Wales see another fall in university applications this year

Wales has seen another fall in university applications this year, as students received their A-Level results on Thursday last week (14th August).

UCAS data for 2025 shows 32.5 per cent of Welsh 18-year-olds had applied to university, compared to 41.2 per cent across the UK.

The data has also revealed that 18-year-olds in Blaenau Gwent, Rhymney, and Torfaen are far less likely to go on to higher education than those in other parts of Wales.

Torfaen was the Welsh parliamentary constituency with the lowest university entry rate in 2024, at 16.9 per cent. Cardiff North, just a short drive away, had a rate of 47.9 per cent.

Gil, 16, who will be doing A-Levels in a Welsh college, told the BBC he wants to “think about university” while looking for work: “None of the careers I would want to do are easy to get into with just a degree from university so I don’t really want to spend tons of money on going to university and then not be able [to] get a job straight out of it, and then have to struggle with the debt.”

Megan Pitman has also just completed her A-Levels, and hopes to study in Aberystwyth. This decision was cemented after her older brother told her “how much fun” university is.

Megan said she’s always wanted to do “something impactful and really big that usually comes with a need for a degree”, adding that she’s lived in her hometown her whole life and now craves the independence of moving away.

University and College Union’s Wales official Gareth Lloyd said: “University can feel distant to some young people living in the south Wales valleys.

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“I’d like to see every further education college, every sixth form [travelling] to every open day in Wales and a free bus put on by the college and ideally funded by the Welsh government.

“If people want to go to university but don’t necessarily want to stay away, then they want something on their doorstep and that’s becoming more and more difficult.”

via Canva

Gareth added that cuts to career advice services in school, in addition to courses being slashed at universities struggling for cash, could damage recruitment.

Other young people are on an entirely different route.

17-year-old Linda did not attend secondary school, and instead joined the Jobs Growth Wales+ programme without any qualifications.

In a year she earned qualifications in both English and maths, and now hopes for a placement or apprenticeship in a bakery.

Linda said: “I think it will be a good opportunity for me to be more hands on with baking. I want to make birthday and wedding cakes – my own business. My dream? To be a baker.”

Throughout the summer, ACT have been taking a careers trailer to high streets to raise awareness of Jobs Growth Wales+. The programme aims to prepare 16 to 19-year-olds for the workplace.

Nathan Felvus of ACT said: “We work on personal independence, we work on their wellbeing and it’s really just an alternative to college or to sixth form.

“Some end up going to university but the main aim is to find something they want to do.”

The body responsible for funding and regulating the higher education and research sector in Wales, Medr, said the data indicated a “mixed picture”, with UCAS figures suggesting a rise in applications from disadvantaged areas.

A spokesperson said more data has to be considered for the full picture of next year’s university intake, but these figures show a “useful snapshot”.

Universities Wales said: “University offers a transformative experience that not only benefits individuals but also strengthens our communities and economy. It is essential that we continue to highlight the life-changing potential that going to university can offer.”

Universities Wales has previously called for “urgent action” to address low participation in post-16 education.

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