Number of offers made to prospective students by universities at record high
As of June 30, the final deadline to apply to up to five courses simultaneously, more than two million main scheme offers had been made by universities and colleges – a rise of 3.8% compared with last year.
Increases in offers from universities and colleges can be seen across all major applicant groups, but the largest increases can be seen for international applicants outside of the EU which are up 10.7%.
It comes as university leaders have been warning of financial concerns due to a drop in the number of overseas students – who can be charged higher tuition fees – following restrictions introduced by the former Tory government.
Universities are in a 'scramble for students' in a bid to avoid redundancies and course closures due to growing financial pressures, a higher education expert has suggested.
The latest Ucas figures, released on Thursday, show that the number of UK 18-year-old applicants to courses by June 30 has reached a record high of 328,390, up 2.2% compared with the same point last year.
But the data, which has been published ahead of A-level results day next month, shows that the application rate – the proportion of the 18-year-old population in the UK who applied – has fallen to 41.2% from 41.9% last year.
Overall, the total number of applicants – of all ages and all domiciles – has risen to 665,070 this year, a 1.3% increase compared with 2024.
There have been 138,460 international undergraduate applicants through Ucas, an increase of 2.2% compared with the same point last year.
The data shows a new record number of applicants from China, up by 10% to 33,870 applicants this year, as well as year-on-year increases in applicants from Nigeria (plus 23%) and the USA ( plus 14%).
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) think tank, told the PA news agency: 'Universities nearly always prefer to fill their places than to have to close courses or make staff redundant, so I am not surprised that they are in such a scramble for students.
'Moreover, universities currently lose money on average on each home student but, if you can enrol a few more students on lots of your courses, then fewer of your courses will make a financial loss.
'There is also a fear among some universities of applicants moving up the 'prestige chain' by securing a place at the most selective university they can, meaning some universities think they need to make more offers than they otherwise might.'
He added: 'It is very worrying that the participation rate among 18-year-olds is down because it means the post-Covid picture of falling demand among school leavers is persisting.
'We need to ask if falling demand for higher education is now a trend rather than a blip.
'It seems the cost of living among students is biting and that some school leavers are waiting to see if other options come good.'
Jo Saxton, chief executive at Ucas, said: 'The record number of UK 18-year-old applicants, and record number of offers being made to prospective undergraduate students, reflects real confidence in the higher education sector.
'It's great to see young people eager to take the next step in their educational and career journey, and universities and colleges committed to welcoming them.
'In the run-up to results day, I'd like to remind students and their families to remember that while the vast majority of applicants secure their first choice each year, it's always worth having a plan B.
'My advice is to begin by revisiting all of your original five choices on your Ucas application as your starting point.'
A spokesperson for Universities UK (UUK) said: 'The proportion of 18-year-olds going to university is relatively stable, after a long period of growth, and in terms of absolute numbers of applications, it is a record year.
'These applicants will form the future workforce, and our country desperately needs the skills that universities will equip them with.
'Government data shows that some of the UK's highest potential employment sectors are hungry for people with graduate level skills.'
