- Ucas figures show there were 145,000 applications up to 19 November, compared with 158,000 at the same point last year and 182,000 the previous year.
- A breakdown of the UK figure shows that in 2010 there were 141,000 applicants from England at this stage, compared with 108,000 this year.
- The figures published for English applications run back to 2006, when applications were 113,000 - higher than at present.
- Although smaller numbers, in Scotland - where Scottish students do not pay tuition fees - there has been a bigger year-on-year percentage drop than in England, falling by 10.5%.
- There have also been smaller declines in Wales and Northern Ireland.
- This will raise concerns among universities which have already reported unfilled places in the current year, as changes to funding and a more market-driven approach are introduced.
- The Ucas figures, dating back to 2006, show the first fall in overseas applications, which have become financially very significant to universities in the UK.
- There have been warnings about the impact of the high-profile case of London Metropolitan University being barred from recruiting overseas students - and concerns about difficulties over student visas.
- A spokeswoman for the Business, Innovation and Skills department, said: "It is too early in this year's application cycle to drawn any firm conclusions. "Numbers are down across the devolved administrations and November has historically been a poor guide to changes in applications at the 15 January deadline."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20526794