Indian students applying for UG admissions in UK rise 1.5% from last year: UCAS report

India has emerged as the second largest number of applicants applying for admission to the undergraduate courses in the United Kingdom (UK) after China, with applications increasing by 1.5% for the academic year 2026, as per the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) data.

Meanwhile, the overall international UG applications in the UK has surged by 5.1%, the UCAS data showed. India recorded 8,870 Undergraduate applicants to the United Kingdom through UCAS, which is 1.5% more from last year’s 8,740 admissions, the UCAS data revealed.

Jo Saxton CBE, Chief Executive of UCAS, said: “It’s really encouraging to see more students from disadvantaged backgrounds across the UK applying to higher education. We know that choosing whether and where to study is a big decision, and for many people it comes with real financial and personal pressures.”

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UCAS launches scholarships for UG applicants

Highlighting new scholarships by the UK to support students, Saxton further said: “That’s why we’ve launched a new scholarships and bursaries tool to give applicants better visibility of the support available to them, and why we are expanding the application fee waiver to include care leavers from the 2027 cycle. These targeted steps are designed to help remove barriers for those who need it most.”

Notably, India amounts to the majority of the UK’s international student markets among China, the United States, and Ireland, as per the UCAS data.

The UCAS analysis tells us that the application rate for the 18-year-old population now records at 40.77%, up slightly from 40.6% last year.

Currently, the data show a rise in the number of 18-year-old applicants from the most disadvantaged backgrounds throughout all the UK nations.