Ucas Reports Record Number of Students Placed on Results Day, Driven by Rising 18-Year-old Population

Ucas said it is the highest number of placed students on results day on record, driven by a rising number of 18-year-olds in the population. The overall number of students of all ages and domiciles being accepted has also reached a record high, with 446,690 successful applicants, up from 439,180 last year. Hundreds of thousands of students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are receiving their grades on Thursday to help them decide whether to progress to university, an apprenticeship or work.

Results day comes amid a crisis in the number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet). The Department for Education estimates that nearly 58,000 18-year-olds in England will get no results on Thursday because they have dropped out of education and training, although some are working. Latest data published in May showed the number of young people aged 16 to 24 neither working nor learning surpassed one million for the first time since 2013, reaching 1.01 million in the three months from January to March. Education Secretary Lucy Powell said she is focused on a "revolution" in technical and vocational pathways to answer the "clarion call" of the Neets crisis.