Higher education in the UK - Statistics & Facts

Higher education is undertaken by an increasing number of people across the globe, and with one of the most prestigious and established university systems anywhere in the world, the United Kingdom is no exception. As of 2022, there were over 2.86 million students at UK universities. Among people aged between 30 and 34 in the United Kingdom, half were educated to a tertiary level, one of the highest shares in Europe. Additionally, there were around 767,000 applications to study at university in 2022, an increase of around 345,000 when compared with 1994, when there were 405,000 applications.

Oxford retains top spot

As student numbers has increased, so has the number of universities in the UK. As of 2021 there were 295 higher education institutions in operation. The very first university in the UK is also the highest rated. In 2023, Oxford University, founded in 1096, was the highest ranked university in the United Kingdom, with it's traditional rival Cambridge, founded by exiles from Oxford in 1209, in second place. Neither Oxford or Cambridge were the largest universities in terms of student numbers, however, with that particular honor going to the Open University, which focuses on remote learning and had 151,840 students enrolled, followed by University College London, which had 46,830 students, and The University of Manchester which had 46,410.

Grades, subjects and debt

The top grade possible for undergraduates in the UK is a first-class with honors, and although the second highest grade (an upper second, or 2.1) is still the most common, the share of students graduating with a first has increased from 17 percent in 2011/12 to 32 percent in 2021/22. In the same year, the most popular subject group for students in the UK was business and management studies, at 530,460 enrollments. Depending on where students study in the UK, they will graduate with varying levels of student loan debt. Students graduating in England in 2023 will have accrued on average 44,940 British pounds worth of debt, compared with 35,780 pounds in Wales, 24,500 British pounds in Northern Ireland, and just 15,430 British pounds in Scotland. As of 2023, Scotland does not charge tuition fees, while the other three countries of the UK do, explaining the relatively large disparity in student debt.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by D. Clark, Aug 18, 2023

Key insights

Number of students in the UK
2.86m
Share of people aged between 30 and 34 with a degree in the UK
50%
Share of people aged between 15 and 64 with a degree in the UK
40.6%
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