A record number of applicants are seeking places at British universities for the coming academic year, according to new figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, which processes applications for all of Britain’s universities. The total number of applications received by a June 30 deadline was up by 11.6 percent from the same time last year, to 660,953.

Application numbers increased in all age groups but, in a trend that no doubt owes much to the persistent economic crisis, the biggest percentage increase came from older applicants, with a 22.6 percent rise among people aged 25 to 39 and a 23.3 percent increase among applicants older than 40. There was also an increase in applications from overseas students, led by applications from China, which were up 11.7 percent, to 9,393. India’s 3,035 applicants represented an 8.4 percent increase, while the 2,974 applications from the United States represented an increase of 7.7 percent.

Applications will continue to come in over the summer and, if the figures match last year’s pattern, “tens of thousands more will apply before the September deadline,” the BBC reported. In a statement issued in response to the new figures, Universities UK, which represents the vice chancellors of British universities, said that the increase demonstrates that “despite the current problems facing the jobs market, people are still recognizing the long-term benefits of gaining higher-education qualifications.” However, because of cuts in government financing, “universities will not be able to take on extra students to meet this demand,” and more qualified applicants than last year are likely to fail to secure a place, the statement says. The University and College Union, the main faculty union, issued a statement warning that “at least 170,000 applicants will miss out on a university place this year.”