Applications for City University fall

City University has seen a fall of 41 per cent in their admissions for 2012. In October last year there was 1,492 applicants for the university, which has gone down to 875 so far.

Although the statistics are early on for the application cycle there has been a significant drop in students across the country.

A spokesperson from City University said the reason for the plunge was higher entry levels.
“We were expecting our applications to fall this year because of the stricter entry requirements we have introduced. With this in mind, we fully expect to receive fewer applications but of the anticipated higher calibre.”

Overall there has been a 9 per cent drop from UK, EU and non EU students. This suggests the increase in tuition fees is affecting A-level graduates hoping to continue their education.

At the same time the government is cutting funding for education which is falling at the fastest rate since the 1950s, according to a report released today by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: “Other countries are investing in education to compete in the global knowledge economy. The fact we are slashing funding is a real hammer blow and we will fall further behind.”

For those not applying to university the job market is looking increasingly tough for youth as well. One in five under-25 year olds are unemployed. The figure has risen 6 per cent in six months.

“Young people that struggle to afford to stay in education have nowhere else to turn as youth unemployment approaches the one million mark. If anyone thinks investing in education is expensive, they should consider the cost of ignorance,” said Sally Hunt

The raise in fees for university does not affect international students, whose applications have risen by 8.8 per cent from this time last year.