Students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are receiving their A-Level, BTec and T-level results today. Most schools and colleges are now open for students to collect their physical results slips, while university application statuses were already visible via the UCAS portal.
Initial UCAS figures show that the total number of 18-year-olds accepted onto degree courses has risen by 3% on the same point last year, with a record high of 262,820 taking up places so far.
Record acceptances and first-choice placements
The record number of 18-year-olds accepted today – 262,820 – is 3% higher than last year's 255,130. UCAS stated: "This growth is being driven by a rising number of UK 18-year-olds in the population with the entry rate for this age group (the percentage of the population entering higher education) flat at 31.6 per cent (32.0 per cent last year)."
A total of 228,990 UK 18-year-olds have been accepted at their first university or college choice (their firm choice), up from 226,580 last year. Another 31,770 were placed at their insurance choice, an increase of 21% from last year's 26,330.
UCAS said: "This means that 79 per cent of 18-year-olds from England, Wales and Northern Ireland who were holding an offer and received their decision this morning have been placed on their first (UCAS' firm) choice of university or college – compared to 82 per cent last year. Another 13 per cent are placed at their insurance choice compared to 11 per cent last year."
Grade boundaries and top grades
At the same time results were published this morning, exam boards also revealed the grade boundaries, showing students how many marks were needed for each grade. This means they can find out how close they came to achieving the next grade up, indicating whether they should ask for a remark.
Grade boundaries for AQA, OCR and Edexcel are now available on their respective websites. AQA 2026 grade boundaries are on the AQA website, OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA) 2026 grade boundaries for AS, A-level, Cambridge Technicals, Core Maths, Extended Project and FSMQ are on the OCR website, and Pearson Edexcel 2026 grade boundaries for AS, A-level and BTEC National are on the Pearson website.
Last year, 28.3% of UK A-level entries were awarded an A or A* grade – the highest proportion outside the pandemic-affected years of 2020-22. The Covid-19 pandemic led to an increase in top A-level grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams. In 2019 – the last year that summer exams were taken before the Covid-19 pandemic – 25.4% of UK A-level entries were awarded top grades.
Clearing, fees and advice
It is estimated that nearly 22,700 courses have vacancies and will be available via UCAS clearing, including 3,400 at Russell Group universities. Education leaders have warned that a "growing pressure" on student finances and cost-of-living concerns will be a prominent influence behind the choices students make through clearing, amid a rise in students considering living at home and working alongside their studies.
Undergraduate tuition fees in England and Wales are rising for a second year running, with students starting in September having to pay £9,790 a year. Education Secretary Lucy Powell said: "For those off to university, we're increasing maintenance loans and reintroducing maintenance grants to ensure no one is held back by their background. Whether you're going into an apprenticeship or job, are off to one of our world-class universities, or are still working out your next steps, there are brilliant options and exciting opportunities ahead."
In a statement, Powell also said: "My priority is making sure every young person has the skills, knowledge, and confidence to thrive in the jobs of the future. That's why we're giving technical education the respect it deserves by rolling out new V Levels to go alongside A Levels, introducing brilliant routes into the careers of the future from age 14, and fully funding apprenticeship training for under-25s."
Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, which represents more than 140 vice-chancellors, urged pupils not to "let politicians make your decision for you". She said she felt "people talking [university] down" may "put off" potential students from the least-advantaged backgrounds, and urged pupils to "make the right decision for you".
The Department for Education estimates that around 58,000 18-year-olds in England will get no results today because they have dropped out of education and training, though some of these will already be working.
