These interim figures were collated by Ucas on 17 December, by which time some 265,730 people living in the UK had applied to start degree courses this autumn, down 6.3% on the same point in 2012.
The result: More foreign scientists were unable to attend conferences and symposia, students were unable to start degree programs, and scientists like Rajaram were unable to do their jobs.
For those who do not meet the entry requirements for the three-year honours degree, Glyndwr offer kick-start degrees, a four year option enabling students to study for a foundation year and onto their chosen degree the following year.
A fifth of universities in England have made last-minute cuts to the tuition fees they will charge students starting degrees next autumn, triggering potential chaos for hundreds of thousands of applicants.
Crowther and his friends were the first cohort to pay £9,000 tuition fees, and they are paying a higher rate of interest on their loans than those who started degrees earlier.
For those starting degrees in 2014-15, the repayment threshold will be £16,910.
Meanwhile she studied history, and Kovács started degree programmes in a variety of disciplines (mainly sociology and computer programming), never to complete any of them.
Students starting degree courses in autumn next year will pay estimated average tuition fees of £8,507, up from the latest estimate of £8,385 for 2012/13.
Only 610 students started degree courses in German last year, compared with 2,288 a decade ago, according to a study by the School of Oriental and African Studies.
Among students who started degree courses last autumn, women outnumbered men in 112 out of 180 subjects, while men were ahead in 65 and there was equal representation in three.
