Student recruitment and admissions
Restrictions on international intake and decline in domestic school-leavers see undergraduate enrolments shrink
First post-Covid increase in early undergraduate applications among mature students shows adults are rethinking their options in times of economic crisis
Allocation of 9,500 extra places will boost capacity in a system where demand can be fickle
Increase in applicants across almost all age groups raises hopes for bumper year of admissions, as interest in medical degrees recovers
Most prospective students have at least three countries in the frame, survey finds
Financial strains and the emergence of digital testing have led to concerns that anglophone universities are admitting students whose English is not good enough to allow them to succeed. But are tests really becoming less rigorous – or are universities setting pass rates that are too low? Helen Packer reports
Trump transparency drive strips complex decisions of their context, scholars warn, amid fears directive will hit minority student numbers
Number of students placed on courses on day one the highest since records began, with direct to clearing route also seeing unprecedented interest
Record number of applicants brings temporary relief to under-pressure institutions, but issues of ‘systematic underfunding’ remain
Rising demand from 18-year-old applicants drives up entry rate, with two-fifths of cohort set to enter most selective institutions
Applicants are returning to previously researched options instead of seeing clearing as opportunity to ‘trade up’, says Ucas chief executive
Proportion of young people planning to attend university full-time has fallen to just over half, survey suggests
Pass rate in Scottish Higher exams nudges up but overall applications dip slightly owing to decline in older learners
New figures show university progression gap between London and the rest of the country widening, as ministers plan interventions in coming White Paper
Two institutions enrol almost 40 per cent of all students from poorer regions as intake drops at other universities
Number of 18-year-olds applying to university reaches new high but anticipated drop in top A-level grades adds to uncertainty ahead of clearing period
