Scotland has seen the largest rise in university applications in the UK, according to new figures.

The number of Scottish students choosing to study north of the border has increased by 5.6%, from 28,077 to 29,644.

That compares with a 1% rise in the total number of applicants seeking places from within the UK.

Overall there was a 2% jump in the number of people applying from around the world for full-time undergraduate courses.

The increase in the number of people applying for places is good news

Tony Higgins Ucas

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) said the total number of applicants rose from 390,626 in May 2001 to 398,423 in May this year.

"The increase in the number of people applying for places is good news," said Ucas chief executive Tony Higgins.

The rise in Scottish applications has been welcomed by the Scottish Executive.

It said that encouraging more people into higher education was essential to closing the opportunity gap.

Deferred payment

Those studying north of the border do not face tuition fees, which were scrapped for Scottish students.

Instead a deferred payment of �2,000 must be repaid when the student earns a salary of at least �10,000.

In 2001 the number of people applying to study at university and college in Scotland increased by 3.4% from the previous year.

St Andrews saw a surge in applications last year

Last year also saw a 13.5% fall in the number of Scottish applications to English institutions.

Applications to St Andrews University alone - where Prince William is studying art history - rose by about 45% in 2001.

This year saw a 5% increase in the number of applications from mature students in the UK.

The Ucas statistics also showed a rise in the number of people studying law, psychology, history and architecture.

However, there was a drop in the numbers opting for courses in maths and information systems.