Slight increase in number of applications to art and design courses

The University and Colleges Admissions Service says there has been a 2.4 per cent year-on-year increase in applications.

However, this follows a 16.3 per cent drop in the number of applications measured at this time last year.

The 2.4 per cent increase is also slightly lower than the 3.5 per cent increase in applications to all subjects.

Last year’s dip in application numbers followed changes to the higher-education system, which saw university fees for some undergraduate courses rise to £9000.

Ucas has suggested this the boost to this year’s figures may have come from 19-year-olds who put off applying to university last year, when the fees were increased.

However, it also says the new figures show that applications from ‘disadvantaged’ 18-year-olds are close to record levels, in spite of the increase in fees.

Mary Curnock Cook, chief executive of Ucas, says, ‘This is an encouraging report, with no double-dip for applications and continuing improvements for disadvantaged groups.

‘The significant increase in 19-year-olds applying may be indicating that some young people delayed their decisions about higher education after leaving school last year.’