Students are switching from full-time to part-time study following the introduction of tuition fees, according to the latest figures.
The effect is particularly marked for school-leavers, according to statistics from the Department for Education and Employment and the Higher Education Statistics Agency published this week.
The number of under-21 part-time home students who started higher education this academic year has risen by 14 per cent for those taking degrees and by 16 per cent for those studying for higher national diplomas and certificates. Part-time students now account for 3.2 per cent of enrolments in this age group, compared with 2.7 per cent last year.
The number of young full-time degree students is static, while enrolments on full-time HNDs and HNCs have fallen 5 per cent.
A spokesman for the National Union of Students said: "There is a definite trend among school-leavers - you can see a massive increase of 15 per cent more part-timers. Tuition fees are definitely having an effect."
Enrolments of part-time students over 25 rose 7 per cent overall. At degree level, the figure is up 4 per cent and at HND and HNC level, it is up 6 per cent. (The overall figure includes postgraduates.) Of the 291,500 mature students who started a higher education course this year, almost a quarter are studying part-time.
Recruitment of full-time mature degree students has fallen 14 per cent. While the number on HND and HNC courses is static, the overall figure, which includes postgraduates, is down 6 per cent.
The 21 to 24 age group is also showing a switch from full-time to part-time study. The effect is most pronounced at HND and HNC level, where full-time numbers fell by 12 per cent and part-time numbers rose by 5 per cent.
Baroness Blackstone, the higher education minister, said: "I am delighted to see that, despite what some critics predicted, the total number of mature students has increased, with many opting to study part-time."
"The buoyant labour market is likely to lead more to opt to stay in work and follow the part-time route into higher education."
But the NUS attacked Baroness Blackstone's line. "What you can see is that mature students have been put off full-time degrees and are studying part-time," said a spokesman. "This is the diametric opposite of the DFEE's spin. It is important that mature students have the option to study full-time - part-time study is not going to suit everyone."