At this time of year, the attention of Year 10 students will be turning to their university applications. The window for UCAS applications is now open, and the deadline for 2025 applications is January 29th. Roughly 60-70% of total UK university applications are submitted by the UACS January deadline each year.
Cutting it fine
According to UCAS's annual reports, there is a large surge in applications during the final week before the January deadline. Often, around 30% of January deadline applications come in within the last week leading up to the deadline, and many arrive in the last two days. This is perhaps unsurprising as students spend their time ensuring that their applications are as good as possible.
UCAS reports indicate that the highest application submission day is often the deadline day itself. Naturally, students want to make final tweaks, and the involvement of teachers and school counsellors also adds time to the process. Many schools also plan their internal UCAS deadlines in line with the January deadline, which encourages students to wait until this period.
Schools in the UK often also conduct mock exams or assessments around November and December, so students may be waiting to assess their progress before submitting applications. They may also just be busy studying during these months!
While the majority of completed applications won’t be submitted until January, a lot of prospective students will already have begun their research into which universities to apply to.
Upcoming changes
Tuition fees will rise next year, for the first time in almost ten years. While the rise is relatively small, around 3%, it may impact the number of applications at a time when young people are very aware of the cost of living challenges that they face.
When the UK raised tuition fees in 2012, there was an initial drop in application numbers, though they gradually rebounded as financial aid options adjusted and the perceived value of a degree remained high. However, applications from part-time students, who are often older and more debt-averse, have remained lower since the fee increase.
This UCAS window will be the last time that prospective students have to submit personal statements in their current form. The changes coming into place will allow applicants to complete three separate questions on their suitability, rather than having to write one complete statement.
It remains to be seen how much impact this change will have, but the reasons for bringing it in are to make the process more accessible, fair and focused on student's key strengths and experiences rather than narrative writing ability. This could lead to an increase in applications from those who consider themselves less traditionally academic. Our research has shown that producing personal statements can be stressful for prospective students, so this change may improve the process for future windows.
Considerations
Most UCAS undergraduate applications are submitted close to the January deadline, with an especially high concentration of submissions in the last week and on the deadline day itself. This pattern is driven by students’ desire to perfect their applications, align with school timelines, and maximize their chances of acceptance.
With tuition fees increasing this year there are concerns about the number of applications dropping slightly, particularly from prospective students from low and middle-income backgrounds.
Changes to the application process come into play next year and are aimed at making the application process less stressful and more inclusive. Time will tell how this will impact application numbers.
To find out more about the student application journey, and the part that university websites play in this, download our report which covers both the UCAS window and Clearing.
If you’d like to know how our research team can help you increase the number of student applications during this window then please get in touch.
Data for this blog post has been obtained via figures supplied by UCAS.
