Governance News Alert: Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS): Undergraduate end of cycle 2024 data

Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI)/Uoffer Global: How can UK universities improve their strategies for tackling integration challenges among Chinese students? 

The UCAS end of cycle dashboard covers application and acceptance data from this summer, which can be broken down by characteristics such as age, sex, UK or international, socioeconomic background and ethnicity. It also provides data on applications through clearing and by university type. The HEPI publication, by Pippa Ebel, a China specialist and researcher based in Guangzhou, investigates the integration challenges facing Chinese students and considers the quality of related services provided across UK campuses. Points from this report are marked (HEPI).

The UCAS dashboard can be found here

The HEPI report can be found here

At-a-glance:

• A record number of UK 18-year-olds accepted a place at university or college in 2024 – up 2.9 percent on last year. The 279,550 figure also exceeds the numbers seen during the pandemic, reflecting the growing 18-year-old population. Overall, the number of accepted applicants (all age/all domiciles) is up 1.9 per cent
   
• 36.4 per cent of UK 18-year-olds will enter higher education, up 0.7 percentage points on 2023, and the first year-on-year increase since 2021
   
• However, while higher tariff universities saw the number of UK 18-year-old acceptances increase by 13 per cent, there were falls at lower and medium tariff institutions. Overall acceptances (all age/all domiciles) rose at higher tariff universities by 7.4 per cent and 0.7 per cent at medium tariff universities but dropped by 1.5  at lower tariff universities
   
• International undergraduate acceptances fell by 2.3 per cent compared to 2023, though these figures only represent those students who apply via UCAS. China remains the biggest share of overseas acceptances, although numbers accepted fell slightly this year, down from 17,405 to 17,070. On a more positive note, this year’s figures also reveal strong growth in accepted applicants from Turkey (+33 per cent), Kuwait (+50 per cent) and Nepal (+19 per cent)
   
• The number of UK 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds who accepted a place is also at a record high. Those in receipt of free school meals (FSM) increased by 16 per cent. There was a 5 per cent increase in students in England from IMD quintile 1 and a 12 per cent increase in Scotland. Northern Ireland also saw a slight increase but the proportion in Wales fell by 1.7 per cent
   
• The number of UK mature students (aged 21+) who accepted a place also grew compared to last year, rising to 109,780 in 2024 from 106,195 in 2023
   
• More students used Clearing and this includes significant growth among those choosing to decline their original place and use Clearing voluntarily to explore and find a new course or university
   
• UK white males of all ages, and in the 18-year-old category, were the only demographic to see a fall in the number of acceptances
   
• The distribution of Chinese students across UK institutions is uneven, with over 15,000 at some institutions and less than 10 at others. Acute social clustering means they mostly socialise with others from China. Limited accommodation options and lack of access to information exacerbates this, leading to Chinese-only households, despite an initial desire among many Chinese students to find non-Chinese friends (HEPI)
   
• China’s unique domestic digital ecosystem creates technological barriers for Chinese students moving to the UK, increasing ethnic clustering. Few are familiar with non-Chinese apps such as WhatsApp and Instagram prior to their arrival and therefore adoption is limited (HEPI)
   
• International students would like more targeted career support: the vast majority said they had not received support on careers.  Chinese students are 22 per cent of the international cohort but make up just 10 per cent of those who gain post-study employment in the UK (HEPI)

Implications for governance:

The increase in the number of 18-year-olds accepting undergraduate places in 2024 by the end of the cycle will be some reassurance to the sector, given its current financial woes. Heartening too was the uplift in mature students.

However, the UCAS data shows that the rise in numbers is not evenly distributed. Governors will be interested to note that higher tariff universities secured the lions share of the increase, while numbers fell slightly at medium and lower tariff universities. In terms of overall undergraduate numbers, lower tariff institutions were the only group out of the three that experienced a student number decrease.

Record numbers of disadvantaged students went to university this year. As governing boards in England published their new Access and Participation Plans, the rise is testimony to the hard work and investment institutions have ploughed into outreach. Of course, more can always be done (as has been emphasised by the regulatory bodies in England, Scotland and Wales) and many institutions have ambitious programmes for working with schools, communities and other institutions to widen access going forward. 

Institutions in Scotland also saw a healthy rise in participation among disadvantaged groups. Institutions in Wales, where there was a drop of nearly 2 per cent, may want to consider what may be influencing this, and any mitigating factors.

Dr Jo Saxton CBE, UCAS chief executive, said she was encouraged to see the overall numbers growing and that removing barriers — both real and perceived — was an absolute priority.

International student numbers, as predicated, were down on the previous year, by 2.3 per cent. The figures do not include undergraduates who may have enrolled directly with institutions. Neither do they include postgraduate numbers, which form the bulk of international cohorts. Visa numbers show this group are down by as much as 16 per cent - a drop that is contributing significantly to the sectors financial difficulties. 

UCAS highlighted some areas of growth including Turkey, Kuwait and Nepal. Governors may want to look at their own international student recruitment and consider if these new markets are worth exploring.

China remains the provider of the biggest share of overseas undergraduate and postgraduate students, with some UK universities heavily reliant on their fee income.

The new report from HEPI/Uoffer Global suggests that institutions need to pay more attention to this vital group of students and take measures to ensure they are supported.

Challenges faced by Chinese students are particularly acute, according to the author, and not addressing them risks the UK becoming a less popular destination. 

She raises a range of issues impacting Chinese students, from their use of different social media to their peers because of Chinese apps like WeChat and Little Red Book, to lower English language proficiency because of the demotion in Chinese schools of lessons in spoken English. It is suggested that institutions review their English language admissions tests to focus more on ensuring recruits have the necessary speaking skills, and support for language learning, particularly spoken English, once students are on campus. 

Some Chinese students feel like “they are being treated as revenue sources rather than as valued members of the community”, says the report. This is by no means a new phenomenon, and so it is clear more effort is needed to ensure Chinese students feel valued and included as members of the academic community.

“If more assistance was provided for Chinese students to integrate, not only would the students have a better experience but campuses and UK society at large would feel the benefits,” says the author.

The report gives other practical recommendations that will be of interest to governors, such as supporting Chinese students before and when they arrive, with buddying schemes, for instance.

To reduce ethnic clustering, it is suggested that institutions allocate on-campus accommodation to international students and work more closely with agents recruiting in China. Career centres are advised to consider international students as a separate cohort and embed internships and practical work experience in academic programmes.