University applications in the UK have increased, leading to a rash of speculation that people are jumping back into education as a result of the economic downturn.

Applications to study at UK universities have risen 8% for courses starting later this year, to around 460,000 (Guardian). Applications from those over 21 jumped 13% and applications from non-UK Europeans went up 12% (BBC).

“It feels like the rise in applications is linked to the recession,” says Steve Smith, the vice-chancellor of Exeter University (Guardian). “That happened in previous recessions so we’ve been expecting it. The big problem is that admissions numbers are capped and we’ve got a 7.8% increase in applications.”

Strangely, previous signs from the United States indicated that applications for graduate places had not been boosted by the current financial crisis.