Applications rocket for Edinburgh university places

Edinburgh Napier applications have risen from 11,948 last year to 17,849 this year, putting it way ahead of the Scottish and UK average.

Heriot-Watt University has also seen a 17 per cent surge, while applications to Queen Margaret have risen by 12 per cent.

As a result of record applications, the Scottish Government decided to cap intake in stem subjects - science, technology, engineering and maths - meaning young people are competing for fewer places.

Any institution breaking the limit by more than 10 per cent will be fined, forcing universities to cut their intake.

The only city institution to see a reduction in the number of applications it received this year is Edinburgh University.

It saw a three per cent fall, from 41,979 to 40,597, which a spokeswoman put down to the increase in entry requirements in the college of science and engineering.

Edinburgh Napier's 49 per cent increase far exceeds that experienced by the other Scottish modern universities, which have seen a 35 per cent rise.

An Edinburgh Napier spokesman said: "The particularly large rise in applications to Edinburgh Napier could be partly explained by our strong record for graduate employability and close ties with business.

"We will still have a limited number of places available through the clearing process but these are greatly reduced on previous years."

Queen Margaret University has received 6229 applications this year, compared with 5553 last year. It has had to reject 2629 places, compared with 1384 last year.

A spokeswoman said: "Because of an increase in applications and a cap on undergraduate home and EU student numbers set by the Scottish Funding Council, there has been increased competition for undergraduate places.

"Unfortunately, this means that there has been an increase in unsuccessful applications.

"We look forward to confirming places for those students who have met the conditions of their offer over the next couple of weeks but we do not anticipate that we will have any places available for those applying through clearing."

Heriot-Watt has been badly hit by the cap on places as it specialises in stem subjects.

It has received a total of 9903 requests from applicants, compared with 8450 last year.

A university spokeswoman said: "The Scottish Government announced at the end of last year that they were re- applying a cap on the numbers of full-time UK and EU students at Scottish universities.

"This means that Heriot-Watt University, along with other institutions, had to address this issue with a reduction in the numbers of places available for the 2010-11 intake."