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Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump says 50-50 odds of trade deal with EU
Published: | Updated: President Donald Trump gave even odds for reaching a trade deal with the European Union as he left Washington to begin his trip to Scotland – with a path to a solution where the Europeans 'buy down' the tariffs he is imposing. 'I would say that we have a fifty-fifty chance,' Trump said, amid reports that the two sides are narrowing in on a possible deal. 'Maybe less than that,' he hedged. 'But a fifty-fifty chance of making a deal with the EU. And It will be a deal where they have to buy down their tariffs. Because they're right now at 30 percent,' Trump said, referencing the tariff set to take effect by the new 'doomsday' August 1 deadline unless there is an agreement. 'They'll have to buy them down - maybe. Or they can leave them the way they are.' Trump, using a favorite negotiating tactic, described his counterparts as desperate. 'But they want to make a deal very badly. I would have said we have a 25 percent chance with Japan and they kept coming back and we made a deal,' Trump said. He was referencing the deal he announced days ago, which has Japan paying a 15 percent tariff, lower than the threatened 25 percent tariff, while opening markets to U.S. exporters. Trump and his top negotiators continue to gush about the Japanese investment – while describing it in terms different than what is coming out of Tokyo. 'Don't forget Japan's putting up $550 billion,' Trump said Friday. 'That's a lot of money. And also paying tariffs. The biggest part of the Japan deal and maybe we get this with EU maybe we don't is we have the right to go in and trade. They've totally opened Japan just for the U.S.' Trump made the comments as he left the White House at the start of a five-day trip that will have him visit his two Scottish golf courses – and meet with British PM Keir Starmer to try to 'refine' an existing U.S.-UK trade deal. He had earlier escalated his demands with the EU in mid-July by raising the tariff threat. In his Truth Social post announcing the deal, Trump said: 'Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 billion dollars into the United States, which will receive 90 percent of the profits.' Andy Laperriere, head of U.S. policy research at Piper Sandler, told CNBC that Japanese officials are 'describing it differently' and 'see the $550 billion figure as a cap and inclusive of government loan guarantees.' But Commerce Secretary Lutnick has been describing it as an investment kitty that Trump can personally direct to ramp up industrial production – with no mention of a legislative role. 'This is literally the Japanese government giving Donald Trump $550 billion, and says: Go fix whatever you need to fix,' he told host Laura Ingraham on Fox News. 'Donald Trump can take the Japanese money and say 'let's go build a factory. Let's get an American company to operate it, we'll lease them the factory. They don't make much money - so what. That's the beauty of this deal,' he said. As he calls for the Europeans to 'buy down' tariffs, Trump may have been emboldened by other moves besides the Japan deal. On Thursday, Columbia University reached a settlement with the Justice Department where it will pay $200 million and a civil rights investigation will be dropped.
The Guardian
17 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Donald Trump says there is a 50-50 chance of EU-US trade deal
Update: Date: 2025-07-25T15:38:30.000Z Title: more complete quotes from Trump and his comments before leaving the White House Content: US president tells reporters that Europe 'wants to make a deal very badly' as he leaves the White House for his trip to Scotland Jakub Krupa Fri 25 Jul 2025 16.38 BST First published on Fri 25 Jul 2025 09.03 BST From 2.59pm BST 14:59 I can now bring you for his trip to Scotland. Here is what he said on the prospects for a trade with the EU: 'I would say … we have a 50/50 chance, maybe less than that, but a 50/50 chance of making a deal with the EU. It will be a deal that where they have to buy down their tariffs, because right now it's 30%, they will have to buy it down. Maybe. Or they could leave it the way they are. But they want to make a deal very badly.' 4.28pm BST 16:28 Lisa O'Carroll Keir Starmer's status as Donald Trump's favourite foreign leader has been cemented again in remarks the US president made before boarding a helicopter taking him to Air Force One flight to Scotland for a private visit to his golf clubs. While he is now keeping the EU nervously waiting for a deal he said has only a '50:50' of being made, he heaped praise on the prime minister and Scottish first minister John Swinney. 