A near-record number of students have been accepted into their preferred or second-choice university on A-level results day, according to Ucas.
A total of 425,830 pupils received the grades they needed for their firm or insurance choice university - the second-highest figure to date.
This was down 2 per cent from the all-time high in 2021, when exams had been cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.
But A-level exams returned this year, with students sitting them for the first time since 2019.
Around 16,000 more pupils were accepted into their first or second choice university compared to the last year exams were taken.
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This also includes a rise in the number of students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds getting into their preferred universities, increasing by around 3,700 between 2019 and 2022.
“Throughout this year, there has been much discussion about what the return to examinations would mean for progression to higher education,” Clare Marchant, the chief executive of Ucas, said.
“Today we have seen more students progress compared to the last time students sat exams.”
She added: “This year has seen a growth in the number of 18 year olds in the population, which will continue for the remainder of the decade, and creates a more competitive environment for students in the years to come.”
Ms Marchant told The Independent earlier this week there needs to be a move away from traditional three-year degrees and towards apprenticeships to cater for soaring demand for higher education in the near future.
Students had been warned they could miss out on their preferred university place due to a crackdown on grade inflation this year.
Exam boards had been told to make grades lower than last year - when a record number of pupils got A grades or above - but still higher than before the Covid pandemic.
But Ms Marchant told The Independent this week universities had been “cautious” when making offers and she still expected large numbers to get accepted by their first choice.
