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Application numbers for undergraduate courses rise despite coronavirus pandemic
More students have applied for undergraduate courses starting this autumn than last year, including international students, despite fears students would stay away because of the coronavirus.
Admissions body Ucas revealed on 9 July that undergraduate applications have grown 1.6 per cent compared with 2019, with a total of 514,020 applying for the 2020-21 academic year.
It comes despite warnings that both UK-domiciled and international student numbers would drop in 2020-21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, heralding trouble for universities’ finances.
However, the data—which include applications to the 30 June deadline—do not cover postgraduate applications, and in June Ucas warned that deferrals among international students from outside the European Union have jumped more than 20 per cent.
Alistair Jarvis, chief executive of vice-chancellors’ body Universities UK, said the rise was “very positive” and showed prospective students “recognise the many benefits that a university education brings for their life chances, career prospects and their future”.
“Students can be confident that they will benefit from a high-quality and positive experience [at] university this autumn, with the vast majority of universities planning to deliver much teaching, student support and social activities in person,” he added.
Among non-EU international students, applications for undergraduate courses in 2020 have risen around 10 per cent to 89,130 compared with 81,340 in 2019. Several experts have warned of an impending drop in the number of international students enrolling with universities this autumn due to travel restrictions around Covid-19—including the British Council, which warned of £500 million losses from the East Asian market alone.
Applications from students in China grew from 19,760 in 2019 to 24,430 in 2020, while more students from India applied for 2020, up to 7,640 from 6210 in 2019. However, there was a slight drop for EU students at 49,650 in 2020 compared to 50,650 in 2019.
More than 40 per cent of the UK’s 18-year-olds have applied for undergraduate courses starting this autumn at 281,980, up from 275,520 last year, which represented 38.9 per cent of 18-year-olds.
The UK growth is split unevenly between the four countries. Applications from English-domiciled students rose from 418,940 in 2019 to 427,290 in 2020, while applications from students living in Scotland rose from 47,110 in 2019 to 47,250 in 2020.
But applications from students living in Northern Ireland dropped from 18,520 to 18,150 in 2020, and from 21,470 in 2019 to 21,330 in 2020 among Welsh-domiciled students.
Nursing saw a 15 per cent spike in applications to 58,550, and the number of nursing applicants between January and June was 63 per cent higher than 2019, at 12,840 compared to 7,880.
Jarvis said: “Many will have been inspired by the stories we have seen during the pandemic of student nurses and university staff contributing to the national effort and supporting their local communities”.
More than a quarter (25.4 per cent) of UK 18-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds using the POLAR4 measure of deprivation had applied by the 30 June deadline—the first time numbers have edged over a quarter.
Clare Marchant, chief executive of Ucas, said universities were seeing “an encouraging picture emerge out of national lockdown”, while institutions should “celebrate seeing so many people keen to embark on a rewarding career in nursing”.
“Universities and colleges are setting out their ambitions to welcome students to their campuses this autumn, with many planning to blend high-quality online learning with face-to-face teaching and support. Confidence is building for an autumn term that safely captures the essence of the academic year’s traditional start as much as possible,” she said.