New high in proportion of Scottish students going to university
The proportion of 18-year-olds in Scotland going to university has hit a record high this year, with 28 per cent set to enter higher education—up from 26.4 per cent last year.
This comes despite the percentage of pupils achieving A to C grades in their Highers—the Scottish equivalent of A-levels—falling from 89.3 per cent in 2020 to 87.3 per cent in 2021, although a record number did achieve an A grade.
While results were officially confirmed on 10 August, many students already knew their grades because they were based on teacher assessments that concluded earlier in the summer.
The results mean there has been a 12 per cent increase in the number of Scottish-domiciled applicants getting a place at a Scottish university, according to admissions body Ucas, with 32,580 accepted by a domestic institution.
Social equality
The Ucas figures also show an increase of 6.8 per cent in the number of Scottish students from the most disadvantaged areas being placed at university.
Deputy director of Universities Scotland David Lott said students had overcome “significant obstacles” during their Covid-affected studies.
“Demand for university remains very strong from our Scottish-domiciled applicants as well as from the rest of the UK and internationally,” he said. “Universities are very pleased to be able to accommodate much of this demand this year following the creation of additional funded places for Scottish students.”
This year, the Scottish government increased the student numbers cap by about 2,500 to more than 38,000 places in order to accommodate increased numbers for applicants.
“The UK is about to see a demographic trend towards a sharply growing number of 18-year-olds and this, combined with high levels of success amongst school-leavers, will add to future pressure on places,” Lott added. “The resilience and determination shown by this cohort of school and college leavers will stand them in good stead for both their academic career and life beyond university.”