Demand Falls For Uni - But Not Everywhere

By Warren Lee, 31st January 2012, 15:47

The UCAS figures show in total, 462,507 people have applied for courses beginning in September, compared with 506,388 at this point last year - a drop of 8.7%.

Tuition fees for English universities are due to triple to a maximum of £9,000 this autumn.

Overall application from all students, both home and abroad, are down by 7.4%, the figures show,

At the University of Bedfordshire, applications have fallen 8.5% to 15,373 year on year.

In Northampton, it's an even greater drop, down 12.5% to 14,954.

Last year, the University of Hertfordshire recorded 27,138 applications - this year has seen only a very small drop of 157 fewer applications (26,981), as at 15th January 2012.

In Buckingham, the UK's first private university, they've witnessed a 105% INCREASE in numbers, from 816 to 1673 applications.

Tuition fees for English universities are due to triple to a maximum of £9,000 this autumn.

Overall application from all students, both home and abroad, are down by 7.4%, the figures show,

At the University of Bedfordshire, applications have fallen 8.5% to 15,373 year on year.

In Northampton, it's an even greater drop, down 12.5% to 14,954.

Last year, the University of Hertfordshire recorded 27,138 applications - this year has seen only a very small drop of 157 fewer applications (26,981), as at 15th January 2012.

In Buckingham, the UK's first private university, they've witnessed a 105% INCREASE in numbers, from 816 to 1673 applications.

Speaking to Heart, The University of Northampton say they are "not surprised by the application figures for 2012/13 entry to higher education. Although our applications are down by 12.5% and applications to universities have declined overall, our position is actually very positive in the sector; we have around six applications for each place and there is a high demand for places."

Meanwhile, Ross Renton Dean of Students at the University of Hertfordshire told Heart "the number of applications remains strong, with the 2011 figures already up 5% from 2010. After the govt brought in the variable system of fees the University of Hertfordshire produced three different bands of fees, depending on course."

The average course fee now ranges from between £7,500 to 8,500, with the foundation degree courses at around £5,800.

So what do universities have to offer if they're to emmulate the Hertfordshire facility?

Mr Renton told Heart they "have just opened a brand-new law court building in the past year, and we're investing over the next few years on a large campus development on the College Lane site.  Universities HAVE to continue to invest in infrastructure and be ambitious for its' students."

At the University of Bedfordshire - the UCAS figures showed UoB received 15,373 applications from students, compared with  16,802 applications received in 2011, a drop of 8.5% but is 8.8% above the number of applications received in 2010 (14,135).

Head of Admissions Susie King told Heart: "In the three years to 2011, applications to study at Bedfordshire doubled. Last year, we had more than five applications for every place available. We didn’t expect to see the same increase this year and, in the event, our figures are in line with the national picture.

However, we have seen an increase in people wanting to study biological and other sciences, and nursing and midwifery are proving very popular."

Susie King added: "We would encourage anyone considering university to apply as soon as possible. It will be a competitive year and, with the introduction of no up-front fees and the availability of loans for anyone choosing to study on a part-time basis, we expect demand for places to be high.

Studying at university is still the best career move you can make, with 90 per cent of undergraduates from the University of Bedfordshire either in work or further study within six months of graduating"