export_ofoct.com

[00:00.46] About 85% of 18-year-olds in the UK who applied to university this year were accepted.

[00:07.41] That is roughly the same as last year.

[00:09.29] What's different is that the number of applications was down, and so the number of new students setting off for university is too.

[00:17.58] There had been a rise in teenagers applying for university after Covid hit.

[00:22.11] The Sixth Form Colleges Association say some may have sought refuge in higher education when other opportunities, such as employment, apprenticeships and gap years abroad were harder to come by.

[00:33.36] This year, 35.6% of all 18-year-olds in the UK have been accepted by a university, the lowest proportion since 2019.

[00:43.25] The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service says the figures it has published today reflect a return to normal growth, following the surge of demands seen during the pandemic.