UCAS applications rose by 17% from last year during coronavirus pandemic peak

University applications by 18-year-olds in the UK rose by 17% from mid-March to the end of June, in comparison with the same period last year, reaching an unprecedented 40.5% of all 18-year-olds, according to Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS /ˈjuːkæs/) is a UK-based organisation whose main role is to operate the application process for British universities. It operates as an independent charity, funded by fees charged to applicants and to universities, plus advertising income, and was formed in 1992 through the merger of the former university admissions system UCCA and the former polytechnics admissions system PCAS.

Services provided by UCAS include several online application portals, a number of search tools and free information and advice directed at various audiences, including students considering higher education, students with pending applications to higher education institutes, parents and legal guardians of applicants, school and further education college staff involved in helping students apply and providers of higher education (universities and HE colleges).

This is the first time that more than four out of 10 students (40.5%) have applied by 30 June to go to university and the figures will offer some consolation to universities preparing themselves for the Covid-19 aftershock.

Applications for nursing are up 15% year on year, and UCAS says that for the first time more than a quarter (25.4%) of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds had applied to university or college by 30 June, the final deadline to apply for up to five courses simultaneously.

Despite the relief felt by the higher education sector due to the apparent buoyancy of domestic university applications, it remains to be seen how many students will change their minds and choose not to go to university in September, put off by the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on the student experience.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned that the after-effects of the coronavirus outbreak could spell financial disaster for as many as 13 British universities, with the exact size of losses dependent on how many students decide not to enrol.

According to UCAS, by 30 June just over 514,000 people of all ages across the UK had applied for a place on an undergraduate course, up 1.6% on figures at the same point last year. The number of applicants from outside the EU was up 10%, at just over 89,000, while the EU was 2% down on last year, at just over 49,500. Those figures could however change significantly by the start of the new academic year as students contemplate their choices.

Clare Marchant, UCAS chief executive, said: “Universities and colleges are setting out their ambitions to welcome students to their campuses this autumn, with many planning to blend high-quality online learning with face-to-face teaching and support. Confidence is building for an autumn term that safely captures the essence of the academic year’s traditional start as much as possible.”

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