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The number of students applying for university this autumn has hit a record high despite ongoing uncertainty amid the pandemic.
Ucas found a record 40.5% of all 18-year-olds in the UK have applied to university – the first time more than two out of five have applied by this point in the application cycle.
The latest figures suggest that 281,980 school leavers have applied, up from 275,520 last year, despite there being fewer 18-year-olds in the population.
It comes amid fears that students would be scared off going to university as institutions increasingly move towards a mix of online and face-to-face classes during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Some universities are considering making students live in a ‘bubble’ with people on the same courses to limit social mixing, while other institutions are looking to hold virtual freshers’ week events.
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The latest figures show that the number of new nursing applicants between January and June was 63% higher than the same period last year – from 7,880 in 2019 to 12,840 this year.
The data also reveals that more than a quarter (25.4%) of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds across the UK have applied to university or college by the June 30 deadline.
Figures show that the number of applicants from the EU is 2% lower than last year at 49,650, but applicants from outside the EU is currently up 10% to 89,130.
During the lockdown, there was a 17% increase in new applicants between March 23 and June 30 – a total of 54,810 this year, compared with 46,770 in the equivalent period in 2019.
If there is a second wave of the pandemic, or more local lockdowns in the months to come, then the number of enrolments may not match the current number of applicants, the Ucas chief Clare Marchant has suggested.
She said the latest June 30 data was ‘very encouraging’ and could mean that ‘more students’ enrol this year than last year, but she warned the situation is ‘fragile’.
She added: ‘If a second spike occurred, and if we get more regional lockdowns, anything I say goes out the window because people’s confidence levels take a real dip.’
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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