Wait over for thousands of Scottish students

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service said today that 21,630 Scottish applicants had been accepted after meeting the terms of their offers. The corresponding figure last year was 22,043.

The number that go on to secure places is expected to increase in the coming weeks as a result of students finding places through clearing.

Last year, a total of 30,379 Scottish applicants were accepted by institutions in Scotland, and 32,248 were accepted in total.

According to Ucas, 5,150 Scottish students applied to English universities this year.

For those who have been unsuccessful, the wait to find a university place will last until 18 August, when English A-level results are released, and English universities know how many places they can offer in clearing.

The release of the exam results in Scotland has been marred by controversy, after a text message error resulted in 29,863 students receiving their results a day early.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority insisted that the mistake had not disadvantaged any students, as clearing had not yet opened.