The number of overall offers made rose 8.3 per cent on last year to 2,596, which includes a jump in the number of students from NSW.

Gungahlin College graduate Kieran Heid is passionate about pursuing a career in law and was delighted to secure a place at his first preference university.

The 18 year old works at Parliament House with LexisNexis Capital Monitoring preparing hansard and other legal documents for the organisation's database.

He is eager to establish himself as a lawyer first and later realise his dream of entering political life.

"I have always had a keen interest in politics and government," he said. "I am drawn to it in general because I want to help people and I think through the law you can help many people at once."

Popular undergraduate courses this year at UC include building and construction management, forensic studies/law, education, nursing, biomedical science, medical imaging, pharmacy, physiotherapy and sports management.

Master of Occupational Therapy and a Master of Physiotherapy were also in high demand.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Nick Klomp said with campus redevelopment including the expansion of the health precinct, new cancer care centre, aged care facility, the University of Canberra Public Hospital and new student accommodation, it was an exciting time for students to enrol.

"We are focused on delivering a student-centred experience and are delighted to be welcoming more students to undertake their degree at UC at a time when the sector is experiencing a decline in applications across the board," Professor Klomp said.

Conversely applications from outside the ACT were up by 2.2 per cent at the Australian National University bolstering the 26 per cent growth in interstate applications since 2015.

Interest in flexible double degrees at the institution up by 24 per cent compared with applications last year.

Applications to study at the Canberra Australian Catholic University campus was steady, but more prospective students than ever were choosing double degrees.

ACU Provost Professor Pauline Nugent said the trend indicated students were seeking degrees that were practical in nature and maximised their employment prospects.

Popular course choices were blending Nursing and Business, IT and Business or Psychology and Laws.

"The University's strong connections with industry partners give our students the chance to gain practical experience with schools and hospitals and other healthcare providers before graduation," Professor Nugent said.

"As a result of these factors, more than 90 per cent of our graduates gain full time employment within four months of finishing their studies."