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Figures show a 12% drop in acceptances onto degree courses this summer compared with the same point in 2011 – far higher than initial forecasts suggested. The decline is highest in England where undergraduates face paying the highest fees, with numbers down by 14% year-on-year.

In Scotland, where home students are given free tuition, the number of acceptances has actually increased by 2%, it was revealed.

It prompted claims from lecturers’ leaders today that the Government’s new tuition fees regime was driving away students.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills insisted it was “too early for a definitive picture” as students still have at least a week to apply. Numbers are likely to rise further in coming days, it was claimed.

But a spokeswoman admitted that fewer students took a gap year in 2011, creating an overall drop in demand for university places this summer.

For the first time in 2012, students in England will pay up to £9,000 a year for courses. Scottish undergraduates studying in their own country will receive free higher education, while those in Wales and Northern Ireland will receive heavily subsidised courses.