Intakes down by a third at some providers, latest Ucas data show

Several universities’ undergraduate student intakes fell by between 20 and 30 per cent for this academic year, as many elite institutions reported record numbers.

Final figures from the admissions service Ucas show that UK institutions accepted a record 577,725 students in 2025 after a competitive clearing period – 2 per cent more than the year before.

Of these, the number of students within the prestigious Russell Group jumped 9 per cent – which was an even bigger increase than last year. These 24 universities now boast a record 29 per cent of enrolments – up from 27 per cent in 2024.

Half of the group’s members accepted a record number of undergraduates. UCL had the largest increase, with its intake jumping 26 per cent to 11,470 accepted applicants.

The University of York (25 per cent), Queen Mary University of London (24 per cent), Durham University (23 per cent), the University of Warwick (22 per cent) and the University of Exeter (20 per cent) also took in significantly more students.

But the University of Nottingham, Cardiff University and the University of Glasgow took in fewer.

The biggest increase among all large institutions was at BPP University, which shot up from just 35 undergraduate students to 2,050 in one year thanks to overseas recruitment. The private university had previously focused mainly on postgraduate study. The University of Wolverhampton also more than doubled its intake to 6,565.

There were also notable increases at the University of Suffolk (40 per cent), Bath Spa University (34 per cent), the University of Chichester (26 per cent) and the University of Leicester (22 per cent).

With a record 12,445 students, Manchester Metropolitan University had the largest intake of all UK institutions, followed by UCL and the University of Manchester.

Canterbury Christ Church University, the biggest in size the previous year, accepted 35 per cent fewer students in 2025. But the London College of Contemporary Arts and Buckinghamshire New University both saw even greater drops – with numbers falling 37 per cent year-on-year.

Others that experienced similarly drastic falls include Liverpool Hope University (25 per cent), Aberystwyth University (20 per cent) and the University of Greater Manchester (29 per cent).

Of all 126 institutions with at least 1,000 students, student numbers have fallen at 31 of them for two consecutive years. And two of these, Robert Gordon University and Solent University, have downsized eight years in a row.

Across the sector, the number of international students at undergraduate level, a small part of the overall market, increased 7 per cent.

This worked out at as an 11 per cent increase among the Russell Group and a 2 per cent rise elsewhere.

These elite providers now host a record 53 per cent of the country’s overseas students – with the biggest increase again coming at UCL (50 per cent).

Among the rest of the sector, Bournemouth University accepted 47 per cent fewer overseas applicants, Sheffield Hallam University 44 per cent fewer and the University of Bradford 39 per cent fewer.

Early application figures for the 2026 cycle suggest that demand for UK undergraduate courses has reached record levels, including among overseas applicants.

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com