'This week we want to talk about certain aspects [of the UK-US trade deal] which are going to be good for both countries, more fine tuning, also we are also going to be doing a llittle celebrating together because you know we get along very well. UK has been trying to make a deal for 12 years and haven't been able to do it… we got it done. He's doing a very good job, good prime minister good guy, we really get along very well. We are going to have good time I think, the prime minister and I get along very well, the Scottish leader too. We have a lot of things, my mother was born in Scotland, and he's a good man the Scottish leader so I'm looking forward to meeting him.' Trump warned he would be sending out a fresh batch of tariff letters this week with deals sealed with nearly all, bar the EU and Canada. He also said some countries would get a tariff rate of 10% less than 24 hours after he said the range of tariffs would be between 15% and 50%. 'Most of the deals are finished [at] a lower tariffs I can get, I don't want to hurt countries but we're going to send a letter out sometime during the week and it's basically going to say you're going to pay 10%, you're going to pay 50%, you're going to pay maybe less, I don't know. 'Australia was great, they opened the beef [inaudible] for the first time ever. … So August 1 is going to come and we will have most of our deals done, if not all. … We haven't really had a lot of luck with Canada… we are working very diligently with Europe, the EU, that covers a lot of territories, a lot countries, that's a big one right now, We haven't a deal with Canada. We haven't been focused on it.' Updated at 4.38pm BST 4.20pm BST 16:20 Meanwhile on the other side, EU officials and diplomats briefed journalists on Friday that they could reach a deal with the US this weekend, Reuters reported. The deal would likely include a 15% baseline tariff on all EU goods entering the United States and probably a 50% tariff on European steel and aluminium, the officials and diplomats said. One of the sources said a weekend deal seemed likely as the 'agreement is basically in the hands of Trump now.' 4.03pm BST 16:03 Lisa O'Carroll Donald Trump's warning that the EU only has a '50:50' chance of a tariff deal shows he is looking to extract more concessions from the bloc before 1 August, his self-imposed deadline for a deal. Boarding his plane on his way to Scotland, he breezily told reporters that he had rated chance of a recent Japan deal at worse than that, 25%, but they came with concessions and 'made a deal'. 'They kept coming back, and we made a deal,' he said warning that it was up to the EU if they wanted to stick with the 30% tariff rate he has threatened to impose on 1 August. His words will send shivers around the capitals of the EU which was hoping a second version of an agreement in principle, accepting a baseline tariff of 15% on most exports to the US, would be enough to get the US president's approval. Even this week sources close to German chancellor Friedrich Merz were expressing frustration that a deal had not already been done. Half year results published today by Volkswagen (14:52) revealed the current 25% extra tariff Trump has imposed on cars is already hurting hard. The car giant said it had taken a €1.3bn hit because of the US tariffs. There is speculation that commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and trade representative Jamieson Greer would join Trump in Scotland but they were not on the passenger list released to the media. Trump has a meeting scheduled with the British prime minister Keir Starmer on Monday, fuelling hopes that he will finish the trade deal with the UK by slashing the 25% tariff he imposed on steel exports. There is also speculation that European leaders such as Germany's Merz may try and reach out to the US president over the weekend to try and break the impasse. Merz has had a direct line to Trump in recent weeks. Updated at 4.06pm BST 3.01pm BST 15:01 Trump was also asked about Emmanuel Macron's declaration that France would recognise the Palestinian state in September, and it was clear he did not thought much of it. He said: 'Look, he's a different kind of a guy, he's okay, he's a team player pretty much. But here's the good news: what he says doesn't matter. It's not going to change anything. … This statement doesn't carry any weight.' 2.59pm BST 14:59 I can now bring you for his trip to Scotland. Here is what he said on the prospects for a trade with the EU: 'I would say … we have a 50/50 chance, maybe less than that, but a 50/50 chance of making a deal with the EU. It will be a deal that where they have to buy down their tariffs, because right now it's 30%, they will have to buy it down. Maybe. Or they could leave it the way they are. But they want to make a deal very badly.' 2.16pm BST 14:16 In the last few minutes, US president Donald Trump told reporters there was a 50-50 chance that the US would reach a trade agreement with the EU. He spoke to reporters when leaving the White House, en route to the airport and before his departure for Scotland, where he will spend the weekend. 