8 UNITE STUDENTS | APPLICANT INDEX REPORT | 2023 While there are many student surveys, there are few that focus on higher education applicants and none that tracks the attitudes of each cohort systematically over time. Last year, we set out to fill this gap with the Unite Students Applicant Index, a new type of report but one that was built on the experience of many years of applicant and student surveys. The Index itself combines the responses to 36 questions, each measured on a 7-point scale of agreement, together with the ONS standard wellbeing indicators to generate nine composite scores in areas such as wellbeing, learning and community. These scores range from 0 to 100 and are based on four equally weighted questions, with the exception of the Wellbeing score which also incorporates the ONS measures. In each case, 0 is the least positive and 100 the most positive score. By tracking these year by year we are able to provide an early indication of the needs and attitudes of each cohort. These scores are supplemented by additional follow-up questions which explore the themes in more depth and provide a snapshot on topical issues. The 2023 Applicant Index is based on a survey of 2,141 university applicants planning to start an undergraduate degree in the 2023-24 academic year. It was conducted via the Savanta panel between Friday 5 May and Friday 19 May 2023. A full overview of the sample, including demographic breakdown of the sample and weighting applied, can be found in the Methodology section towards the end of this report. All demographic differences noted in the report are significant to the 99% confidence level unless otherwise stated. All charts are based on responses from the full survey sample (2,141) unless otherwise noted. ABOUT THE INDEX