THOUSANDS more people have applied for degree courses across Staffordshire and Cheshire in an attempt to delay entering the job market until after the recession.

But the surge in demand for higher education hasn't just come from school and college leavers.

More mature students have applied this year, including those who have been made redundant and need to retrain for new careers.

But university officials todayurged teenagers not to panic if they have slipped a grade in their A-levels and missed their conditional offers.

Although there are expected to be just half the usual number of vacancies advertised through clearing, at least 22,000 spare places are still likely to be up for grabs nationally.

At Keele University, degree applications have shot up by more than 18 per cent, with an extra 1,600 people applying for entry this autumn. They have been chasing around 1,700 undergraduate places.

Allan Howells, Keele's director of academic services , said the increase has been across all subjects.

"We've done a lot of work to look at our offer and provide more choice. We have also reviewed our marketing and promotional materials and have run extra open days, which has had a positive impact."

Dr Howells said there was still "capacity" to take students through clearing.

Nationally, 52,000 more people have applied for undergraduate courses this year, but the Government is only allowing universities to take an extra 13,000 students. They face being fined if they over-recruit.

Most of the additional places are not being fully funded and are linked to specific areas related to science, technology, engineering and maths.

Keele has been allocated a modest 85 extra places. Nearby Staffordshire University is getting an additional 279 places for students.

And Manchester Metropolitan University, which has campuses in Crewe and Alsager, is being allowed to take an extra 519 students – the highest allocation of any university in the country.

But competition at MMU will still be tough. Its applications have shot up by at least 13 per cent this year, with more than 4,600 further people applying.

At Staffordshire University, applications for full-time undergraduate courses are up by almost nine per cent.

Many people have contacted the university directly, rather than through the UCAS admissions system, including mature students and those who already have HNDs and want to transfer to honours courses.

Linda Burgess, head of student recruitment, said: "We really want students to contact us. We can talk through the options with them.

"Our message is don't panic and just go for the first place you are offered through clearing. Think about your choices carefully. Go and visit institutions before deciding."