Higher-tariff institutions have increased enrolments for the third year in a row as a record number of 18-year-olds head to university in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
On A-level results day, data from admissions service Ucas showed the entry rate of this key cohort dipped slightly from 32 per cent in 2025 to 31.6 per cent, with increases in applicants driven primarily by the rising number of 18-year-olds in the overall population.
The data also show the proportion of applicants securing their firm offer was down on last year, with insurance choices up.
In total 446,690 applicants across all ages have been accepted on to courses, exceeding equivalent results from last year, when 439,180 applicants were accepted.
Higher-tariff institutions – those with the toughest entry grade requirements – accepted 188,480 (42.2 per cent of applicants), an increase on the 179,360 they took last year.
