Region enjoys fastest rise of university take-up outside London
UNIVERSITY admissions for 18 year-olds in the region have soared faster than anywhere outside London.
Yorkshire and the Humber has seen an increase of 27% in the period since 2006, which was surpassed only by London’s increase of 30%.
The new figures were unveiled in Ucas’ End of Cycle Report, which also showed that the number of students placed by UCAS in higher education has exceeded half a million for the first time. Applications for this year were just a few hundred short of the record level of 700,200 set before tuition fees soared to up to £9,000.
At Leeds Beckett University, more than one-third of its 6,500 new undergraduate students this September were from Yorkshire and Humber. The university, formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan, now has 32,000 students enrolled on its courses.
Professor Paul Smith, Deputy Vice Chancellor Strategic Development at Leeds Beckett University, said: “Universities are absolutely vital to the economy – Leeds Beckett contributes an estimated £475m to the region annually – and it’s good to see that increasing numbers of students are recognising the value of a university education.
“We continue to work hand in hand with regional businesses to ensure we are providing our graduates with the skills they need, resulting in nine out of 10 of our students being in work or further study within six months of graduating, which is essential to ensure that regional businesses continue to thrive in the future.”
Ucas’ chief executive Mary Curnock Cook believes the figures show that students now have more freedom in their choices and universities are responding accordingly.
She said: “While the 2014 cycle marks a return to ‘normality’ after the turbulence which followed the raising of tuition fees and partial exemption from number controls in England from 2012, a market has been created in higher education.
“Many universities and colleges have had to work hard to recruit, making significantly more offers and being flexible in their entry requirements. This means applicants can afford to be bolder in their choices.”
