This year, there were 94,870 applications from UK 18-year-olds to study computing-focused courses, marking an almost 10% increase over 2022 when 86,630 applications were made.

Specifically, on the various computing-focused courses, software engineering saw a 16% increase in applications over 2022, computer science saw an 11% rise, while artificial intelligence had 4% growth, and computer games and animation a 2% boost.

The overall year-on-year increase in computing applications means that it’s the seventh most popular subject area, behind business and management (184k applications), social sciences (178k), medicine (156k), design and creative arts (126k), biological and sports sciences (105k), and engineering and tech (96k).

UCAS’s application data also shows that there’s been a slight increase in applications from UK 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, totalling 11,870 this year — 760 more people over 2022.

However, computing and tech in general remaining a male-dominated area is reflected in the new data: out of all the computing applications made by UK 18-year-olds, only 18% came from women. This marks a 1% increase compared to 2022, and a 2% increase from 2021.

The number of overall course applications from UK 18-year-old applicants is also at its second-highest level to date – 319,570 in 2023, down from 326,190 in 2022, but up from 311,010 in 2021.

Speaking on the rise in computing-related course applications amid the backdrop of rapid technological advancements, Clare Marchant, Chief Executive of UCAS, said: “We know that changes in the world around us translate into increased demand for certain courses, as we saw for economics post-2008, and for medicine and nursing during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“These new figures suggest students are becoming increasingly inspired to study computing thanks to the rise of digital and AI.”

Rashik Parmar MBE, Chief Executive of the British Computer Society (BCS), also commented, saying: “Teenagers in the UK know that AI will change the world forever; it shouldn’t surprise us to see this soaring demand for computing degrees.

“AI is already reshaping how cancer is diagnosed, how we tackle climate change, how we work and how we communicate. The thousands of young men and women applying for computing through UCAS do so because they want a say in this future.

“Ethics and diversity are vital in AI and we want people from every background to know that the tech profession needs them.”

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This news that more UK 18-year-olds are applying to study computing comes at a crucial time. Across the world, the tech sector continues to face a pervasive candidate and skills gap.

In a move to alleviate the issue in the medium- and long-term, a plethora of UK-based initiatives to inspire and help get school leavers and education returners alike to study tech courses have been launched.

A recent example from within Scotland is the RGC Online programme, developed and launched by Robert Gordon’s College, which offers Higher Computing Science and Higher Applications of Mathematics with additional tech modules for remote students across Scotland.

While a sizeable focus amount of focus is being dedicated to those at college age and above, several schemes are trying to help students developer a deeper interest in tech from a much earlier age.

For instance, the “BBC micro:bit — the next gen” campaign from BBC Education is offering a set of 30 BBC micro:bit devices and new online teaching resources to every primary school across the UK, totalling around 700,000 micro:bits.

The BBC micro:bit is a pocket-sized computer that introduces schoolchildren to how software and hardware work together.

Just yesterday, on 13 June, DIGIT reported on the news that Scots EdTech company Robotical had secured a six-figure deal for its trademark robot, Marty, which is being deployed to help make learning about coding and robotics more engaging.

360 Martys have been rolled out in classrooms throughout the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) estate in California, with pupils in CUSD’s 32 elementary schools currently learning to code with the robot.