Over half a million students have been accepted onto higher education courses so far this year - the largest number ever recorded at this stage in the application cycle.

A total of 500,510 people have now been placed in full-time UK higher education, up 1% on the same point last year.

Some 76,630 people have had their university and college places confirmed since A-level results were published on August 18.

The higher education admissions service Ucas said that 52,100 people have been accepted through Clearing so far - a rise of 3% on the same stage in 2015.

Ucas also said that 140,130 people are still free to be placed in higher education through Clearing: a decrease of 2% on this point last year.

Some applicants in this unplaced group will not have met their offer conditions, others will have received no offers earlier in the year, while some have chosen not to accept any offers.

Students have until September 20 to apply for courses, and can opt to go through Clearing until October 20.