Despite school closures as the nation went into lockdown and huge variation in learning in 2020, more students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds across the UK entered Higher Education in 2020 than ever before, according to the first stage of UCAS’ End of Cycle report.

What happened to the Covid cohort? Lessons for levelling up in 2021 and beyond looks at the trends emerging from HE undergraduate admissions in 2020 with a particular focus on widening access and participation.

The report attributes the rise in students from disadvantaged backgrounds to several reasons: students (particularly mature students) saw HE as a stable option during a turbulent time for the labour market, more students met the terms of their offers following the issue of CAGs (centre assessment grades) than on their original exam result, the Government increased capacity across HE and there was increased effort to offer more support than ever to the 2020 applicants.

Other trends arising from 2020 admissions include:

• The UK 18-year-old entry rate rose to a record 37% (from 34.1% in 2019) with a record number of 18-year-old acceptances from lowest participation areas
• More students applied for Health and Social Care courses than ever before. The work of doctors, medical professionals, and NHS staff inspired applications to health and social care programmes, including nursing
• There was a significant growth in mature student acceptances, reflecting a demand for up- and re-skilling as the economy entered recession. Mature students (aged 21 or over) significantly increased to 114,440, representing the largest single year growth since 2009. UCAS forecasts a continuing rise in the number of mature applicants in 2021
• Regional gaps in entry persisted, with 49.1% of London-based 18-year-olds entering HE, compared to 32.4% of those from the south west for example
• As the 18-year-old population increases resulting in around 90,000 additional applicants by 2025, there will be more competition for university and college places and apprenticeships. There is a risk that disadvantaged students, who are typically lower attaining, will be squeezed out.

Further stages of the End of Cycle report will be published by UCAS in spring 2021.