Contents 1 Introduction 3 3 Topical issues 36 Foreword - Joe Lister 4 The Transition to Higher Education 37 Foreword - Nick Hillman 5 Alternatives to university 38 Executive Summary 6 Withdrawing before enrolment 39 About the Applicant Index 8 Data sharing 40 Notes on data categories 9 The Applicant Index Scores 2022-24 10 4 Methodology 41 Introducing the Themes 11 Methodology 42 2 Thematic Analysis 12 Finance 13 Social 19 Community 21 Wellbeing 23 Resilience 27 Learning 28 Employment 32 Independence 33 Sustainability 35 Unite Students | Applicant Index Report 2