Aston Business School (ABS) in Birmingham has reported a 27% increase in the number of applications to a course attended by one of the stars of the current series of The Apprentice.

Alex Wotherspoon completed the BSc in management and strategy (MAS) course at ABS in 2005 but the university believes his success on the show, which features Sir Alan Sugar's hunt for a new recruit, is behind the rise in applications.

It has even had one potential student phone up and cite the television programme as the reason for her application.

"Alex symbolises some of the core values of MAS," said Dr Michael Butler, course director. "His entrepreneurial flare to deal with complex situations, achieved with a balance of individual leadership and a team focus."

The university has also reported a 150% rise in the number of students putting the MAS course as their first choice.