Applications to top Oxbridge courses up

Applications from Wales to Oxbridge and for medicine and dentistry are at their highest numbers for three years.

Data from university admissions service UCAS shows applications to Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and to veterinary and medical courses, have risen by 6% compared to last year – the highest number recorded since 2014. Applications from Wales to study medicine alone have risen 2%, the figures show.

The total number of applications from students in Wales to courses with an October 15 deadline to start studying in September 2018 is 1,440 – compared with 1,360 for the 2017 cycle.

Although the statistics offer only part of the wider university applications picture, as they relate only to courses by the October deadline – Oxbridge, medicine, veterinary and dentistry – they are an indication of the aspiration of Welsh students to apply to highly-competitive institutions and courses.

Many of those applying would have been students invited to join the Seren network, the Welsh Government initiative to raise applications to the top universities, a Seren spokeswoman said.

Education Secretary Kirsty Williams said: “Though this data only offers part of the wider university applications and admissions picture, it does indicate that initiatives such as the Seren Network may be beginning to bear fruit and raise the aspirations of Welsh students to apply to highly-competitive institutions and courses.

“Seren was established to support Wales’ brightest students reach their academic potential and, though still in its early phases, it is encouraging to see positive early indications of its impact.”

However, the picture is not quite so good for applications to courses in Wales with an October 15 deadline.

The UCAS figures show that all UK applications, including those from Wales to institutions in Wales, fell from 3,320 from last year’s 2017 cycle to 3,270 for this year’s 2018 cycle.

Applications from the EU remain static at 230 for both years, despite fears that Brexit might cause applications to fall.

Applications from students in Wales to courses in Wales with an October 15 deadline stand at 460, with 1,420 applying to institutions in England and the rest elsewhere in the UK.

Dr Samina Khan, director of undergraduate admissions and outreach at Oxford University, said: “Last year we made over 100 offers to applicants from Wales – the highest number on record.

“We want the best students from all backgrounds and all parts of the UK, and we would always encourage academically-able Welsh students to consider applying to Oxford.”