Data sharing Sharing sexuality and gender identity data Over a quarter of applicants identified themselves as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Pansexual, Asexual, or Non-Binary (27%). The proportion of this group willing to share this information with their university has increased from just over half in 2023 to two-thirds this year. This might reflect a greater confidence in higher education as an inclusive sector. Nonetheless, it still implies that some applicants are choosing not to share this information, meaning data collected by UCAS underrepresents diversity within the cohort. Sharing disability data For those with disabilities (41% of the cohort), the proportion of those who have already informed their university has dropped slightly since 2023, from 56% to 52%. The percentage of those who do not intend to share this information at all has risen slightly from 18% to 20%. Data sharing between schools/colleges and universities Over one in four (42%) applicants would give consent for their school/college to share any data with their university, and 38% would give consent to share some information. There were no significant differences in this figure between demographic groups. Just over half of applicants (53%) assume that schools and colleges regularly share safeguarding information with universities, with a similar proportion believing they share information about mental health conditions, disabilities and reasonable adjustments. While safeguarding data is rarely shared in practice, these assumptions suggest that there is already a broad acceptance for data sharing between schools/ colleges and universities. Unite Students | Applicant Index Report 40 INTRODUCTION THEMATIC ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY TOPICAL ISSUES BACK TO CONTENTS