The number of early applications to UK universities has reached record levels, indicating that institutions could be set for another bumper year of admissions.
As the 18-year-old population swells,?and a slow jobs market forces more to consider continuing in education,?interest in attending university?appears to be up?across the board.
Data released by admissions service Ucas for courses with a 15 October deadline – medicine, dentistry and veterinary science and those at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford – show there were 79,160 applications for 2026 entry, compared with 73,720 last year, a 7.4 per cent rise.
This is higher than the previous peak of 77,810 in 2022, and the highest on record. It comes after last year’s figures showed a slight uptick,?reversing two years of declining applications.
A record increase in applications from international students was partly behind the overall rise, reaching 24,350 applicants, a 11.5 per cent year-on-year?rise. This does not reflect the full number of applications from overseas, given that many students apply directly to universities.
International students now make up a quarter of 18-year-old applicants for the first time, with almost all the top 10 biggest source countries seeing increases.
Most notably, applications from China were up 15.7 per cent, and the country remains the largest single?source of students. There were also more applicants from the US, Singapore and India.
Domestically, there were increases across almost all age groups, with the number of 18-year-old applicants rising to a record high of 41,010, up 5.3 per cent on last year. This was higher than the 4.5 per cent growth in the 18-year-old population during the same period.
A sharp rise in the number of domestic students of Asian ethnicity means that, for the first time, white students make up less than half of total domestic 18-year-old applicants, although numbers from this group increased as well.
The number of UK applicants aged 21 and over has also increased to 6,600, an 11.2 per cent increase on last year. This was partly?as a result of?a 11.5 per cent rise in mature students applying for medicine degrees.
With a more than 10 per cent rise overall, medicine degrees in general saw the start of a recovery after three years of falling applications, although the 25,770 to apply this year is still fewer than in 2023.
Applications from those in the most deprived areas of England, Wales and Scotland increased, while those from Northern Ireland?were unchanged.
Ucas chief executive Jo Saxton said she was “really encouraged to see the continued demand for university places”.
“It’s especially heartening to see people of all ages choosing to study medicine — from school leavers to mature students looking to reconnect with education. This growing interest is a positive sign for the future of our healthcare system.”
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