1.52pm BST 13:52 Lisa O'Carroll The German car manufacturer Volkswagen has said Donald Trump's US import tariffs have cost it more than £1bn in the first half of the year. Volkswagen said it had made strong progress realigning the company, which is considering cutting 35,000 jobs by 2030, but that it had suffered a €1.3bn (£1.13bn) 'decline in operating result primarily due to high costs from increased US import tariffs'. The company has also reduced its profit margin range to be between 4% and 5% for the year, based on an assumption that tariffs of between 10%, at best, and the current 27.5%, at worst, will be made permanent by the US president. The group, emblematic of German industry, also makes the Audi, Seat and Skoda brands as well as the luxury marques Lamborghini and Bentley, and commercial vehicles including Scania trucks. Its reduced revenues underline the German chancellor Friedrich Merz's continued appeal to Trump to urgently sign a deal on tariffs with concessions for the EU car industry. 1.52pm BST 13:52 As the EU continues to talk with the US about a tariff deal ahead of the 1 August deadline, more and more European companies issue warnings about the costs of not getting an agreement with Washington. Over to Lisa O'Carroll for more details. 1.25pm BST 13:25 Separately, Reuters reported that Elon Musk's Starlink systems used by Ukrainian military units were down for two and a half hours overnight, a senior commander said, part of a global issue that disrupted the satellite internet provider. Starlink experienced one of its biggest international outages on Thursday when an internal software failure knocked tens of thousands of users offline, the agency reported. The commander of Ukraine's drone forces, Robert Brovdi, later said the incident had highlighted the risk of reliance on the systems, and called for communication and connectivity methods to be diversified. 12.33pm BST 12:33 Erm. We reported on Wednesday that the European Commission said (blog) it had conveyed its concerns about the anti-graft law reform in Ukraine to president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This was also confirmed on Thursday, in a separate briefing (blog). But Zelenskyy reportedly denied it today, telling reporters (via Interfax-Ukraine) that: 'I have not communicated with Ursula von der Leyen in recent days. Everything that was written about it, everything that she allegedly told me, is a fake. We did not have a conversation.' Updated at 12.49pm BST 11.48am BST 11:48 Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor Night by night, the blitz develops. Russian drones, decoys, cruise and ballistic missiles – increasingly aimed at a single city or location – are being launched in record numbers into Ukraine, straining the country's ability to defend itself and raising questions about how well it can endure another winter of war. One day earlier this month, 728 drones and 13 missiles were launched, mostly at the western city of Lutsk, home to many Ukrainian airfields. Large salvoes now come more frequently: every three to five days, rather than every 10 to 12, and civilian casualties are rising: 232 people were killed in June, the highest monthly level for three years. A 1,000-drone attack is anticipated shortly and last weekend a German army major general, Christian Freuding, predicted that the Kremlin's ambition was to attack Ukraine with '2,000 drones simultaneously'. Production of drones and missiles has improved, as have Russian tactics. Not only are the drones unleashed in larger swarms, with dozens of decoys included, but they are also being flown either much lower or at much higher altitudes, sometimes in a stack to fool the defenders before swooping down steeply to their target. The additional height takes them beyond the range of mobile Ukrainian gunners, whose job has been to shoot them down, relatively cheaply. Analyses of Ukrainian air force data show that more drones are getting through: from close to 5% in March and April to between 15% and 20% in May and June. Russia is also using its Shahed drones more intelligently, analysts say, to open a path for faster and more dangerous cruise and ballistic missiles because the 50kg (110lb) explosive normally carried by a Shahed only does a relatively limited amount of damage. Designed in Iran, the delta-winged Shahed 136s are now made in Russia, where they are known as Geran-2s. At least two factories have been identified, one in Izhevsk, and most notably in Yelabuga, more than 700 miles from Ukraine. The modern-looking assembly line was shown off on Russian television a few days ago, with dozens of distinctive fibreglass and carbon-fibre frames positioned to sinister effect in the background. 'The Shahed problem has been foreseeable for some time. Russia has been asking itself: 'What will be the T-34 of this war?'' said Jack Watling, a military expert with the Royal United Services Institute thinktank, referring to the tank that is considered by some to have helped the Soviets defeat the Nazis in the second world war. Read full report: Updated at 11.54am BST 11.14am BST 11:14 It has to be said that the French decision wasn't particularly well received by the US, with state secretary Marco Rubio calling it 'reckless' and saying 'it only serves Hamas propaganda.' Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel, quipped that Macron did not say where a future Palestinian state would be located, AFP reported. 'I can now exclusively disclose that France will offer the French Riviera + the new nation will be called 'Franc-en-Stine,'' he said on X. But French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot defended the move on Friday, saying the French proposal went directly against Hamas' will. 