The Russell Group unis that get drastically fewer applications than they used to, revealed

Generally speaking, Russell Group unis get more and more applications each year. But in the last couple of years, 14 out of 24 Russell Group unis have seen a dramatic drop in applications – including Oxbridge. Maybe because of the cost-of-living crises, sixth-form students now are more likely to Google how ridiculously high rent is in cities with Russell Group unis and how little maintenance loans fund, so have decided to just not bother?

UCAS’s new end-of-cyle data revealed how many people applied to each UK uni in the 2024 cycle, compared to previous years. Please note that these numbers refer to students who applied through UCAS – so live in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. About a third of Scottish students don’t apply through UCAS.

So, here’s a rundown of all the Russell Group unis which got dramatically fewer applications this year than they used to.

University of Cambridge

The number of applications to Oxbridge has varied quite a lot over the lost couple of years. Remember, the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford generally get less applications than other Russell Group unis because it’s so much extra effort to apply there and not really worth the bother unless you have a genuine chance.

Cambridge’s peak popularity was 2021, when the uni got 23,140 applications. It dipped to 21,940 in 2023, then went back up again to 22,850 in 2024.

Cardiff University

The uni received 46,240 applications in 2024, which is ever-so-slightly less than the 46,355 applications it got in 2023.

University of Edinburgh

Maybe fewer students fancy Edinburgh uni because it’s so f*cking cold all the time?

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The uni got a huge 77,730 applications in 2022, but it’s been downhill since then. Only 71,135 people applied to go there in 2023, then just 68,020 in 2024.

University of Glasgow

Glasgow’s peak popularity was in 2021, when the uni received 42,180 applications. The uni has been getting fewer and fewer since then. In 2024, only 36,380 people applied.

King’s College London

70,090 people sent off applications to King’s in 2022. But only 69,300 bothered in 2023, and 68,510 in 2024.

University of Leeds

In 2023, 69,085 people put Leeds on their UCAS forms. In 2024, only 68,055 people did.

University of Liverpool

Liverpool Uni was apparently the place to be back in 2016, when 43,100 sixth-formers applied there. This number dipped to an all-time low in 2018, gradually rose again year on year to 43,974 in 2023, then dropped again slightly to 43,365 in 1015.

University of Manchester

Manchester remains one of the most popular UK unis. And by sheer coincidence, it’s also the Russell Group uni where students do the most weed. Funny, that. 92,500 sixth-formers wanted to go to Manchester in 2024, which is down a bit from 93,450 in 2023.

University of Nottingham

I’ve got no clue why Notts is suddenly less popular. The campus is so peng

Notts’s popularity has actually declined quite a lot over the last couple of years. A huge 57,570 students applied there in 2022, but this number dipped quite drastically to 52,165 in 2025.

University of Oxford

23,990 students went through the misery of Oxford applications in 2024, which is 240 fewer than in 2023.

Queen’s University Belfast

The one Irish Russell Group uni did see an extremely mild decrease in applications last year. 29,800 students wanted to go there in 2024, which is a whole 25 people fewer than in 2023.

University of Sheffield

Although 43,665 people applied to Sheffield in 2024, this is less than 2023, when 43,665 people applied.

University of Southampton

Only 43,515 people applied to Soton, which is quite a sudden drop from the year before. In 2023, 45,280 students applied.  That’s a difference of nearly 2,000.

University of Warwick

Warwick saw a dramatic decline in applications in 2024. Only 45,100 students applied, which is 2,030 fewer than in 2023.

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Featured image of the University of Edinburgh by LWYang via Creative Commons.