UCAS-Jisc data collaboration reveals 91% of accepted offers lead to enrolment in higher education

The data presented at the UCAS conference today, 20 May 2025, is the result of a project to learn more from application data held by UCAS, the body responsible for university applications, and enrolment data held by Jisc, through HESA (the Higher Education Statistics Agency).

Analysis of the 2019 cycle shows that overall, 91% of applicants who accepted a place via UCAS continued through to enrol in higher education. Those who accepted a place via Clearing, having either used Decline My Place to find a new course, or who subsequently found a place in Clearing after being rejected from their firm and insurance choices, were the most likely to continue to enrolment (96%). However, applicants who applied directly to Clearing without a prior offer were least likely to follow their offers through to enrolment (89%).

The statistics are the first output from UCAS of a data linking project expected to reveal further insights into student choices and pathways to higher education.

Dan Cook, Director - data policy and research at Jisc, said:

“It is excellent to see this analysis from UCAS of linked data from UCAS and Jisc. Collaboration between these two organisations, and the combination of these two strategically important datasets, will provide insights that benefit both students and education providers. I look forward to further collaboration and a deepening of this relationship in the interests of the UK higher education sector as a whole.”