universities

The final figures for applications to British universities were released yesterday, revealing an expected drop in student numbers. There was a 7.4% decrease in applications since last year, with overall numbers dropping to 540,000. However, whilst many of the statistics make grim reading fro British universities, the report revealed that non-EU international numbers actually increased by a massive 13.7%.

With the deadline for UK and EU students passing last week, the report by university admissions organisation UCAS was eagerly awaited. Next year is the first year of increased tuition fees, and many experts were predicting huge falls in applications. However, in the end, although there was a significant drop, the figures were not as alarming as many of these estimates had predicted.

Indeed, a number of important figures in UK Higher Education were actually quite optimistic. Universities UK pointed out that the "dip is far less dramatic than many were initially predicting", whilst Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group of leading universities, explained:

"Despite all the hype, fee reforms are unlikely to cause a long-term decline in applications. In the past a fall in applications in the first year of higher fees has been followed by increases in subsequent years."

Broken headboards, flooding, fire damage and stained mattresses are the most common forms of damage done by Scottish students in their halls of residence. New figures show that universities in Scotland have suffered over £600,000 worth of damage by their own students in the last five years, with an average of seven new cases each day.

Figures have been taken from all of Scotland's 21 universities since the year 2006, with the total amount of damage adding up to £610,000, spread over 14,000 different cases.

Aberdeen University has the dubious honour of having the most reckless students, as it recorded £144,000 worth of damage in the past five years. However, the university claimed that the vast majority of the damage caused was simply through everyday use and that very few students are ever fined for damage to their rooms:

"Most of the damage is identified once the students have vacated the property and it is unlikely to lead to disciplinary action...Students who have persisted in causing vandalism have been evicted from student residences."

Every week we bring you a round up of all the student news from the past week, as well as the trends hitting the web at the moment. This week's includes university deficits, Facebook buttons and an Enzo crash.

Student News

26 UK Universities in Deficit

A new report has revealed that one in five British universities are in deficit. Whilst investigating the financial health of the Higher Education sector, accountants Grant Thornton found that 26 universities are in deficit, and almost half are below the recommended minimum of surplus. However, overall, the news is good, with total surplus up from £345m to £811m.

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University Family Traditions

More and more universities in the UK are seeing generations from the same family attending. Whilst it has always been traditional for sons to follow their father to the same college at Oxbridge, this trend has now spread to other British universities. Three families have revealed the differences and similarities between when the parents went to university and now.   

A number of English universities are thinking about reducing their 2012 tuition fees following changes to Higher Education policy. The Office of Fair Access (Offa) revealed that around 12 institutions are looking to cut their fees from the maximum £9,000 to less than £7,500 per year.

The majority of English universities revealed earlier in the year that they will begin to charge the maximum £9,000 per year for courses starting in 2012 onwards. However, in an attempt to reduce this number, the government announced plans which benefit universities charging yearly fees of less than £7,500.

In its White Paper released in June, the government detailed how 20,000 students will be held back from across English universities. Any institution that charges average yearly fees of less than £7,500 will then be able to bid for these places.

Cutting EU Student Fees

Since this announcement, Offa, which makes sure universities provide enough opportunities for poorer students, have revealed that at least a dozen institutions have asked for advice about reducing their fees. The identity of these universities is unknown, but a spokesman from Offa said that the majority were currently planning to charge only just over the watershed £7,500 amount.

On the same day that record numbers of students won places at UK universities, new research suggests that the institutions may have to reduce their £9,000 fees to maintain such high attendance figures.

Yesterday was A-Level results day for hundreds of thousands of British teenagers, many of whom were waiting anxiously to find out if they had been accepted on to their first choice university course. Despite record pass levels, and more university places than ever, thousands were left disappointed due to the unprecedented number of Higher Education applications. However, education experts are already warning that universities will begin to struggle to fill their courses if they start charging £9,000 per year from 2012.

A Day of Record Results

A-Levels are the last exams pupils take in the UK whilst still at school, and are used as the main academic measure for university entry. For the 29th year in a row, A-Level passes rose (to 97.8%), though for the first time in 14 years, the proportion of A and A* grades did not improve on the previous year's (27%). However, the record grades alone have not assured students of a place at university, as they have been matched by record university applications.