Demand for Oxbridge places and other prestigious degree courses such as medicine has fallen for the first time in eight years, new figures reveal.
The number of aspiring students on such courses, which have an earlier application deadline than for other university degrees, has fallen by 3,720, or almost five per cent, to 74,090.
It represents the first decline after eight years of rising numbers of applicants, according to figures published by Ucas, the university admissions service.
Pupils faced record competition for places at the most prestigious universities last year amid a rise in the number of 18-year-olds in the UK population and increasing demand from international applicants.
However, the number of aspiring students for medicine degrees for the 2023-24 academic year has fallen by 9.7 per cent to 26,820, wiping out much of the increased demand seen during the pandemic.
5% drop in number of Cambridge applicants
The number of Cambridge applicants has fallen by five per cent, which was driven by a seven per cent decline in demand from UK students.
At Oxford, applications have declined by 2.6 per cent to 23,173. However, its decline has been driven by a drop in overseas and EU applications, which were down 6.4 per cent and 12.2 per cent respectively, whereas applications from UK students were up 0.4 per cent.
Clare Marchant, chief executive of Ucas, said that young people were considering their choices "against a backdrop of rising living costs".
"While we saw exceptional growth in the most selective courses during the Covid-19 pandemic, as ambitious students were inspired to study medicine, it is encouraging to see this year’s figures are much higher than pre-pandemic levels," she said.
"Demand for these courses, and for places at Oxford and Cambridge, remains strong and there will still be stiff competition for places at UK medical schools."
The early deadline for Oxbridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses typically represents about 10 per cent of applicants each year.
Applications from UK 18-year-olds for those courses were down by 3.2 per cent to 38,660.
Factors which could put British teenagers off applying for the most competitive courses include warnings of grade deflation next year in England as the exam watchdog moves grade back to pre-pandemic levels.
'It is worrying'
Kevin Gilmartin, of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "It is worrying to see that the number of UK 18-year-olds applying for the most competitive university courses has fallen at a time when the 18-year-old population is increasing.
"While this may partially reflect measures on grading standards which mean fewer students will achieve top A-level grades next year, it may also reflect the cost-of-living crisis which is impacting on households, particularly in terms of disadvantaged students."
Dr Latifa Patel, of the British Medical Association (BM), said: "With the NHS facing a workforce and workload crisis, coupled with a cost of living emergency in our midst, it is understandable that some people are being deterred from applying to study medicine this year.
"The BMA’s survey of medical students earlier this year found that 6 in 10 students report having been forced to cut spending on essentials such as food, clothing and heating. It’s a clear sign that the student finance system is broken and in urgent need of reform."