'Hamas has always ruled out a two-state solution. By recognising Palestine, France goes against that terrorist organisation,' he argued on X. Updated at 11.17am BST 10.51am BST 10:51 One story we are tracking this morning is the reactions of other major European countries to the French plans to recognise Palestine, announced by president Emmanuel Macron last night. But ahead of a E3 meeting later today – that's France, Germany and the UK – a German government spokesperson just said that 'there are no plans to recognise Palestinian state in short term', Reuters reported. But he said 'the priority now is to take long-overdue steps towards two-state solution', promising to 'increase pressure if progress is not made'. The Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said earlier that the recognition of a Palestinian state needs to be directly linked with its recognition of Israel, or otherwise 'the problem will not be solved'. Updated at 10.56am BST 10.29am BST 10:29 Kevin Rawlinson Meanwhile, the Irish hip-hop band Kneecap have criticised Hungary's far-right prime minister, Viktor Orbán, after they were banned from entering the country for three years ahead of a scheduled appearance at a music festival there. The group, who are outspoken supporters of Palestine, were due to perform at Sziget festival on 11 August. But the Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said on Thursday they had been banned because their 'members repeatedly engage in antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups'. He said: 'Hungary has zero tolerance for antisemitism in any form. Their planned performance posed a national security threat and, for this reason, the group has been formally banned from Hungary for three years. If they enter, expulsion will follow under international norms.' Responding in a post on X, the group said: 'To the tens of thousands of fans who we were buzzing to see in person at Sziget, we're sorry we won't be with you. The authoritarian government of Viktor Orban say we 'pose a national security threat.' Which is fucking outrageous coming from a man who welcomed Netanyahu, a wanted war criminal, like a hero just a few weeks ago. There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country. We stand against all hate crimes and Kneecap champions love and solidarity as well as calling out injustices where we see it. It's clear this is political distraction and a further attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people.' Kneecap have had several shows cancelled in recent months, including at TRNSMT festival in Glasgow and at the Eden Project in Cornwall. 9.44am BST 09:44 Helena Smith in Athens Over in Greece, the culture ministry has announced that it will be extending a ban on opening hours of all archaeological sites, including the Acropolis, in Athens after the weather service predicted that scorching temperatures were unlikely to recede until Monday. The worst of the heatwave is likely to hit today and tomorrow. 'Archaeological sites will remain closed between 12:00 to 17:00 due to high temperatures for the safety of workers and visitors,' the ministry said in a statement released mid-morning today. 9.42am BST 09:42 Helena Smith Elsewhere, wildfires, described as the worst in more than half a century, have devastated large tracts of southern Cyprus, leaving at least two dead, dozens injured and hundreds displaced. As the EU announced it would send in water-bombing planes, after the island requested help though the bloc's civil protection mechanism, an estimated 250 firefighters battled to contain blazes raging on multiple fronts. By midday Thursday, nearly 24 hours after breaking out, the infernos had consumed more than 40 square miles of territory, decimating prime agricultural land and dozens of homes in village communities outside Limassol on the Troodos range. Charalambos Theopemptou, the Green MP who chairs the Cypriot parliament's environmental committee, spoke of a 'tragic situation' with blazes fuelled by extreme weather and gale-force winds. Temperatures nudging 44C in several parts of the east Mediterranean island were forecast to rise further Friday as a week-long heatwave intensified across southern Europe. 'We haven't seen such devastating fires since the Turkish invasion in 1974,' he told the Guardian. 'It's tragic, people have died, 72 houses and 91 cars have been burned, it's absolute chaos and that's also because preventative measures haven't been taken … scandalously and tragically the public warning system, an EU directive voted into law back in 2022, has not been implemented.' As a result, panic-stricken people had attempted to outrun the flames in their cars. 'Narrow streets in small communities were jam-packed and that's how people died,' Theopemptou said. 