The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has issued provisional end-of-year figures for entry to UK higher education in 2008.

Key results for 2008 entry are:

• In total, 451,871 applicants were accepted to full-time degree, foundation degree and HND courses, across the UK, starting in autumn 2008. This figure is 10 per cent higher(1) than at the same point last year.
• 18,275 Welsh domiciled applicants were accepted, an increase compared with last year (17,296). For other UK domiciled applicants there have also been increases for English (11 per cent) and Northern Irish (3 per cent) while Scottish accepted applicants have decreased (by 3 per cent).
• The number of Welsh domiciled applicants accepted at Welsh institutions increased by 7 per cent, while the number of Welsh domiciled applicants accepted at English institutions increased by 3 per cent.
• 69 per cent of Welsh domiciled applicants were accepted at Welsh institutions, the same percentage as in 2007.
• 23,118 applicants from across the UK, rest of the EU and other overseas were accepted at Welsh institutions, representing an increase of 4 per cent on last year.
• Overall the number of accepted applicants from the rest of the UK at Welsh institutions has decreased (by 0.5 per cent).
• The number of "Other EU(2)" applicants accepted at Welsh institutions increased by 5 per cent, compared with an increase of 3 per cent at institutions across the UK.

Further information is available on the Statistics for Wales website.