Number of UK 18-year-olds with university or college offer hits record high

The number of 18-year-olds in the UK who have offers for undergraduate courses has hit a record high, Ucas figures show.

Of the school leavers who applied by the January deadline, 99% are going into the results period having received at least one offer from a university or college.

As of June 30, the final deadline to apply to up to five courses simultaneously, higher education institutions have made 1.3 million offers to UK 18-year-olds, up from 1.2 million last year.

The total number of people applying for an undergraduate place in the UK has also hit a record high, according to the university admissions service.

The number of applicants of all ages and all domiciles has hit 695,740, up by 4.6% on last year.

Increases in applicants can be seen across all four nations in the UK, as well as from international prospective students.

The number of international applicants rose to 148,350, up 7.1% on last year, with continuing growth in the number of applicants from China which saw an increase of 12% compared with last year.

It comes as university leaders have been warning of financial concerns due to a drop in the number of overseas students who can be charged higher tuition fees.

Universities are also preparing for the introduction of the international student levy, which will see them charged £925 per student per year from 2028-29.

The Ucas data, which has been published ahead of A-level results day next month, also shows more than two million main scheme offers have been made by universities and colleges in total – a rise of 3.2% on the previous year.

The application rate – the proportion of the 18-year-old population in the UK which applied – has risen to 41.4% from 41.2% last year.

Published: 16/07/2026 by Radio NewsHub