The number of higher education students decreased for the first time in 10 years across the UK, fresh figures show, while in Wales student numbers dropped by almost 4,000 from 2022/23 to 2023/24

The University and College Union said "it could not be more urgent" for the Government to stabilise the higher education system, adding university vice-chancellors must make campuses attractive again.

New figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that 150,680 students were enrolled at universities in Wales during the 2023/24 academic year, a fall from the 154,385 registered in 2022/23.

Some 8,320 students were enrolled at Aberystwyth University in 2023-24 – down from 8,415 the year before, while at the University of Trinity Saint David – where courses are being axed from its historic Lampeter campus – student numbers fell to 15,660 in 2023/24 from 16,720 the year before.

Bangor University bucked the trend adding 10 students to its tally in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23.

Across the UK, around 2.9 million students were enrolled at higher education providers last year – down from 2.94 million the year before, and the first drop since 2013-14.

The number of European Union students almost halved over the past five years following Brexit, from nearly 148,000 in 2019-20 to about 75,500 in 2023-24.

Jo Grady, general secretary of the UCU, said these numbers "look like the canary in the coal mine for the current cliff-edge drop in international student numbers".

She warned "it could not be more urgent" for the Government to balance the UK higher education sector, saying Labour should scrap visa restrictions rolled out by the Conservatives and introduce emergency funds like in Wales and Scotland.

She added: "Meanwhile, vice-chancellors need to stop attempting to slash jobs in a knee-jerk reaction to a temporary downturn.

"Instead, they should use the healthy reserves built up during the university boom years to protect jobs, build provisions, and continue to make British campuses attractive to domestic and international students alike.

"In higher education, as in the wider economy, you can't cut your way out of a slump."

Mike Short, head of education at Unison, said: "Across the UK, universities are going into the red, cutting jobs and courses in a desperate attempt to avoid going under.

"None of this is good for the economy, for staff worried about their jobs or for the student experience."

He added "it's no wonder" plenty of young people consider less costly education options, warning universities do "play a crucial role in educating the workforce of the future".

"The Government must do more to put higher education on a stable footing and look at alternative ways of funding this important sector," he said.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “This government inherited a sector facing serious financial risk and has taken tough decisions to fix the foundations of higher education to deliver change for students.

“Whilst institutions are autonomous, we remain committed to boosting the sector’s long-term financial sustainability and restoring universities as engines of opportunity, aspiration and growth.”