Would-be freshers face tougher competition for a place at university next year as applications have increased three months ahead of the deadline.
International student applications have risen dramatically, including a 68 per cent surge from Pakistani hopefuls.
Oxbridge potentials and aspiring medics will have to prove themselves even more this year, as the deadline for these courses last month saw increases of up to 15 per cent on last year’s applications. Almost 140,000 candidates missed out on places for 2009 entry – 25,000 more than in the previous year. The government has been forced to introduce caps on places.
David Willetts, the Shadow universities secretary said: “Ministers are sleepwalking into another university entrance crisis. It was obvious from the demographics and the state of the economy that more people would aspire to go to university.
“The government has shown itself to be woefully ill-prepared. The Student Loans Company continues to be in crisis.”
Peter Mandelson, the universities secretary, recently announced that he would be treating students as paying “customers” by providing better information about course quality. Information would cover tutor contact time, course drop-out rates and graduate earnings.
