which was the biggest drop in six years.
Mr Corver mentioned the demand dynamic from the UK was “notably weak” on two separate fronts: the appliance fee for UK 18-year-olds fell by a document quantity, and demand from older candidates was additionally down.
Mr Corver mentioned that when reapplicants – who’re in all probability an echo of the troublesome entry atmosphere final yr – have been stripped out, new demand from older age teams had slumped to its lowest-ever stage.
“With software charges falling once more over most older age teams, the lengthy journey that lower-tariff suppliers have been on in reorienting away from this necessary marketplace for them doesn’t appear to be over but,” he added.
The figures additionally revealed the largest-ever recorded fall (3 per cent) within the variety of feminine candidates.
Janet Ilieva, founding father of training consultancy Schooling Perception, mentioned it was not a shock to see a discount within the software fee for 18-year-olds.
“Usually, the chance price of training is low when the employment prospects are restricted,” she mentioned.
“It’s fairly the alternative in the meanwhile: the unemployment fee is at one in every of its lowest ranges for nearly 5 a long time.
“This implies the employment different to greater training is considerably extra enticing.”
Tim Bradshaw, chief government of the Russell Group, mentioned he was happy to see younger individuals proceed to be formidable with their decisions for greater training.
“Whereas competitors for locations at prime universities stays excessive, there’s a welcome enhance within the proportion of scholars holding agency affords from their most well-liked universities this yr.
“This displays elevated confidence in offer-making by establishments as college examination grading returns to the pre-pandemic profile.”
The Ucas information additionally confirmed {that a} document variety of UK 18-year-olds utilized to computing programs, rating it above legislation for the primary time and the seventh hottest general.
The rise within the variety of computing functions was pushed by elevated curiosity in pc science, software program engineering and synthetic intelligence.
Whereas computing noticed the most important enhance in candidates (10 per cent), there have been notable falls for mixed and basic research (12 per cent), training and educating (10 per cent) and agriculture, meals and associated research (10 per cent).
Clare Marchant, chief government of Ucas, mentioned: “We all know that adjustments on the earth round us translate into elevated demand for sure programs, as we noticed for economics post-2008, and for drugs and nursing in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“These new figures recommend college students have gotten more and more impressed to review computing due to the rise of digital and AI.”
patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com
