Launching the new site - which contains the Key Information Sets with information on course costs, contact hours and average graduate incomes - universities and science minister David Willetts said the new smartphone version of Unistats would make it easier for users to search and compare courses by location.

¡°We are empowering people by publishing unprecedented levels of information on their options,¡± said Mr Willetts, speaking at Gresham College in central London on 24 September.

¡°It is making a real difference and more students than ever before are now getting their first choice university place,¡± he said.

Allowing people to access Unistats, which attracted more than 250,000 unique visitors and 5.2 million page views last year, on their mobiles would continue this trend towards providing improved information to prospective students, he added.

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Rachel Wenstone, vice-president (higher education) at the National Union of Students, welcomed the updated site, particularly that it is now accessible via a smartphone.

¡°Deciding what to study and where to go to university is a big decision and it is crucial that prospective applicants have relevant, impartial information in an easily accessible format,¡± she said.

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¡°I¡¯m really pleased that the improvements to the site have been made with students, parents and carers in mind and I hope it will contribute to helping even more students make the right application choices,¡± she added.

Heather Fry, director for education and participation at the Higher Education Funding Council for England, which is leading a UK-wide review on information and advice provided to prospective students, also welcomed the new site.

¡°We have developed a mobile version of the site and a new Twitter account, to engage with potential users of our website and to help support their decision-making,¡± Ms Fry said.

¡°As our review of the provision of information continues, I hope that we can successfully engage the relevant communities in developing a new and improved model of information that meets a diverse range of needs.¡±

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jack.grove@tsleducation.com