University entries in record fall
The figures are the first evidence of how would-be students are being put off by fear of debt when fees rise to a maximum of £9,000 next year
It is expected the biggest falls this time will be among mature students (Corbis)
Correction: This article states that applications for 2012 entry to
Goldsmiths, University of London, have dropped 35%. That figure includes
people who applied last year but deferred their entry until 2012. The
correct figure for those who applied this autumn is a decrease of 12.8%.
Universities are facing their biggest fall in applications for more than 30
years, with new figures showing a decline of about 10% in the face of next
year’s hike in fees.
Of 26 universities that provided figures last week, 15 reported a fall with
one, City University London, saying they were down by more than 40%.
The figures are the first evidence of how would-be students are being put off
by fear of debt when fees rise to a maximum of £9,000 next year.
Some schools report teenagers from poorer families are proving more hesitant
about applying than middle-class pupils. This will concern ministers, who