November university applications fall by 15%

28 Nov 11
The number of students applying for university next year, when some tuition fees will rise to £9,000, fell by 15.1% in November compared with the same period last year, according to figures published today.

By Nick Mann | 28 November 2011

The number of students applying for university next year, when some tuition fees will rise to £9,000, fell by 15.1% in November compared with the same period last year, according to figures published today.

The data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service shows that, as of November 21, 133,357 UK residents had applied, 23,759 fewer than last November’s 157,116.

The drop was accompanied by a 12.9% fall in the overall number of applications from both the UK and overseas for places in 2012. As of November 21, 158,387 had submitted an application to Ucas, 23,427 less than a year earlier.

Sally Hunt, chief executive of the University and College Union, which represents university lecturers, described the figures as ‘very worrying’.

She added: ‘We believe putting financial barriers in front of young people who have been told their entire lives to aim for university is nothing more than a policy of penalising ambition.’

However, universities minister David Willetts said it was ‘too early’ in the applications process to link the figures to the changes to tuition fees scheduled to come in next September. He noted that the application deadline for the majority of universities is January 15.

Going to university depends on ability not the ability to pay. Most new students will not pay upfront, there will be more financial support for those from poorer families and everyone will make lower loan repayments than they do now once they are in well paid jobs,’ he said.

It is important that no one is put off applying to university because they do not have information about how the new student finance system works.’

Ucas chief executive Mary Curnock Cook explained that the imminent fee rises could be causing a ‘change’ in application patterns, but said the admissions service was preparing for a possible late surge in applications near to the January deadline.

While expecting some ‘depression of demand’ due to there being fewer young people, she echoed Willetts’ belief that it was ‘too early’ to predict whether the fees changes were affecting applications.

Universities UK, which represents universities, noted that current applicant numbers were also down in parts of the UK not changing their fees systems next year, and described last year’s figures as ‘something of a one-off’, due to factors such as cancelled gap years and more mature students applying.

Chief executive Nicola Dandridge said today's figures were ‘broadly similar’ to those two years ago.

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