1996/97 HE finance and staff figures published

Resources of Higher Education Institutions 1996/97 is published today by HESA. The volume contains detailed statistical information about the finances and academic staff of the UK HE sector.

Figures from this latest HESA publication show the total income of institutions being approximately £11.14 billion, an increase of 4.7% compared with the previous year. Institutions reported a 6% increase in income received from research grants and contracts (£1.6 billion), and other operating income increased by 11.9% to £2.1 billion, while funding councils grants amounted to £4.4 billion, a decrease of 0.6%. Total expenditure in 1996/97 increased by 4.4% compared with the previous year with expenditure on interest payable and depreciation increasing by 16.4% and 8.8% respectively. Staff costs represented 57.9% of total expenditure, the same as in the previous year.

The total number of academic staff in 1996/97 was 127,568 an increase of a little over 1% compared with 1995/96. 87% of staff were full-time, with 30% of all staff employed only in research. The average age of full-time staff was 41 with gender analysis showing 67% of staff being male. Of the 6,543 staff leaving institutions in 1996/97, 1,842 (28%) are known to have retired.

Key points

• Total expenditure in 1996/97 was £11 billion, an increase of 4.4% compared with the previous year
• The sector reported a surplus of 1.3% of income (£142 million) compared with 1.1% (£113 million) in the previous year
• Institutions received £364 million in Research Grants and Contracts from UK based charities
• Funding council grants and academic fees and support grants made up 64% of total income
• Fees received from part-time students increased by 6%
• 83% of researchers were not wholly institutionally financed
• Departments in areas of medicine, dentistry & health accounted for a quarter of all full-time staff
• 4% of staff of UK nationality for whom ethnicity was known came from non-white ethnic groups.

Notes to editors

1. The Reference Volume Resources in Higher Education Institutions 1996/97 provides a statistical reference of staff and finances within Higher Education in the UK for 1996/97.
2. The Reference Volume is available, price £30, from the Customer Services Team, HESA Services Ltd., 95 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1HZ; telephone: 01242 255577. An electronic version on disk is available, price £35 + VAT. A list of other publications is also available from the Customer Services Team.
3. HESA cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived from the data by third parties.
4. Press Enquiries should be directed to Press Officer at HESA, 95 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1HZ; telephone: 01242 255577. Other enquiries about HESA data should be addressed to the Data Provision Team at the same address.

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