Competition for places at Britain’s top universities is growing fiercer, as falling per-student funding forces institutions to reduce their offers despite rising demand, according to higher education analysts.
The number of 18-year-olds from England, Wales and Northern Ireland admitted to high-ranking institutions fell by 12.2 per cent this year, according to an analysis by higher education consultancy DataHE.
As freshers prepare to start term this week, analysts suggest that securing a place at the top tier institutions is getting tougher due to undergraduate funding falling in real-terms because of inflation, dissuading universities from expanding course numbers.