Disabled students more likely to defer during pandemic

UK students with disabilities were more likely to delay the start of their degree during the pandemic than other applicants, according to new analysis.

In a study, published on 30 June, that suggests the prospect of online learning may have deterred disabled students from entering higher education for at least a year, Ucas found the deferral rate for disabled applicants rose from the pre-pandemic 7 per cent in 2019 to 8.2 per cent in 2021.