UCAS headline offer-acceptance statistics for Autumn 2020

Most undergraduate applicants have now chosen which of their university or college offers to accept, as the deadline for the majority of them was Thursday 18 June.

‘We are publishing these headline offer-acceptance statistics for the first time, to provide the clearest possible picture of students’ behaviour at this moment in the application cycle.’  Clare Marchant, UCAS’ Chief Executive, said.

There are currently more applicants holding a firm offer to start a course this autumn than at the equivalent point last year, and fewer people accepting an offer for a deferred place.

Table 1a: All applicants currently holding a conditional firm or unconditional firm offer for an immediate start in September

Table 1a shows that, overall, more undergraduate applicants have accepted an offer to immediately start studying at university or college compared to last year. The decline in EU applicants holding an offer should be seen alongside the fall in EU applicants overall, as of the 15 January application deadline.

Table 1b: All applicants currently holding a conditional firm or unconditional firm offer with a deferred start date

Table 1b shows that, overall, there are fewer applicants choosing to accept an offer with a deferred start date, meaning there are fewer currently opting to take a year out. The increase in applicants from outside the EU choosing a deferred start should also be seen alongside the 15% overall rise in non-EU applicants.

Table 2a: UK 18 year olds holding a conditional firm or unconditional firm offer for an immediate start in September

Table 2a shows that, overall, more UK 18 year olds have accepted an offer for an immediate start compared to last year. Fewer applicants from Scotland and Wales should also been seen alongside fewer 18 year old applicants, and fewer young people in the population overall.

Table 2b: UK 18 year olds holding a conditional firm or unconditional firm offer with a deferred start date

Table 2b shows that fewer young people (typically applying in their final year of school) in the UK have accepted an offer for a deferred start compared to last year. Small fluctuations in applicant numbers for Northern Ireland and Scotland have resulted in larger proportional changes compared to England and Wales.

Table 3a: UK 18 year olds holding a conditional firm or unconditional firm offer for an immediate start in September by POLAR4 quintile

Table 3a shows increases in students from all POLAR4 quintile groups (students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds are in quintile 1, with students from the most advantaged backgrounds in quintile 5) accepting offers for an immediate start. The higher proportional change in quintile 1 applicants, compared to quintile 5, is reflective of the gap between the groups’ applicant numbers narrowing as seen at the 15 January deadline.

Table 3b: UK 18 year olds holding a conditional firm or unconditional firm offer with a deferred start date by POLAR4 quintile

Table 3b shows that applicants from the most disadvantaged areas are the only group to see an increase in holding a deferred offer – however, there is only a difference of 60 applicants.

SOURCE: UCAS