The number of undergraduates accepted on to courses at modern UK universities for the current academic year fell by the largest amount in more than a decade, figures suggest.
Data from the admissions service Ucas reveal that 554,465 students were accepted on to courses at UK providers in 2023 – about half of whom went to institutions that were granted university status after 1992.
Analysis by Times Higher Education shows that these institutions accepted 3 per cent less applicants in 2023 than they did the year before – the largest annual drop since 2012.
Previous Ucas figures had shown a record fall in the entry rate for UK 18-year-olds across the sector, and the latest statistics reveal the extent of the damage across all levels. The total level of recruitment remains historically high among post-1992 universities but has fallen from last year’s peak.