'The government has made a real mess of things. Illegal waste dumps haven't been cleared, [inflammable] vegetation hasn't been removed, basic infrastructure like big cement water tanks and hose pipe points aren't in place, all of which has helped the fires spread.' By late Thursday, Greece, Egypt, Israel and the UK, which has an RAF base on the divided island, announced they would also be weighing in with air support and fire fighters. Turkish Cypriots in the breakaway north have also offered to help with some going so far as to gather food and supplies for those in fire-stricken areas. 9.31am BST 09:31 In further comments from Zelenskyy, he confirmed that Germany will finance two Patriot systems, and Norway will pay for one, with further talks under way, including the Netherlands. In addition to securing air defence supplies, Ukraine needs to cover a financing gap of $40bn next year, Zelenskiy said in remarks released by his office and reported by Reuters. 9.03am BST 09:03 Jakub Krupa Ukraine is looking to secure funding for 10 Patriot air defence systems under the deal agreed with US president Donald Trump, with active diplomatic efforts to find sponsors for all of them, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Previously Germany suggested it could pay for two systems, with Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden among other European countries declaring their support for the initiative. In comments released to journalists on Friday, Zelenskyy also insisted he 'listened and responded adequately' to concerns over the anti-graft law, with the new bill now being proposed to resolve concerns about the anti-corruption agencies' independence. He also admitted that there should 'probably have been more of a dialogue' before the original law was adopted, AFP noted. The president added: 'I am focused on the issue of the war because right now, the number one issue in Ukraine is the war. The biggest problem is the war. The main enemy is Russia.' Zelenskyy suggested that Russian and Ukrainian negotiators started discussing a direct meeting between him and Putin in another bid to end the conflict. 'In talks with us, they have begun to discuss it. This is already progress toward some kind of meeting format.' Elsewhere, I will be looking at the E3 meeting of the UK, France and Germany on Gaza and Palestine, which will surely attract more attention after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, pledged to recognise the state of Palestine in September. Separately, Baltic defence ministers are meeting with US defence secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington, as we also await updates on the much-awaited EU-US trade deal. I will bring you all key updates from across Europe today. It's Friday, 25 July 2025, it's Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning.
Spectator
an hour ago
- Spectator
The BMA should be careful what it wishes for
Just a few weeks ago the trade union movement seemed to be on a high. It has got rid of its hated Tory government. Legislation which made it harder to call strikes had been hastily abolished by the incoming Starmer government. There were generous public sector pay rises all around. If you were a trade union leader, you had every right to feel pleased with yourself. How things can change. As a trade union leader, you really don't want a Labour health secretary calling your actions 'unconscionable', and suggesting that your members must 'feel pain' in order to discourage other unions from striking too. A Conservative health secretary, sure, but a Labour government is supposed to be on your side. Declare war on Labour and the result, as in 1979, is likely to be a government which is rather less to your taste. Surely it must have dawned on the BMA's trots that a Starmer government is as amenable an administration they're likely to get. They might, at a scrape, get Angela Rayner as PM who could, perhaps, loosen the purse strings on public sector pay just a little bit more. But they are not going to get a red-blooded socialist government which seizes the means of production and turns it over to the workers. Far more likely after Starmer is a right-leaning government which will want to clip the unions' wings. What was the unions' prize for helping to bring down the Callaghan government? Thatcher and the 1980 Employment Act which banned secondary picketing, brought the end of the closed shop, and imposed secret ballots on strike votes. It has taken 40 years for the unions to re-acquire anything like the power they had in 1979. The unions have had an incredible deal out of the first year of Starmer's Labour – far better than anything they got out of Blair. Its early public sector pay deals totally ignored the grim fiscal situation – even while Rachel Reeves was bleating about a £22 billion black hole and chopping back the winter fuel payment. Streeting followed up last year's 22 per cent pay rise for resident doctors with an inflation-busting 5.4 per cent this year, which was about as far as he could possibly go without being totally fiscally irresponsible. On top of that, he offered to look at wiping some medical graduates' student debt, providing they continued to work in the NHS. Yet still the BMA has gone ahead with a strike which is as long as any it held under the Conservatives. If the BMA's current behaviour is its way of showing gratitude, it is weird way of going about it. Its strategy looks like a death wish.
