Student numbers soar to beat fees

The numbers of students deferring university places to 2012 has dropped by almost two-thirds, as they try to avoid the tuition fee hike, new figures show.

Just 5,940 students applying to university this year have opted to defer the start of their course until the autumn of next year.

This compares with 15,701 students who deferred their entry to 2011 in 2010 – a 62 per cent decrease, the Ucas figures show.

The figures are a snapshot taken on 30 June.

The numbers of deferrals have dropped in previous years, but this year the numbers have slumped drastically, Ucas said.

The drop is most likely down to students trying to avoid the Government's plans to triple fees to as much as £9,000 from next year.