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2012 applicant figures - December

  1. It remains too early in the cycle to make predictions about eventual demand for entry to higher education in 2012. The majority of courses and universities have a 15 January deadline - application patterns this far ahead of that date are historically unreliable indicators of the eventual year-on-year change.
  2. For those universities and courses where the 15 October deadline applied (Oxford/Cambridge, all medicine, dentistry, veterinary science/medicine courses) and we can therefore take a meaningful view, the reduction in applicants was less than one percent (0.8 percent).
  3. The number of UK-domiciled 18-year-old applicants to courses where this 15 Oct deadline applied rose by 1.1 percent.

Data reported as at Monday 19 December 2011 (00:05:02)

Table 1: total applicants for all courses

Table 1: total applicants for all courses

2011 2012 Diff (+/-) Diff (%)
Total applicants 344,064 321,908 -22,156 -6.4%
Total choices 1,554,453 1,461,256 -93,197 -6.0%


Table 2: total applicants by gender

Table 2: total applicants by gender
By gender 2011 2012 Diff (+/-) Diff (%)
Female 199,238 188,057 -11,181 -5.6%
Male 144,826 133,851 -10,975 -7.6%
Total 344,064 321,908 -22,156 -6.4%


Table 3: total applicants by age

Table 3: total applicants by age
By age 2011 2012 Diff (+/-) Diff (%)
17 and under 6,628 6,754 126 1.9%
18 190,812 187,463 -3,349 -1.8%
19 74,242 65,312 -8,930 -12.0%
20 19,700 16,746 -2,954 -15.0%
21 9,240 7,978 -1,262 -13.7%
22 6,327 5,797 -530 -8.4%
23 5,084 4,342 -742 -14.6%
24 4,028 3,477 -551 -13.7%
25 to 29 11,706 10,025 -1,681 -14.4%
30 to 39 11,076 9,595 -1,481 -13.4%
40 and over 5,221 4,419 -802 -15.4%
Total 344,064 321,908 -22,156 -6.4%


Table 4a: total applicants by domicile (UK, other EU, non-EU)

Table 4a: total applicants by domicile (UK, other EU, non-EU)
By domicile 2011 2012 Diff (+/-) Diff (%)
UK 306,908 283,680 -23,228 -7.6%
Other EU 16,143 14,422 -1,721 -10.7%
Non EU 21,013 23,806 2,793 13.3%
Total 344,064 321,908 -22,156 -6.4%


Table 4b: total applicants by domicile (UK only; arranged by country)

Table 4b: total applicants by domicile (UK only; arranged by country)
By UK country 2011 2012 Diff (+/-) Diff (%)
England 268,117 245,882 -22,235 -8.3%
Northern Ireland 11,118 10,480 -638 -5.7%
Scotland 14,729 14,617 -112 -0.8%
Wales 12,944 12,701 -243 -1.9%
Total 306,908 283,680 -23,228 -7.6%


Table 4c: 18 year old applicants only by UK country

Table 4c: 18 year old applicants only by UK country
By UK country (18 only) 2011 2012 Diff (+/-) Diff (%)
England 155,924 151,712 -4,212 -2.7%
Northern Ireland 6,423 6,203 -220 -3.4%
Scotland 7,332 7,568 236 3.2%
Wales 7,600 7,503 -97 -1.3%
Total 177,279 172,986 -4,293 -2.4%


Table 4d: total applicants by domicile (UK only; arranged by region)

Table 4d: total applicants by domicile (UK only; arranged by region)
By UK region 2011 2012 Diff (+/-) Diff (%)
East Midlands 21,073 18,730 -2,343 -11.1%
Eastern 28,252 25,821 -2,431 -8.6%
Greater London 47,596 44,066 -3,530 -7.4%
North East 11,284 10,103 -1,181 -10.5%
North West 38,223 34,976 -3,247 -8.5%
Northern Ireland 11,118 10,480 -638 -5.7%
Scotland 14,729 14,617 -112 -0.8%
South East 45,478 41,700 -3,778 -8.3%
South West 25,770 22,880 -2,890 -11.2%
Wales 12,944 12,701 -243 -1.9%
West Midlands 27,643 26,027 -1,616 -5.8%
Yorks & The Humber 22,798 21,579 -1,219 -5.3%
Total 306,908 283,680 -23,228 -7.6%


Table 4e: total applicants by domicile (other EU and non-EU only)

