What UCAS data tells us about the barriers disabled applicants face – and how we can improve their experience

More applicants are sharing a disability than ever before …
The latest UCAS figures show that more than one in five UK applicants to Higher Education (HE) in 2024 shared a disability – an increase of 141% over the last decade and a positive indication that they feel increasingly comfortable sharing their individual needs with their university or college.
We know early discussions about support facilitates a smoother transition, so it is encouraging to see this growth – the culmination of hard work across the sector to give consistent messages about the benefits of sharing, to provide more transparency around how this data is used, and to engage with key influencers to encourage sharing.
… but they are more likely to defer entry to HE
However, behind this positive picture lies a lesser-known fact: disabled students are more likely to defer entry to higher education.
This data was first highlighted in our 2022 report, Next Steps: What is the experience of disabled students in education? where we anticipated a decline in deferrals after the pandemic. Conversely, the number increased year-on-year. In 2020, disabled applicants were 23% more likely to defer entry; in 2023 this rose to a peak of 43%, and fell to 33% in 2024.
When asked about their reasons for deferring, student said it was usually due to delayed or missing adjustments and support. We welcome the decline in 2024 and will continue to monitor and report on this trend.
Earlier engagement with long-term plans is critical
For many disabled students, the support they receive in university or college is critical to their ability to access HE, to succeed when they are there, and to achieve their career ambitions post-graduation. However, the onus remains on them to research the available support, contact the disability adviser to discuss their needs, and to advocate for themselves. This is especially challenging for younger applicants who may never have had to articulate their support needs during their secondary education, and neurodivergent individuals who may find this difficult. As such, we have developed a guide to speaking to the disability adviser to ease those initial conversations.
Conversations about post-18 career and education plans need to start earlier for those with additional considerations; if students know what support they can access (including Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)) and how to access it, they may feel less impelled to defer entry. To help disabled students research their options and navigate the UCAS process, we have completely updated our disabled students pages, including a comprehensive guide to the DSA, developed in partnership with Diversity and Ability.
The critical role of advisers and supporters
Unarguably, the most important voices during this transition are of those supportive adults, such as the UCAS/careers adviser, parents/carers, subject teachers, pastoral staff, SENCO/learning support staff, university outreach and support staff … in short, anyone students trust for guidance.
They have the power to encourage students to share a disability, signpost them to the right information, and help them articulate their support needs. With this in mind, we have developed adviser toolkits with practical tips for supporting disabled students throughout the UCAS process. And, for those unfamiliar with UCAS, our new Step-by-Step Guide will help with the basics. All our resources are created in partnership with expert organisations such as NADP, Student Minds, and Disability Rights UK.
Find out more about the UCAS Fair Access team on our website and sign up to our newsletter for updates on events, training and resources to support your work.
Nicola Turner, UCAS, Senior Fair Access Adviser