The organisation representing British universities has
expressed concern about the potential impact of tuition fees after figures
showed a drop of more than 6% in student applications with less than a month to
go before the deadline for 2013 applications.
Data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service
(Ucas) showed there were 265,784 university applications by UK-based candidates
up to 17 December, 6.3% down on the parallel period in the admissions cycle the
year before. While this is less than the 8.4% year-on-year fall seen in earlier
Ucas figures, released in mid-November, the looming January deadline makes it
ever more likely that the total 2013 applicant figure will see a second
sizeable fall following the introduction of annual fees of up to £9,000.
Nicola Dandridge, the chief executive of Universities UK, stressed
that the situation could change over the next few weeks, noting that 2012 saw a
sudden rush of January applications. She said: "However, we must be
concerned about any drops in the numbers applying to university and in
particular, we must look closely at how the increase in graduate contributions
in England may be affecting the decisions of prospective students. However, the
December figures show a drop in numbers across the UK, suggesting that it is
not solely a question of tuition fees in England putting students off from
applying."
A breakdown of the Ucas figures to mid-December shows a 6.5%
fall for applicants in England and 11.7% for those in Wales, with smaller drops
of 3.9% and 0.5% for Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively. Scottish students
at home institutions pay no fees, while those from Northern Ireland have fees
capped to £3,575 for Northern Irish universities.
Dandridge added: "Going to university can transform
lives, increase the chances of getting a job and increase your salary. No one
should be put off applying to university because of worries about
finance."
Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of
Teachers and Lecturers, contrasted the figures with comments by the
universities minister, David Willetts, that institutions should do more to
target male applicants from poorer white families. She said: "Unless this
government makes access to higher education a realistic and genuine possibility
for young people from less privileged backgrounds, his concern for white, working-class
boys will be just empty rhetoric."
A spokeswoman for Willetts's department said: "It is
too early to form a definitive picture about university applications for the
2013/14 academic year. Traditionally fewer than 50% of applicants have submitted
their applications by this point in the cycle.
"It is important that no one is put off applying to
university because they do not have information about the student support
available to them. Most new students will not pay upfront, there will be more financial
support for those from poorer families and everyone will make lower loan
repayments than they do now once they are in well paid jobs."
Source: 3 January 2013, The Guardian by Peter Walker
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