The demand for higher education in the 1990s

The decline in the number of births in the U.K. during the 1970s means that there will be fewer young people leaving school each year during the 1990s than there have been during the last 20 years. It does not necessarily follow, however, that the demand for places in institutions of higher education will fall, since many factors other than the numbers involved affect this demand. This paper discusses recent projections of the demand for higher education during the 1990s, highlighting the differences between them and stressing the uncertainties involved in any projection exercise. It concludes with a discussion of which other groups in the population might be targeted by universities and polytechnics anxious to maintain or increase their student intake.