Growth and choice in university admissions

​Since 2010, increased competition for students has emerged in the UK higher education sector.

A nationwide decrease in the number of 18-year-olds and the removal of student number controls means that universities are now making more offers to a wider range of students throughout the recruitment cycle. This has not, however, led to a decline in the prior attainment of the students recruited by the sector. As undergraduate acceptances have increased, average student attainment has also risen.

News

Majority of adult learners would upskill at university if given the chance

21 October 2020
New polling by Savanta ComRes for Universities UK has revealed that 82% of prospective students in England who are either unemployed, at risk of unemployment, or looking to learn new skills would be keen to study individual modules of a university degree.

Universities and admissions leaders encourage students to be ambitious with their 2021 applications

12 October 2020
Students applying for degree courses that start in autumn 2021 should be ambitious with their choices, following no substantial rise in deferrals in 2020, with universities ready to be flexible when considering applications.

Blog

The grades u-turn caused a ripple effect throughout education – it could be catastrophic for unis

25 August 2020
From over-stretched finances to lack of space and facilities, universities are facing a perfect storm of problems.
Laptop, phone and tablet, at home studying

Covid-19 silver linings: how the pandemic has increased opportunities for disabled university students

15 July 2020
AbilityNet's Amy Low explains how new ways of working brought about by the pandemic have resulted in improvements in accessibility and inclusion for disabled university students.