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Student 2020/21 - Mode of study

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Student 2020/21

Fields required from institutions in All fields

Mode of study


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valid entries
Typefield
Short nameMODE
Description

This field indicates the method by which a student is being taught their course.

Applicable toEngland Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
Coverage

All instances

Valid entries and labels
CodeLabel
01Full-time according to funding council definitions
02Other full-time
23Sandwich (thick) according to funding council definitions
24Sandwich (thin) according to funding council definitions
25Other sandwich course/programme
31Part-time
38Structured part-time (providers in Scotland)
39Other part-time (providers in Scotland)
43Writing-up - previously full-time
44Writing-up - previously part-time
51Sabbatical
63Dormant - previously full-time
64Dormant - previously part-time
73Change to dormant status - previously full-time
74Change to dormant status - previously part-time
Notes

Where a student has changed their mode of study within the reporting period, the record should show the current or latest position.

For providers in Scotland, when returning a student with an Instance.ENDDATE in the previous reporting year, the appropriate dormant code should be returned in Instance.MODE.

For providers in England, Wales & Northern Ireland, when returning a student with an Instance.ENDDATE in the previous reporting year, the Instance.MODE should reflect the status of the student at the end of the reporting year in which they completed their activity. If the student was active at the end of the previous year, their active MODE would be retained. If the student was inactive at the end of the previous year, their MODE would be dormant, regardless of whether they were previously dormant for the full year (previous Instance.MODE = 63/64) or suspended part way through the previous year (previous Instance.MODE = active mode, Instance.NOTACT = 1).

Please note that this guidance does not apply to Postgraduate Research students. Please see below for guidance on how to return these students.

Students with an active MODE and Instance.ENDDATE in the previous reporting year can be returned in the current reporting year through a reduced record - see Type 04 - Dormant students.

Example 1: A student completed their active study on 01/06/2020 but did not have their award confirmed until the next reporting period. In the C20051 Student record the student will be returned with their active MODE, their confirmed award, STULOAD = 0 and ENDDATE = 01/06/2020.

Example 2: A student suspended study on 01/12/2019 with the intention to return. In the C19051 Student return they are inactive at the end of the reporting year and so are recorded as NOTACT = 1. In the next reporting period, the student decides to fully withdraw and is given an exit award. In the C20051 Student return the student will be returned with a MODE as dormant, reflecting the student’s status at the end of the previous reporting year, and ENDDATE 01/12/2019.

Example 3: At the end of the 2019/20 reporting year, a student remains active and is returned in the C19051 Student return with an active MODE. At the beginning of the next reporting year, the student does not actively engage in study and subsequently withdraws. In the C20051 Student return, the student will be returned with STULOAD = 0, ENDDATE reflecting the last active day of study in the previous reporting year, and an active MODE, retaining the student’s status at the end of the previous reporting year.

Full-time

With reference to valid entry 01, the funding councils have agreed that a common definition of full-time is that course years must involve a minimum of 24 weeks study (note that this definition does not apply to full-time final year students in providers in Wales). Each funding council may also have further additional conditions. HESA will apply the 24 week rule to its definition of full-time in publications i.e. full-time will be all those students returned 01 in this field, together with all those students returned 02 and whose expected length of study (fields Instance.SPLENGTH and Instance.UNITLGTH) is 24 weeks or more.

Valid entry 02 should be used when an instance is studied at full time intensity but for less than 24 weeks. For example, a short course or an 18-month course where the second year does not have 24 weeks of study. In the latter case the student’s activity would be recorded as MODE 02 in year 2.

Sandwich

With reference to valid entries 23 and 24, these programmes are covered by the definition of sandwich under the award regulations as set out by the funding council (or in the Student Support Regulations for providers in England). Years of instance must involve a minimum of 24 weeks study/placement. HESA's definition of sandwich students will be all those students returned 23 or 24 in this field, together with all those students returned 25 and whose expected length of study (fields Instance.SPLENGTH and Instance.UNITLGTH) is 24 weeks or more.

Valid entry 23, Thick sandwich students are those for which an industrial (or other) placement causes a continuous absence from full-time study of at least one academic year. A record must be returned for every student enrolled on a sandwich course irrespective of whether they are in attendance at the provider or engaged in industrial (or other) training. Students should be returned as sandwich for every year of the course and not just those in which industrial (or other) experience takes place. The students who are actually out on placement can be identified via Instance.LOCSDY.

Instance.LOCSDY valid entries (students in UK):

  • D On industrial (or other) placement for the year as a whole
  • E On industrial (or other) placement for a proportion of the year

Instance.LOCSDY valid entries (students abroad):

  • T Abroad for the whole year
  • U Abroad for a proportion of the year

Valid entry 24, A thin sandwich must involve the student in an average of more than 21 hours study a week for a minimum of 24 weeks study/placement.

