Exactly 75 per cent of the 496,034 student applicants this year - 372,189 - have had their places confirmed at university, the latest figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service reveal. This compares with 387,662 (75.8 per cent) at the same point last year, a fall of 15,473. Of the total figure, 30,607 found a place through clearing compared with 29,673 at the same point last year, a 3.1 per cent increase.