25,000 fewer have applied to university

THE number of applicants to university has fallen by 25,000 in a year.

Figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service show 649,700 applied by the June deadline for a degree course starting this autumn – down by around 4 per cent on last year.

The number of EU students bidding for a place fell by 5 per cent. But there was a 2 per cent rise in international students from non-EU countries.

Dame Julia Goodfellow, of vice-chancellors’ group Universities UK, said ‘factors such as Brexit and changes to the way degrees in nursing, midwifery and some other allied health professions are funded’ could be behind the drop in numbers.

The statistics show the proportion of 18-year-olds in England applying to university has reached a new high of 37.9 per cent. The figures come amid a debate on tuition fees, currently a maximum of £9,250 a year.