Like the arrival of Santa, each December UCAS releases its first tranche of End of Cycle data – a Christmas present for higher education wonks across the sector.
There are more than 200 CSV doors to open in the End of Cycle advent calendar that wonks across the land will be eager to open.
This means there are millions of stories to be told about the 2023 entry cycle – which shouldn’t be mistaken for a normal year.
The headline for the 2023 cycle is that we have seen a year-on-year decline in applicant and accepted applicant numbers. This cycle we have seen 752,000 applicants, resulting in 554,000 students gaining a place at one of the c.360 universities and colleges that UCAS supports each cycle. Last year, the corresponding figures were 762,000 and 563,000.
