Uncertainty in the jobs market is prompting more Scots to apply to higher education, universities said yesterday.

New figures show there has been a 5% rise in the number of Scots applying for a university place, with school-leavers and mature entrants both showing increases of 3.5% and 12% respectively.

The figures, from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas), also show the number of international student applications continues to increase, with a 14% rise.

The Scottish universities with the largest increase in applications were Dundee, with a increase of 16.5%, and Glasgow which saw applications go up by 14.3%.

Glasgow saw the highest increase of any of the institutions which form the elite Russell Group, which is made up of the UK's top 20 research-intensive universities.

A spokeswoman for Universities Scotland, which represents university principals, said the figures reflected the current economic crisis.

Source: The Herald - Scotland
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