Applications from Chinese students rose from 12,000 to 16,000 in the past year, while 18,855 were from Wales

The number of Chinese students applying to British universities is up by a third in a year and may soon overtake those from Wales and Northern Ireland.

About 16,000 applications were made from China for degree courses starting in the autumn, up from 12,000 last year. Overseas applications reached a record number of 64,000, up by 9 per cent, while the number of EU candidates grew more modestly by 0.9 per cent to 44,000.

Other countries providing large increases included Romania, Slovakia and Saudi Arabia, according to a report from Ucas, the university admissions service.

Of the ten countries sending the most students to Britain, China was the only one to show a significant increase. Applications from China are approaching the numbers from Northern Ireland