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A quantitative overview of HE in 1996/97

Students Staff Gender Statistics Publication

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) today releases the publication, Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom, 1996/97. Combining its own data with that provided by the University and Colleges Admission Service, the Student Loans Company, the Open University, the Further Education Funding Councils and the Department for Education and Employment, the Agency has successfully drawn together a valuable profile of the UK HE sector for 1996/97.

Figures for 1996/97 highlight the continuing development of UK higher education. There were a total of 1,978,089 HE level enrolments in 1997, 1,756,179 at HE institutions and a further 221,910 at FE institutions, 127,568 academic staff and a sector income of £11.1 billion. There were over 1 million first degree students, with 33% of all students being part-time. Of the 255,620 first degree qualifiers, 48% passed with first or upper-second classifications. Only 6% of qualifiers of known destination were assumed unemployed, with 62% entering employment in 1996/97.

Other key points

  • There were 198,064 overseas domiciled students at UK HEIs, 45% from EU countries.
  • 44% of all students were aged 25 and over, 86% among part-time students.
  • There were 30,683 UK domiciled first years on Initial Teaching Training (ITT) courses, 71% were female. Of the total, 18,717 started PGCE courses.
  • There were 458,781 UCAS applicants for 1997 entry, 336 338 (73%) were accepted.
  • Of the 127,568 academic staff, 67% were male with 7% employed on a professorial pay-scale.
  • 589,600 student loans were taken out in 1996/97, borrowing £877 million. 65% of males, compared to 59% of females used the facility.
  • 1996/97 saw 831,469 students receiving UK LEA mandatory/discretionary awards.
  • 26% of UK 18-21 year olds enrolled at UK HEIs, compared with USA (35%), France (34%) and Belgium (41%).

Notes for editors

  1. The Volume Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom 1996/97, provides a statistical overview of Higher Education in the UK in 1996/97.
  2. The 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. All enquiries should be directed to the Data Provision Team at HESA, 95 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1HZ; telephone 01242 255577.

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