Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/335979 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 18331
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper examines university application patterns in the UK, focusing on the joint decision of selecting both an institution and a subject. Using administrative data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) covering almost all undergraduate applications between 2008 and 2021, we document three key facts: (i) students generally choose subject before university: they apply on average to around 1.6 subject areas across 4.6 institutions, and roughly half apply to a single field across multiple universities; (ii) there are significant gender gaps in application and offer rates that reflect field composition; (iii) high-socioeconomic status students submit more applications, apply less to local institutions, and obtain more offers, but these differences shrink sharply once we control for attainment and the selectivity of the programmes that students apply to. An expert survey suggests that several of these patterns run against conventional wisdom.
Subjects: 
higher education
application patterns
UCAS data
gender
socioeconomic status
JEL: 
I20
I23
M38
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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