Fall in applications

The number of applications for undergraduate courses fell 3.1 per cent this year compared with last year, according to figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. The data also reveal that universities offered 15,163 fewer places this year compared with last year, a drop of 3.7 per cent. The number of applications from Lithuania and Latvia rose 73.4 per cent and 75.2 per cent respectively, compared with last year. The number of acceptances from overseas students outside the European Union fell 4.8 per cent. The number of new Chinese students was down 8 per cent.