Teesside has top regional rise in degree applications

The University of Teesside is top of the North East Universities for the percentage increase in degree applications, according to figures released today by the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Applications for all degree courses at Teesside have gone up by 2.5% - which makes the Middlesbrough-based University the only one of the five North East Universities to see a rise in degree applications for courses starting this autumn.

Professor Graham Henderson, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, said: “I’m very encouraged by the figures. This is the second year in a row that Teesside has enjoyed the largest percentage increase in degree applications among the North East universities.

“It bodes well for our ambitious plans to grow the number of full and part-time undergraduates at this university.

“I think our bursary and scholarship package has gone down well with applicants because it is easy to understand and quite generous. This has helped us to get the message across that many students will have access to more funds under the new arrangements.

“We’ve tried to develop a strong, vocationally oriented profile which we continually adapt to meet changing student and employer demands. We have a strong record for students gaining employment in roles requiring graduate skills and I believe this has contributed to the rise in applications in areas like business and management studies.

“I expect that the higher education sector might see more turbulence this year, but we are encouraged by today’s figures.”

Among the areas that are booming at Teesside is Business and Management, with a 50% rise in applications across the board. Biggest rises have been in Business Management, Leisure Management and two new degree courses, Sport Management and Sport and Leisure Management. (Teesside is bucking the trend as applications nationally to business-related studies have declined by 3.2% so far this year.) Other popular subject areas at Teesside include Criminology & Sociology and Civil Engineering.

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