UCAS data shows 316,850 UK 18-year-olds have applied to university or college this year – an increase of 0.7% from 2023 and the second highest on record.
This puts the application rate for UK 18-year-olds at 41.3%, down from 41.5% in 2023, but up from 38.2% in 2019.
The number of international students for undergraduate places has also increased by 0.7%, with 115,730 students applying by the January deadline.
The number of 18-year-old students from disadvantaged backgrounds (Polar 4 Quintile 1) has increased by 30% over the last ten years to 37,220, and up by 2% from last year. UCAS data also shows the number of these students applying to the most selective (high tariff) universities increased by 4.4% compared to last year (21,020 in 2023, up to 21,950 in 2024).
