The main reason that unsuccessful applicants to university miss out on a place is their lower level of academic performance, Gary N. Marks finds. This report focuses on a group of young Australians who applied to attend university but were not offered a place. These applicants are commonly referred to as indicating ‘unmet demand’ for university study. The study included almost 8000 young people who were in Year 9 in 1998; most completed Year 12 in 2001.