According to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), an increasing number of school-leavers are choosing computing courses, with applications reaching record numbers.
The chief executive of UCAS, Clare Marchant, attributes this trend to the growing influence of digital and artificial intelligence (AI). While computing remains the seventh most popular area of higher education study, applications for computing courses have risen nearly 10 per cent compared to the previous year.
While approximately 95,000 students applied for computer and AI-related courses, nearly twice that number applied for business and management courses, and over 125,000 students applied for design, creative, and performing arts courses.
Other fields that were more popular than computing included the social sciences, biological and sports sciences, engineering, and technology. But since 2019, interest in computer science courses has been rapidly rising.
Software engineering saw the biggest rise in applications among the various computing degrees, up 16 per cent from the previous year. Artificial intelligence (AI) programmes had a 4 per cent increase in applications, computer science attracted 11 per cent more candidates, while computer games and animation saw a 2 per cent increase.
According to UCAS CEO Clare Marchant, the increased demand in computer courses can be partially linked to the expanding public dialogue surrounding technology and AI. As was the case with economics following the 2008 financial crisis and nursing and medicine during the Covid-19 outbreak, changes in the globe frequently lead to a rise in demand for particular courses.
Educators have also noticed a shift in the applicant pool for computing courses. Chris Derrick, deputy headteacher at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow, noted that current applicants are “digital natives” who have grown up using technology and honed their skills from a young age.
The number of 18-year-old UK applicants from underprivileged families increased, according to UCAS. However, there is still a gender gap in computing degrees, with only 18 per cent of applicants being female, an increase from previous years.
Rashik Parmar, CEO of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, stated that UK teenagers recognise the transformative power of AI and its impact on the world, which explains the high demand for computing degrees.
To add more, Vanessa Wilson from the University Alliance suggests that the recent surge in public interest in AI may have contributed to the increased interest in computing courses.