Concerns over job instability likely leading to increase in mature student applications, experts warn

Recent government reforms have placed emphasis on lifelong learning, with plans to reform funding for adult students and improved programme availability in courses such as medicine.

Experts have warned, however, that it could be ‘negative drivers’, such as economic pressures, that are driving over 21s back to education.

6,600 mature applicants submitted their applications before the ‘early entry’ deadline on 15 October – the deadline for students applying to Oxbridge, as well as dentistry, medicine, and veterinary courses

Figures from UCAS show that there was an 11% increase in applicants aged 21 and over this October, compared to the same time last year.

6,600 mature applicants submitted their applications before the ‘early entry’ deadline on 15 October – the deadline for students applying to Oxbridge, as well as dentistry, medicine, and veterinary courses.

This was the third highest total in the past decade, only beaten by the COVID years of 2021 and 2022.

As there are usually more applications received by the main January deadline, the high number of early entry applicants hints that this year could surpass earlier highs.

Catherine Lido, Professor of Psychology and Adult Learning at the University of Glasgow, said she was “heartened to see the rising numbers” of mature applicants, but warned that “negative drivers currently outweigh the positive drivers in the decision of many adults to return to formal education”.

The government has proposed changes to student finance as part of its lifelong learning plan, with the aim to make further education more accessible to adults.

John Butcher, Director of Access, Open, and Cross-curricular Innovation at the Open University, noted that the number of mature students usually increases during times of scarce job opportunities

Critics, however, warn that the prospect of further debt may still deter some from pursing education.

A substantial proportion of mature students applying at the October deadline applied to study medicine – a course which is often seen to offer a clear path to employment.

Camille Priede, a senior teacher at the University of Sheffield, stated that the increase in applications could also be seen as an achievement of institutions, as “it may be that universities have managed to find ways of meeting a demand which has been there for some years”.

Applications to foundation and gateway year courses – which usually offer an extra year of study to develop a prospective student’s skills in a subject – have also seen an increase in applications, with adults returning to education looking to shift sector in a bid for economic certainty.

John Butcher, Director of Access, Open, and Cross-curricular Innovation at the Open University, noted that the number of mature students usually increases during times of scarce job opportunities.

He said that if this uncertainty continues, mature student applications may increase even further, leading to increased competition rates for post-school students.