We will continue to improve the overall experience of higher education we offer to both our home and international students

Sir Colin Campbell, vice-chancellor

Figures from the University of Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) show that 46,686 students applied to the University of Nottingham - more than 10 applications for every available place and nearly 2,000 ahead of the University of Leeds which received 44,893.

Officials said the university had invested heavily in student facilities in recent years.

The work includes creating the new �50m Jubilee Campus on a former industrial site in the city.

"The latest application figures show that our confidence in investing for the future of higher education in the United Kingdom as a whole was entirely justified," said the vice-chancellor, Sir Colin Campbell.

"We will continue to improve the overall experience of higher education we offer to both our home and international students."

Oxbridge lags behind

Sir Colin added that the image of Nottingham as a pleasant and progressive city was a major contributory factor to the university's success.

"We look forward to working with the local authority and with the local community as a whole to maintain our leading position," he said.

The third most popular was the University of Bristol, which got 37,599 applications, followed by the University of Birmingham, with 34,409.

Cambridge was marginally ahead of its Oxbridge rival attracting 12,952 applicants compared to 11,852 for Oxford.

Overall the number of applications to universities was up by nearly 3% at nearly 1.7 million students.