Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what forecast his Department or its agencies has made of the number of (a) applications to and (b) numbers taking up places at universities in each of the next five years; and whether those forecasts have been changed as a result of announcements in the Summer Budget 2015.

The Department does not forecast the number of applications to universities.

For the purposes of planning Government expenditure and financial transactions, and prior to the summer budget, the Department agreed with the Office for Budget Responsibility the full-time Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)-fundable undergraduate entrant scenario shown in the table below. This scenario takes into account the projected decline in the young population. The actual number of new entrants will depend on the decisions of applicants and institutions. The Government does not expect the student finance announcements made at the Budget to affect the general trend we have seen of rising student numbers.

Table: HEFCE-fundable full-time undergraduate entrant forecasts