More over-18s choosing to go to university
Rising numbers of young people are choosing to go to university, with women more likely to study for a degree than men, new figures show.
Thirty-eight per cent of those who were 18 in 2011/12 went into higher education, up from 30 per cent of those who were the same age in 1998/99, according to data published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
The findings show a 26 per cent increase over this period in the proportion of 18-year-olds continuing their education beyond A-levels, with most of the rise happening from the mid-2000s onwards. By 2011/12, women were, on average, 22 per cent more likely to attend university by age 19 than men.