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Record numbers of students secure their place at university

Position confirming applicants as of 00.05 hrs

For a record number of students, A Level results day has also brought confirmation that they have secured a place at university or college for this autumn. A total of 371,016 applicants have had their places confirmed so far, more than 60% of all those who have applied - meaning more people than ever have the reassurance that they know what their future holds.

Anthony McClaran, Chief Executive at UCAS said: "I'd like to congratulate all those applicants whose results mean that their place is confirmed. For those people who haven't secured a place, universities and colleges across the country are waiting to take their calls. Clearing is very competitive but, as is always the case, those students who achieve the grades asked for under the terms of their offers will be guaranteed a place. Clearing is an opportunity for unplaced applicants to secure a course in higher education. Nearly one in 10 successful applicants each year secure their place in Clearing."

UCAS has welcomed the recent government announcement that an additional 10,000 places in STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths and related subjects) are available, which is good news for students looking for places in Clearing.

Anthony continues: "Our admissions colleagues in the universities and colleges have worked incredibly hard to ensure that, despite the very large rise in the number of applications, decisions are being made quicker than ever."

applicant statistics 20 August 2009
Statistics

2009

2008

Applicants

 609,155 553,452

% increase in applicants

10.1%

-

Applicants accepted

371,016

336,057

% of total applicants accepted (placed)

60.9%

60.7%

Current applicants with outcome pending

96,806

101,746

% of total applicants pending

15.9%

18.4%

Current applicants Eligible for Clearing

135,114

109,634

% of total applicants Eligible for Clearing

22.2%

19.8%

Applicants Withdrawn

6,219

6,015

% of total applicants withdrawn

1.0%

1.1%

For those applicants eligible for Clearing, UCAS recommends the following:

  • Don't panic
  • Seek advice - Talk through your options with teachers, parents or our Customer Service Team on 0871 468 0468.
  • Do your research - Use the Clearing vacancy service on ucas.com - remember there are 10,000 additional places in science, technology, engineering, maths and related subjects.
  • Call the universities and colleges - You must do this first before referring yourself to a course through Track.
  • Speak to an expert - If you are unsure about your next steps, speak to a specialist careers adviser at the Exam Results Helpline (0808 100 8000).

Notes to editors

Clearing acceptance data will be released on Friday 21 August. This is because applicants will not be able to refer themselves through Clearing until later in the day on Thursday.

UCAS is a charity and is the world's leading shared admissions service for higher education. We manage applications for full time undergraduate courses, together with applications through GTTR (Graduate Teacher Training Registry), CUKAS (Conservatoires UK Admissions Service) and UKPASS (UK Postgraduate Application and Statistical Service). Since its inception in 1993, UCAS has processed around 30 million applications and placed over 5 million students on higher education courses.

Services include:

  • An informative website (www.ucas.com) enabling students and parents to access a wealth of information designed to help their application to higher education run smoothly.
  • A state-of-the-art contact centre (0871 468 0468) providing a point of contact for students, schools and higher education institutions.
  • An online application system. A simple, straightforward tracking service enabling students and schools advisors to access up-to-date information about their applications at the click of a button.
  • Over 50 higher education events each year providing 250,000 students with face-to-face advice on the UCAS process. Internationally, we participated in events in over 12 countries and also provided training and professional development throughout Europe and beyond.

Media contacts

Charlotte Knowles, Senior Communications Executive
Darren Barker, Communications Officer
tel: 01242 544987 or 01242 545723
email: communications@ucas.ac.uk
Out of hours: 07768 740461

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