Over 100,000 UK 18-Year-Olds Were Accepted to Study at Most Competitive Institutions in 2021

A total of 103,010 youngsters the United Kingdom were accepted to study at competitive universities and colleges by the end of the 2021 admissions cycle, an increase of 11 percent from 2020, when there were 92,650 accepted students, according to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

“The number of applicants achieving A level grades equivalent to three A*s nearly quadrupled from pre-pandemic levels to 19,595 (5,655 in 2019), and close to doubled compared to 2020 (12,735),” UCAS said in a press release.

UCAS Chief Executive Clare Marchant said that students’ achievements throughout the pandemic combined with the flexibility provided by universities and colleges means that more students have been able to study for a degree, in particular, at the most competitive academic institutions.

“Half of applicants say they’re interested in knowing more about apprenticeships as well as the traditional three-year undergraduate route. A crucial part our independent and trusted role is to make sure students know enough about their options to make an informed decision, that’s right for them and we’ve seen searches on UCAS’ Career Finder increase by 45% this year to top 2 million,” Marchant added.

According to the release, other key points are:

• The percentage of 18-year-olds from the UK with a confirmed place increased to 38.3 percent, representing 275,235 students, also marking an increase from 37.0 percent or a total of 257,895 students in 2020 and 241,515 in 2019.
• A total of 223,315 UK 18-year-olds secured the first choice of course, increasing from 194,035 in 2020 and 177,680 students in 2019.
• The number of 18-year-olds in the country deciding to defer their course for a year also increased by 15 percent, from 3,185 to 24,855.
• 606,645 students of all ages in the UK applied for higher education, of which 492,005 were accepted.

At the international level, 142,925 individuals of all ages applied, of which 70,055 were accepted.

“This is split between 111,255 people from outside the EU applying (+12%), with 54,030 accepted (+2%); while 31,670 people from the EU applied (-40%) and 16,025 were accepted (-50%),” UCAS notes.

Another important point included in UCAS statement is that a total of 749,570 applicants, also of all ages and domiciles have submitted applications during the 2021 admissions, an increase of 3 percent from last year, of which 562,060 were admitted.

In October, UCAS reported that 77,810 students applied to universities in the United Kingdom this year, an increase of 1 percent from last year.