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Students celebrate A-level results day after record number accepted on degree courses

A total of 262,820 UK 18-year-olds gained a place at university or college according to Ucas, with the number from the most disadvantaged backgrounds also soaring

[Students celebrate their results in Liverpool]

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Students celebrate their results in Liverpool(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

The number of students getting into university has risen to a record high.

A total of 262,820 UK 18-year-olds gained a place at university or college according to Ucas, with the number from the most disadvantaged backgrounds also soaring.

The university admissions service said it is the highest number of placed students on results day on record, driven by a rising number of 18-year-olds in the population.

International student numbers also increased 2%, with 53,740 applicants accepted onto undergraduate courses. Accepted applicants from China rose to 13,870 from 12,380 last year.

The proportion of candidates earning top grades rose for the third year in a row, and remains higher than before the world was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

It comes with student debt continuing to rise, with graduates in England leaving university with more than 47,500 in student debt. This could rise further, with analysis from Intergenerational Foundation, a thinktank, this week warning average earners under the current system could repay 56,240 over their lifetime.

[Two friends embrace after receiving their results in Ebbw Vale, Wales]

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Two friends embrace after receiving their results in Ebbw Vale, Wales(Image: Getty Images)

More than a quarter (28.5%) of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade, up by 0.2% percentage points on last year, when 28.3% achieved the top grades.

Boys outperformed girls in terms of top grades again, having doing so for the first time in seven years last year. Overall 28.9% of boys A-level entries scored an A* or A this summer, compared to 28.0% of their female classmates.

Regional disparities remain a "concern" after the gap between the proportion of A-level entries in London getting the top grades and the equivalent figure in both north-east England and the East Midlands reached a new record.

The most popular subject for this academic year was maths, for the 13th year in a row. It had 115,380 entries, up 3.9% from 111,033 in 2025. About one in eight of all A-level entries this year were for maths.

It is the highest proportion of entries scoring top grades outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22, according to the figures from the Joint Council for Qualifications for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

[Skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith (second left) meeting students at Bury College as they get their results]

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Skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith (second left) meeting students at Bury College as they get their results(Image: Gary Oakley/PA Wire)

Among those celebrating was Abdullah Mahmood, from Bradford, who is following the path his late mother hoped he would take after securing a place to study aeronautical and aerospace engineering.

The 18-year-old achieved an two A*s and 2As despite his mothers death at the beginning of the final year of his A-level studies. The Bradford Grammar School pupil, who has won a place at Leeds University, said: My mother encouraged me to follow my passion. She valued education and encouraged me to work hard."

Others included Oles Kuzomko, who fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine four years ago, and won a place at Durham University to study law. The 18-year-old only had basic English when he arrived and has had to overcome the death of his father who stayed behind to help in the war effort.

Mr Kuzomko, who fled Kyiv in 2022 with his mother and achieved two A*s and 2As, said: I cant really go back to Ukraine because I have nothing and no one left there. I want to build my life here and fulfil all the ambitions I have.

Jo Saxton, chief executive of Ucas, said: Todays school leavers were just starting secondary school when the pandemic interrupted their education.

Given the significant disruption they faced at such a formative stage of their learning, it is wonderful to see so many young people getting a place at university or college.

New PM Andy Burnham added: "I want to congratulate everyone receiving their results today. I know there will have been a mix of excitement, nerves and relief this morning, but you should all be proud of the hard work that got you here."

Mr Burnham pledged in a speech during his bid for the Labour leadership that the days of a school system configured entirely around the university route will be brought to an end. In one of his first acts as PM, he announced that new technical education routes will be available to 14-year-olds. From Year 10, pupils will be able to combine core academic subjects, like English and Maths, with technical education linked to jobs available in their area.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, admitted regional disparities were still an issue in this year's A-Level results and said it is "crucial" the Government's technical education closes attainment gaps.

He said: Regional disparities in A level grades remain a concern. While it is hard to pinpoint the reasons for this, levels of poverty, varying investment into education, health, social care and other support services and infrastructure, and the lingering impact of the pandemic, may all have a part to play.

"It will also be crucial that the governments proposals for devolution and its role in shaping new technical education pathways, are developed closely with the profession, and serve to close rather than exacerbate attainment gaps between different parts of the country."

Some 32.7% of entries in the capital were awarded A or A* this year, up from 32.1% in 2025 and the highest for any region in England, the exam results show.

The North East and the East Midlands had the joint lowest rate, at 23.1%. The gap between London and each of these two regions now stands at 9.6 percentage points, the largest since the present system of grading began in 2010.

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