Table 4e: total applicants by domicile (other EU and non-EU only)
By OS country 2011 2012 Diff (+/-) Diff (%)
Africa 1,833 1,835 2 0.1%
Americas 2,718 3,002 284 10.4%
Australasia 327 398 71 21.7%
EU (ex. Ireland) 13,791 12,523 -1,268 -9.2%
Ireland 2,352 1,899 -453 -19.3%
Europe (ex.EU) 1,687 1,822 135 8.0%
Far E(ex HK/Mal) 8,930 10,164 1,234 13.8%
Hong Kong 2,670 3,484 814 30.5%
Malaysia 1,373 1,552 179 13.0%
Middle East 1,436 1,518 82 5.7%
Other Overseas 39 31 -8 -20.5%
Total 37,156 38,228 1,072 2.9%


Table 4f: total applicants by domicile and country of institution

Table 4f: total applicants by domicile and country of institution

Country of Institution
Domicile of Applicant
England N. Ireland Scotland Wales
England 2012 245,592 1,634 19,468 26,698
2011 267,719 1,370 20,145 30,032
% change -8.3% 19.3% -3.4% -11.1%
N. Ireland 2012 5,955 9,232 3,593 621
2011 6,960 9,511 4,234 747
% change -14.4% -2.9% -15.1% -16.9%
Scotland 2012 2,384 112 14,324 94
2011 2,832 96 14,315 171
% change -15.8% 16.7% 0.1% -45.0%
Wales 2012 9,877 61 628 9,796
2011 9,597 49 600 10,371
% change 2.9% 24.5% 4.7% -5.5%
Other EU 2012 13,067 593 6,298 1,129
2011 14,983 694 5,852 1,366
% change -12.8% -14.6% 7.6% -17.3%
Non EU 2012 23,480 327 6,320 1,863
2011 20,699 209 5,106 1,621
% change 13.4% 56.5% 23.8% 14.9%
Total 2012 300,355 11,959 50,631 40,201
2011 322,790 11,929 50,252 44,308
% change -7.0% 0.3% 0.8% -9.3%


Table notes:

  • An applicant has a maximum count of 1 to each 'country of institution'. If an applicant's choices include multiple countries then the applicant is counted once within each 'country of institution' present.


Table 5: total applicants by application month

Table 5: total applicants by application month
By application month 2011 2012 Diff (+/-) Diff (%)
September 13,389 9,652 -3,737 -27.9%
October 85,543 80,959 -4,584 -5.4%
November 138,636 124,356 -14,280 -10.3%
December 106,496 106,941 445 0.4%
Total 344,064 321,908 -22,156 -6.4%


Applicant volume by month Cumulative applicant volume by month

Table 6: total applications (choices) by JACS3 subject group

Table 6: total applications (choices) by JACS3 subject group
JACS3 Subject Group 2011 2012 Diff (+/-) Diff (%)
Group A Medicine & Dentistry 96,692 93,809 -2,883 -3.0%
Group B Subjects allied to Medicine 194,863 197,396 2,533 1.3%
Group C Biological Sciences 136,626 130,454 -6,172 -4.5%
Group D Vet Sci,Ag & related 17,857 17,871 14 0.1%
Group F Physical Sciences 69,946 70,277 331 0.5%
Group G Mathematical & Comp Sci 34,095 32,939 -1,156 -3.4%
Group H Engineering 71,778 70,475 -1,303 -1.8%
Group I Computer Sciences 40,473 37,367 -3,106 -7.7%
Group J Technologies 4,720 3,940 -780 -16.5%
Group K Architecture,Build & Plan 22,943 19,003 -3,940 -17.2%
Group L Social Studies 132,987 116,984 -16,003 -12.0%
Group M Law 70,277 67,341 -2,936 -4.2%
Group N Business & Admin studies 150,451 144,493 -5,958 -4.0%
Group P Mass Comms and Documentation 29,502 24,837 -4,665 -15.8%
Group Q Linguistics, Classics & related 50,856 47,324 -3,532 -6.9%
Group R European Langs, Lit & related 19,541 17,299 -2,242 -11.5%
Group T Non-European Langs and related 5,912 4,700 -1,212 -20.5%
Group V Hist & Philosophical studies 60,434 57,017 -3,417 -5.7%
Group W Creative Arts & Design 105,125 89,794 -15,331 -14.6%
Group X Education 54,222 51,344 -2,878 -5.3%
Y Combined arts 41,886 36,177 -5,709 -13.6%
Y Combined sciences 22,762 20,624 -2,138 -9.4%
Y Combined social sciences 18,560 16,262 -2,298 -12.4%
Y Sciences combined with social sciences or arts 51,904 42,559 -9,345 -18.0%
Y Social sciences combined with arts 36,982 32,731 -4,251 -11.5%
Z General, other combined & unknown 13,059 18,239 5,180 39.7%
Total 1,554,453 1,461,256 -93,197 -6.0%


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