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1 Feb 2011 13:45:20
Applications to the University of Bedfordshire are up 18 per cent with some 17,000 hopeful students trying to secure a place before the 15 January admissions deadline.
The news follows the publication of figures released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) yesterday (Mon) that show another record year for applicants to higher education.
Some 583,500 people have submitted applications, an extra 28,000 compared to the same point last year.
Applications to the University of Bedfordshire continue to rise with 17,239 received before the January cut off date compared to 14,576 at the same point last year. This puts the University 23 out of more than 120 universities for percentage increases. A total of 17,209 applications was received during the whole of the 2010 admissions cycle (Sept to June).
University of Bedfordshire Vice Chancellor Professor Les Ebdon, CBE said: “I’m not surprised applications continue to rise. By 2012 we will have invested some £140m in new facilities. Our new Campus Centre opened in Luton in October and new halls of residence in the town are on schedule to open in the autumn.
“We also have a postgraduate and continuing professional development centre planned for 2013. Our reputation for high quality teaching, excellent employability, strong student support and helping students beyond the curriculum is attracting more and more students not only from the UK but from around the world.”
Professor Ebdon also called on the Government to act now on the shortage of places at university.
Speaking as chair of the think tank million+, he said: "Just a few days ago, it was confirmed that 210,222 would-be students missed out on a university place in 2010. These latest figures on applications show that even more students are hoping to get to university in 2011 but they will be fighting over exactly the same number of places. Ministers may be right to say that getting to university should not be easy but they are wrong to allow nearly one in three students to miss out on university.
"The Government now has a straightforward choice - give a clear guarantee that everyone who is qualified to go to university will be funded in 2011 or instead spend its limited resources on an increased benefits budgets, as people who would have studied for degrees are left to sign on because of a shortage of funded places.
"These figures show that there are big increases in applications from reappliers and mature students. There has been an increase of 10.48 per cent in applications from those aged 19-21 and an increase of 6.89 per cent in those aged over 21, compared to the same time last year. In a difficult jobs market, with unemployment on the rise, a degree would vastly improve the life chances of young people who have struggled to find a job after leaving school or college and it would significantly increase the opportunities of older people who have been made redundant in the recession and are keen to retrain."
Latest news» 2011» February» Thousands apply to Uni to meet deadline
