Oxford and Cambridge reported a 12% increase in applications this year, with more than 15,000 students fighting for places at each of the ancient universities.The increase is the largest for a number of years and well above the relatively steady figure of 13,500 over the last four years, said a spokesman for Cambridge which offers 3,400 places a year. Oxford has about 3,000 places a year. Students are not permitted to apply to both.The universities, which continue to take nearly half their entry from private schools, have made efforts to encourage a wider range of students and "demystify" the process of application via individual colleges.The increased interest follows recent changes to Cambridge's application system, including removing the requirement for a ...