Written question WQ93574
- Asked by
- Rhys ab OwenIndependent
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Education
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 5 days
Question
What is the Cabinet Secretary’s response to recent UCAS data showing that the proportion of 18-year-olds in Wales applying to go to university has reached a 15-year low?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Education
Data on applications to higher education for the 2024 cycle as of 30 June was released by UCAS on 18 July 2024.
The proportion of Welsh 18-year-olds applying to university by the 30 June deadline has decreased slightly. 33.8% of 18-year-olds applied in 2024, down 0.4 percentage points from 34.2% at the same point in 2023. This is not a 15-year low – it is higher than the application rate at this point in 2020 (33.6%).
We are aware of the decrease in the number of applications and I am focused on understanding what we can do to further increase participation, drawing on independent expertise and a wide body of evidence.