The number of Chinese students applying to UK universities is set to drive a 40 per cent increase in demand for places over the next four years, according to UCAS Chief Executive Clare Marchant. Speaking at a Higher Education Policy Institute seminar on July 30, Marchant highlighted a 'real appetite for UK Higher Education' from countries including China, India, Nigeria and Ghana.
Official UCAS statistics show that as of June 30, 28,490 young people from China applied to UK universities this year. The surge is expected to far outstrip applicants from the entire European Union by 2025, The Times reported. Marchant noted that international applications are up 14 per cent year-on-year, with Nigeria up 66 per cent, Ghana up nearly a third, and India up a third.
Marchant predicted that by 2025, there could be one million applicants, up from 700,000 currently, making competition much tougher. She said: 'By the time my 13-year-old son gets to age 18, it will be much, much more competitive.'
Overall, as of June 30, 682,010 applicants made 2,955,990 applications, resulting in 1,998,690 offers. Medical and dentistry degrees saw a nearly 20 per cent increase in applications, from 105,200 last year to 124,510 in 2021. Marchant expressed hope there would not be a 'tsunami of appeals' over A-level grades due to the disrupted academic year.
