04 February 2015 
Matt Sisson, Projects and Membership Manager
The number of UK applicants for the 2015/16 academic year are up 1% on this time last year, according to analysis of the first post-deadline figures by UCAS. Following the 15th January deadline there is also a 2% increase in the total number of applicants (including those from the EU and outside the EU) to HE courses to 592,290, which is the highest the highest number ever recorded at this stage in the process. Drawing on the figures, UCAS points out that:
Coverage in The Independent focuses on the widening gap between female and male applicants. 90,000 more women than men have applied, meaning the gap between the sexes is now at a record high. They believe the 2% rise overall “is almost entirely fuelled by an increase in the number of women seeking places”. In England young women are now 36% more likely to apply to university.
There's more coverage on the BBC website, and the Times Higher also have a good summary, here.
