Katharine Wootton Yorkshire and the Humber is still one of the most attractive regions in England in which to study for University, figures published by Ucas admissions service reveals. Whilst applications in England as a whole have dropped by a disappointing 10% this year compared to 2011, Yorkshire and the Humber is the second least affected region in the country according to the latest figures from Ucas. York’s universities have also seen the lowest fall in applications of any of our county’s university cities, with applications York St John University increasing more than any other University in England.
Having now totted up all the applications sent to Ucas by 30 June deadline, the last date by which applications could be received, the University admissions service has reported a total 7.7% drop in the number of applicants wanting to begin university in the autumn: the first time the service has noted a drop in nearly 6 years. The students who will begin their studies this September will be the first to pay higher tuition fees of up to £9,000, a near £6,000 hike for most from last year’s fees.
The biggest drop comes in England where the number of students applying to university has plummeted by 10%, meaning that around 500,000 fewer students have applied to university for 2012. That 10% figure is however only an average with a good deal of variation between regions. Some areas such as the South West have seen application numbers drop by 12.1%. Even our close friends in the North East have experienced an above average nosedive of 11.7%. Yet Yorkshire and the Humber, whilst still facing a significant fall in applications, has weathered the storm of application declines better than most, with a dip of 8.3% making it the second least affected region in England after the West Midlands.
York as a city is also challenging the downwards trajectory of England’s university application figures with York St John University showing an 11.3% increase in the number of main scheme choices it received (that means the number of applications rather than the number of applicants it received) and the University of York witnessing just a small drop of 0.7%. This contrasts many of our neighbouring Yorkshire universities including the University of Leeds, which has seen a 5.8% dip in applications, Leeds Trinity, whose application figures have fallen by 16.76% and Sheffield Hallam which experienced a drop of 17.5%.
Commenting on York St John’s 11.3% increase in applications, Professor David Flemming, Vice Chancellor of York St John University said: “We are thrilled to have such an increase in applications, especially when overall university applications are down in England. The community on our campus and in the city of York makes this a great place to come and study. The community on our campus and in the city of York makes this a great place to come and study. We’ve invested a lot in the quality of our teaching, the campus environment and opportunities for students to get fully involved in student life. It’s great to see that potential students and their families have recognised how much we are able to offer, I’m sure this has had a real impact on our applications.”
He added: “We’ve also put together a strong package of fee waivers and support and coupled this with increased work with schools and colleges and the provision of more information, advice and guidance. We want to get the message across that a university education remains an excellent choice.”
Yet boosts in applicant numbers are nothing new to York St John University with applications having risen by 60% since 2008 and especial growth in students wanting to study the arts, business, education and health life sciences.
For a full sneak peek at all of the Ucas figures, click here.
