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The number of UK 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds applying to the most selective universities and courses is the highest on record.

New UCAS figures show nearly three-quarters of young Scottish students have been accepted by their firm choice of university.

Record numbers of choices have been made by UK 18-year-old applicants to computing, new UCAS data shows.

Creating more high-quality apprenticeships across the UK could help meet soaring demand while tackling talent shortages, according to a new UCAS and Sutton Trust report released today (6 July).

Students interested in apprenticeships could surge to half a million by the end of the decade, according to UCAS.

The number of UK 18-year-olds applying for the most selective university courses has fallen slightly, following last year’s record high.

By Clare Marchant, Chief Executive of UCAS.

By Clare Marchant, Chief Executive of UCAS.

The number of UK 18 year olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds applying to the most selective universities and courses has jumped 8% this year. This compares to a 1% rise for students from the most advantaged backgrounds applying by the 15 October application deadline.

LGBT+ students beginning university or college increasingly see higher education as an opportunity to be more open about their sexuality or gender, a new study finds, but more than 1 in 10 say they are unsure about how ‘out’ they can be when they start as freshers this autumn.

A record 395,770 students, up 8% from 365,500 in 2020, have a confirmed place on their first choice of full-time undergraduate course in the UK. This represents 91% of everyone with a confirmed place, an increase from 88% last year.

Over the last decade there has been a significant shift in the willingness of students to talk about their mental health – the number of UK applicants to UCAS that shared a mental health condition has increased by 450% in this time, yet today’s report, 'Starting the Conversation: UCAS report on student mental health', shows there is still more work to do to smash the myths and stigma around mental health, and to highlight the support available to students in higher education.

Two in five students at university say they would have made better choices had they had better access to higher quality information and advice in school.

New subject data from UCAS shows a big shift towards technology-based degrees mirroring recent trends, with the last decade seeing impressive growth in engineering and computer science subjects, including a 400% jump in acceptances to artificial intelligence (AI) courses.

The UK’s 38 most selective universities would each only need to admit an additional 70 students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds in England every year to close the collective equality gap in their admissions by 2030.

Students are being aspirational with their university choices for next autumn, with more applying for some of the most competitive courses.

Students applying for degree courses that start in autumn 2021 should be ambitious with their choices, following no substantial rise in deferrals in 2020, with universities ready to be flexible when considering applications.

Degree courses training our next generation of health and social care professionals are continuing to accept applications, and new UCAS insight shows students from all walks of life will receive a warm welcome.

Richard O’Kelly, from our Analysis and Insights Team, looks at applications in the 2020 undergraduate recruitment cycle as of the 15 October deadline.

A record 23,710 people have applied to study medicine at university next September, up 6 per cent on last year.