Surge in visitor numbers to University of Nottingham Open Days

An unprecedented surge in interest has led to the early closure of bookings for one of this year's Open Days at The University of Nottingham. During the course of Friday June 24 and Saturday June 25, the University expects to welcome in the region of 32,000 visitors to their three main UK campuses — up from 23,500 on last year, representing a 30 per cent increase. Bookings for Saturday alone — traditionally the most popular of the two days — now stands at 19,000, up by 27 per cent on last year and the University has taken the decision to close bookings for that day to protect the quality of the Open Day experience for the visitors already set to attend. Those still interested in attending the Open Days have been urged to book as soon as possible, as places for Friday's event are also filling up very quickly. The record numbers for this year's event reflects the University's position as one of the most highly sought after universities in the country — current applications for 2011 entry for home and EU undergraduates show an 11 per cent increase on the same time last year. UK Recruitment and Events Manager Nathalie Thomas said: "The popularity of our Open Days has been building year on year and we are delighted by the level of interest we have seen this year. However, we are not complacent and understand that prospective students and their parents may be concerned about the new financial arrangements for 2012 and beyond.