Is the fall in university applicants such a bad thing?

With graduate unemployment at an all time high, is the current drop in university applications such a bad thing?

The drop in university applications isn’t really surprising considering the hike in tuition fees and the realisation that a degree no longer guarantees a graduate job. Students are now thinking twice about considering entering higher education.

UCAS data has shown that their has been a bigger drop from students in more affluent areas than poorer. Mary Curnock Cook, the chief executive of UCAS, said: “Our analysis shows that decreases in demand are slightly larger in more advantaged groups than in the disadvantaged groups. Widely expressed concerns about recent changes in HE funding arrangements having a disproportionate effect on more disadvantaged groups are not borne out by these data.”

The figures do show that it is mature students who are thinking twice about attending university. The number of people over 40 who are applying to university has dropped by 10.5%, whereas those aged over 23 is 13.5%. The drop in the number of 18-year-old applicants is only 2.6%, which shows that many youngsters still see the value a degree holds in getting that much coveted graduate job and won’t be put off by the trebled tuition fees.

The recent figures give less cause for concern than the headlines are showing, Nicola Dandridge, Universities UK’s Chief executive commented “While overall applicants have decreased compared with the same point last year, the dip is far less dramatic than many were initially predicting”. Young students are still applying, and the number of applications from outside the EU has increased by 13.7%.

Source: Pareto.co.uk, Thursday 9th February 2012