UCL bucks trend with 15% rise in applications

UCL has had a surge in applications for undergraduate courses from home, EU and overseas students, outperforming the overall rates in the UK higher education sector. UCL has seen an overall rise of around 15% in applications from home, EU and overseas compared with a small dip for the rest of the sector, figures from UCAS have revealed this week. The biggest increase at UCL has been among overseas applications which are up by more than 20%, reflecting a general buoyancy in the figures across UK universities. Applications for UCL from home students are also up by around 11%, which has bucked the general downward trend for the rest of the university sector. EU student applications are healthy with a rise of around 15%, which suggests that they have not been put off by the prospect of Brexit and may be seeking to take advantage of the continued financial support before the UK leaves the EU. Professor Anthony Smith, UCL's vice-provost (education and student affairs), said: "We are delighted by the strong applications across all sectors. UCL aims to provide students with a unique research-orientated learning experience that equips them for the future and inspires a lifelong curiosity.