Headline student numbers increased to new record levels up to 2022/23 following a short dip related to the 2012 reforms in the sector. There were continued increases in entry rates for different groups of students, including those from disadvantaged areas/backgrounds where rates also hit new record levels up to 2022/23.
However, headline numbers tend to focus on full-time undergraduates and there are ongoing concerns about student numbers outside this group, where trends have not been so positive. This includes part-time undergraduates, particularly those not studying first degrees, some postgraduate students, EU students, mature students and some disadvantaged groups.
Student numbers fell by 1.1% 2023/24, the first fall for almost a decade. This was largely due to a drop in the number of overseas students on taught postgraduate courses, a partial reversal of recent sharp increases in these students.
Key data on the overall student population
- In 2023/24 there were 2.90 million students at UK higher education institutions.
- Most full-time students are studying first degrees. There are proportionately more overseas students studying postgraduate courses.
- Growth in the student population since 2020 has been driven by increases in overseas students on postgraduate taught courses. Over the 15 years the number of entrants to ‘other undergraduate’ courses has fallen by almost two-thirds. The large majority on these courses are part-time UK students.
Applicants and entrants to full-time undergraduate courses
Broad trends over the last decade
- Applicant numbers fell in 2012 with larger falls among those who faced fees of up to £9,000. The total was 7.6% down.
- Applicant numbers bounced back in 2013. A record number were accepted in 2013 and new records were set for acceptances in each of the three following years.
- Applicants reached new record highs in 2020, 2021 and 2022. There was concern that limits on travel and the type of teaching possible with coronavirus restrictions would lead to a large drop in student number.
- There were 758,000 applications for full-time undergraduate places through UCAS in 2024, up by 500 on 2023 but below the record level from 2022. Almost 565,000 of these applicants were accepted.
Applicant and entrance patterns since 2020
- The number of UK applicants increased in each year from 2019 to 2022, driven by an increased number of 18 year olds in the population.
- Brexit meant new EU students faced higher fees from 2021 and were no longer eligible for fee loans. Applications from EU students fell by 40% in 2021. The number of EU students starting full-time undergraduate courses fell by 68% between 2020 and 2024 to its lowest level since 1994.
- The number of non-EU overseas applicants increased to record levels in each year from 2019 to 2022, despite concerns over Covid-19.
- The number of accepted applicants through UCAS more than doubled between 1994 and 2020, but has ballen back slightly since then.
Higher education entry rates
- The higher education entry rate among UK 18-year-olds increased from 24.7% in 2006 to 30.7% in 2015 and peaked at 38.2% in 2021. It fell back to 36.4% in 2024.
- 49% of state school pupils from England had started higher education by age 25 in 2022/23. The rate among women was substantially higher than among men.
- The proportion of young people from England who were eligible for free school meals (FSM) that go on to higher education doubled between 2005/06 and 2021/22. However, the gap in entry rates with other young people has grown over the last decade.
- Just 14% of White British boys eligible for FSM had started higher education by age 19 in 2022/23. Rates were higher in all other major groups. More than half of all Black and Asian pupils eligible for FSM had started higher education by age 19 compared to 19% of White FSM eligible pupils.
Sources: UCAS, End of cycle data resources 2024 (and earlier); HESA, HE student enrolments by level of study 2019/20 to 2023/24 (and earier).
This briefing looks at trends in the size of the student population, changes in the number of entrants overall and for different types of students/courses and entry rates for different groups and areas.
