UK 18-year-olds make record number of applications for computing courses – BCS
Record numbers of choices have been made by UK 18-year-old applicants to computing, according to data released today (Thursday) by Cheltenham-based UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, and welcomed by Swindon-based BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.
The latest deadline data from June 30, UCAS’ final date to apply for up to five courses at the same time, shows there have been 94,870 applications to computing – up from 86,630 last year (+9.5 per cent) and 71,150 in 2021 (+33.3 per cent).
This makes it the seventh most popular course, behind subjects allied to medicine (156,460 applications), biological and sports sciences (105,490), engineering and technology (96,180), social sciences (178,680), business and management (184,000), and design, creative and performing arts (126,310).
This has been driven by interest in computer science (+11 per cent compared to 2022 and +35 per cent on 2021), software engineering (+16 per cent on 2022 and +45 per cent on 2021), computer games and animation (+two per cent on 2022 and +28 per cent on 2021) and artificial intelligence (+four per cent on 2022 and +16 per cent on 2021).
For computing, there has also been an increase in the number of applications by UK 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds- 11,870 this year, up from 11,110 in 2022 (+seven per cent) and 8,320 in 2021 (+43 per cent).
Overall, there have been 195,690 applications to computing (all ages, all domiciles) – up +nine per cent on 2022 and +26 per cent on 2021.
Computing as a whole remains a male-dominated field, with only 18 per cent of all UK 18-year-olds applications made by females – although this is higher than the 17 per cent in 2022 and 16 per cent in 2021.
It comes amid a rise in the popularity of artificial intelligence and gaming, as significant new advances in digital technologies, such as ChatGPT, come to the market.
Meanwhile, the data reveals the overall number of UK 18-year-old applicants is at the second highest level – 319,570 in 2023, down from 326,190 in 2022 (-two per cent) but up from 311,010 in 2021 (+2.8 per cent). There is also an uplift in rise in offers, with the offer rate for UK-18-year-olds standing at 76.2 per cent compared to 73.9 per cent at the same point last year.
Rashik Parmar MBE, chief executive of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, said: “Teenagers in the UK know that AI will change the world forever; it shouldn’t surprise us to see this soaring demand for computing degrees.
“AI is already reshaping how cancer is diagnosed, how we tackle climate change, how we work and how we communicate. The thousands of young men and women applying for computing through UCAS do so because they want a say in this future.
“Ethics and diversity are vital in AI and we want people from every background to know that the tech profession needs them.”
Clare Marchant, chief executive of UCAS, said: “We know that changes in the world around us translate into increased demand for certain courses, as we saw for economics post-2008, and for medicine and nursing during the Covid-19 pandemic. These new figures suggest students are becoming increasingly inspired to study computing thanks to the rise of digital and AI.
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“We saw unprecedented demand for undergraduate courses during the pandemic as student ambition was high, and we expected a post-pandemic rebalance in the number of applicants. Today’s numbers show the second highest number of UK 18-year-olds have applied this year, testament to the demand for UK higher education this year and the confidence of students in progressing.
“As we forecast an upward trajectory throughout the remainder of the decade, with up to a million higher education applicants predicted in a single year in 2030, it’s paramount that we highlight the full range of post-secondary options and pathways available across both undergraduate study and apprenticeships.
“In the run up to results day, there will be a huge effort across the sector to support students entering the next step in their education journey. There will be plenty of choice available to students who are unplaced or use Clearing as an opportunity to rethink their plans. We really encourage students to think ahead and use the UCAS Hub to research the vast range of options available to them.”
