Education Minister Jason Clare’s ambition to double the number of university students by 2055 could be undermined by further falls in applications for study next year in most states, continuing a six-year trend.

Mr Clare has said he wants 55 per cent of young people to hold a university degree in the next 25 years, which will require an additional 900,000 people enrolled at university. That would be an extra 33,000 students each year between now and then.