UCAS figures show increase "across the board"

With another academic year on the horizon for university students, and with most schools getting under way this week, we’ve been looking at statistics revealed by UCAS earlier this year showing application trends over the past two years, and also looking at application numbers from the last decade.

In the last ten years, the total number of students accepted to study Higher Education has gone up by an incredible 44% – from 334,594 to 481,854. This also shows a 5.5% increase on the accepted numbers from 2008. Meanwhile, the total number of applicants in 2009 exceeded 600,000 for the first time in UCAS’ history, which was no doubt a factor partly responsible for the spate of articles this summer predicting even higher numbers of applicants, and record numbers being turned away from places.

From 2008 and 2009

The data released by UCAS also makes comprehensive comparisons between figures from the 2008 and 2009 cycles, with some interesting results. Whilst increases are noted “across the board”, a noticeably large increase has come in the mature students category, with a 15.3% increase from applicants aged 25 or over. There was also an increase of 12.1 percent in applicants aged 21-24.

The increased numbers of mature applicants won’t come as a surprise to most. Indeed, UCAS Chief Executive Mary Curnock Cook mentioned “the current economic situation” as one factor, “with more people looking to long term retraining in the traditionally more secure or transferable careers.”

Girls and Boys

The UCAS figures show that the number of female applicants again outweighs the male applicants, though based on 2008 figures, the number of male applicants and the number of male applicants accepted had a slightly larger percentage increase than for female applicants. Below are the 2009 statistics, with the percentage increase from 2008 in brackets.

• Total number of male applicants 284,757 (+ 9.6%)
• Total number of accepted male applicants 218,185 (+6.6%)
• Total number of female applicants 355,103 (+ 8.0%)
• Total number of accepted female applicants 263,669 (+4.7%)

International applicants

The data for overseas students reveals an overall increase in accepted applicants of 10.1%, while showing significant increases in students from Eastern Europe, presumably due to recent acceptances into the EU, with large increases of Bulgarian, Romanian and Lithuanian students. Other countries with a surge of applicants include Saudi Arabia, Italy, Norway, Singapore, Spain and France. Some countries also see a decrease in accepted students, the most significant of which being Poland and Pakistan, both seeing more than 10% decreases.

Top ten countries with accepted overseas students, listed in order of largest proportional rise from 2008 to 2009:

1. Bulgaria, an increase of 55.9% to 1,283
2. Romania, an increase of 54.9% to 976
3. Saudi Arabia, an increase of 45.7% to 772
4. Lithuania, an increase of 31.2% to 895
5. Italy, an increase of 26.3% to 873
6. Norway, an increase of 24.7% to 959
7. Singapore, an increase of 22.6% to 1,187
8. Spain, an increase of 20% to 869
9. Malaysia, an increase of 18.6% to 2,390
10. France, an increase of 18.2% to 3,194

China remained the country with the largest number of students accepted to study in the UK in 2009, with 6,509, an increase of 6.4%.

Information and quotes from the UCAS media release Decade ends with record student numbers. Further statistics from UCAS’ Final figures for 2009- complete tables.

To see what courses and institutions our UCAS applicants from this year’s cycle are applying to, visit our Applications, Clearing and UCAS forum.