This year’s A-level results have again prompted introspection in academia, with much attention focused on the progress of disadvantaged teenagers into universities and the future for institutions heavily reliant on overseas student fees.
The headline figure on results day was that 408,960 undergraduates had been accepted on to courses on 15 August, down 0.7 per cent compared with this time last year and down 3.5 per cent from a nine-year high of 423,880 in 2016.
But because of a decline in the number of 18-year-olds in the UK population, the proportion of this age group taking up places rose to a record high of 28.2 per cent.
A record was also set for 18-year-old students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds being accepted on to university courses. Using the POLAR quintile 1 measure of disadvantage, 18,900 disadvantaged students were accepted.
And despite the uncertainty around Brexit, the number of European Union students accepting places has risen to 26,440, a slight increase on 26,400 in 2018.
There has also been a rise in the number of international students from outside the EU accepted on to courses, up 6.7 per cent to a record 33,630. This was largely driven by a significant 32 per cent jump in the number of applicants from China, as reported earlier this year.
In another development that garnered attention from research experts, the Joint Council for Qualifications announced that female students made up 50.3 per cent of those taking biology, chemistry and physics at A level this year. This is the first time in history that girls have sat more science exams than boys, and it was driven by an 11.3 per cent increase in girls sitting chemistry and an increase of 4.9 per cent in girls sitting physics.