evidence: The number of undergraduate students from Northern Ireland at local universities is capped and depends on the amount of funding DfE makes available. [...] A higher proportion of 18 year olds from Northern Ireland go to university than any other part of the UK. [...] There are expected to be about 14,500 18-year-old students from Northern Ireland entering higher education in 2030, according to the "most likely" scenario forecast by UCAS.