Hope for struggling universities as applications from school leavers hit record levels despite lockdown
Applications to universities this autumn have surged to a record high despite rife uncertainty prompted by coronavirus, the latest data shows.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, or UCAS, said a record 40.5 per cent of all UK school leavers have applied to university – the first time more than two in five have applied by this point in the application cycle.
The latest Ucas figures, which look at all applications made by June 30, suggest that 281,980 18-year-olds applied, up from 275,520 last year.
This is despite this year being a demographic trough for sixth formers in the population.
Clare Marchant, Ucas’ chief executive, said the trend was “very encouraging”, but warned that the situation was “fragile” with the risk of a second wave in winter.
A total of 514,020 people of all ages from across the UK have now applied through Ucas this year for a place on an undergraduate course.
This is up 1.6 per cent on this point in 2019, and there was a 17 per cent surge during lockdown.
More than a quarter of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds across the UK have applied to university or college. Applicants from the EU are 2 per cent lower than last year at 49,650, but applicants from outside the EU are currently up 10% to 89,130.
It comes amid growing unease over the long-term impact of Covid-19 on universities. Only last week, the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned 13 unnamed institutions face “a very real prospect” of bankruptcy unless the Government bails them out.
University bosses are bracing for an expected plummet in overseas students - which pay up to £26,000 a year - this autumn due to the pandemic. UK-based students, which pay £9,250 in fees, are also expected to be deterred by the prospect of mostly online teaching.
Most universities are planning hybrid arrangements of online lectures and face-to-face seminars this autumn. Cambridge and Bristol universities have said lectures will stay online until next summer, while Oxford and Manchester hinted they will be mostly digital until at least Christmas.
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi), said: “The appetite for higher education continues to grow – and it’s not surprising given that the alternative options, like finding a secure job, will be worse this year.
“However, we are not out of the woods because there is a difference between applying and enrolling. If, for example, there were a major second wave of the pandemic, then applications might not convert into enrolments.”
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