Some 38,720 home students applied to the courses, which have an early deadline of 15 October, in the 2015 undergraduate cycle ¨C 2,020 fewer than in 2014, admissions body Ucas says.

In Ucas¡¯s first statistical release of the 2015 cycle on 23 October, the overall number of applicants to these courses, including European Union and international students, is down by 3 per cent to 56,360.

Mary Curnock Cook, Ucas chief executive, said the figures show a ¡°small but real decline in demand for these specialised courses, which are typically chosen by around one in 12 UK applicants¡±.

¡°We will have a fuller picture of demand for this cycle following the main January deadline,¡± she added.

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The number of applicants from England and Wales is down by 5 per cent, there is a 9 per cent fall in applicants from Scotland and numbers are virtually unchanged in Northern Ireland.

That is partially offset by small rises in undergraduate applicants from the EU (up by 2 per cent, an extra 110 applicants) and from the outside the EU (up 1 per cent, an extra 80 applicants).

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The number of applicants reapplying to early-deadline courses is down more sharply in general, with those from England-based students falling by 6 per cent to 4,670.

The main Ucas deadline for all courses is 15 January, with full applicant statistics due to be announced at the end of that month.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com