Valid entry 25 should be used where students still meet the definition of being on a sandwich course but study less than 21 hours a week for 24 weeks study/placement.

Students who meet the definition of sandwich should be returned as either 23, 24 or 25 irrespective of whether the year is spent abroad or whether it is optional/compulsory. Students who undertake an ERASMUS+ placement as part of their sandwich course, should remain either valid entry 23, 24 or 25 during that placement.

Additional guidance on sandwich programmes for England and Wales

As per current funding council/regulator definitions, valid entries 23, 24 and 25 should be returned when the Instance includes a sandwich year out meeting the following criteria:

- The course meets the definition of a sandwich course in accordance with funding council definitions (or as defined by the Student Support Regulations for providers in England).

- The sandwich year fulfils one of the following:

  • Any period of full-time study within the year of Instance are in aggregate less than 10 weeks.
  • In respect of that year of Instance and any previous years of Instance, the aggregate of any one or more period of attendance which are not periods of full-time study (disregarding intervening vacations) exceeds 30 weeks.

Valid entries 23 and 24 should be returned for full-time students who meet the definition of sandwich.

If the sandwich year out causes a continuous absence from full-time study of at least one academic year, valid entry 23 ‘Thick sandwich’ would be returned.

Where the placement does not cause a continuous absence from full-time study of at least one academic year, but the aggregate of any placement activity exceeds 30 weeks, valid entry 24 ‘Thin sandwich’ would be returned.

Valid entry 25 should be returned for part-time students who meet the definition of sandwich.

Writing-up

Students who are actively writing-up are not considered to be dormant by HESA. A record is required for such students, with this field returned as 43 or 44 'Writing-up'. 'Writing-up' is generally associated with research students. Students on taught masters courses should not typically have their mode of study changed to 'writing-up', at least within the registration period, for example students on a one year taught masters course should be shown as full-time mode for both the taught and the dissertation phases of the course. Any change to show mode as writing-up would be expected only after the completion of the 12 month registration period.

Part-time

Valid entry 31 Part-time, can only be used by providers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Valid entry 38 and 39 can only be used by providers in Scotland.

Sabbaticals

Valid entry 51 should be used for students on sabbatical years e.g. holding Student Union office.

Dormant

Valid entry 52 'Optional year out - study related' and 53 'Compulsory year out - study related' have been removed for 2013/14. Students who would previously have been returned as 52 or 53 will repeat the previous year's Instance.MODE if they take a study year out (i.e. remain as full-time or part-time etc.)

Years out for any other reason should be returned 63 or 64, Dormant.

Dormant valid entries 63 and 64 can be used only if the student was not actively studying at any time during the reporting period.

Any students with a mode of study 63 or 64 will be excluded from the HESA standard registration population used for analysis purposes. A record is not required for such students other than:

  • In the first year of dormancy when a record must be returned in order to maintain the UHN link
  • Where awards have been made to students from a dormant status

Dormant instances may either be returned via a full record or through a reduced record for students - see dormant students reduced record.

Valid entries 73 and 74 are available to postgraduate students (i.e. Course.COURSEAIM begins D, E, L or M (excluding M22)) at providers in England only. Postgraduate students who become dormant part way through the reporting year will need a full HESA record reflecting their current status as 73 or 74. Postgraduate Research students who submit their thesis from an active mode and do not go into an additional writing up period should be returned as Instance.MODE 73/74. If the end date is in the next reporting period, the student would then be returned on a dormant mode (Instance.MODE 63/64) to close the instance. Instance.MCDATE will record the date when the postgraduate student formally moves from an active study mode to 'dormant'. Instance.STULOAD should be reduced to reflect the fact that the student was not active for a proportion of the reporting period.

Where a postgraduate student moves from a 'writing-up' or 'sabbatical' mode (valid entries 43, 44 or 51) to dormant, within the reporting period, Instance.MODE should not be updated, nor should Instance.MCDATE be completed. For the purpose of Instance.MCDATE the modes 'writing-up' and 'sabbatical' are classed as non-active.

All other students who become dormant part way through the reporting year (that is, all students at providers in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and Undergraduate and FE students at providers in England) will need a full HESA record in the data collection reflecting their status whilst active (i.e. the position that applied just before they became dormant). This field should record their mode of study whilst active (and not valid entry 63 or 64 'Dormant' which should only be used for students who are dormant for the whole reporting period). Instance.STULOAD should be reduced to reflect the fact that the student was not active for the whole reporting period. A student who was actively studying at some time during the reporting period but who has now suspended studies will have an active mode of study and will be identified through Instance.NOTACT.

However students involved in re-sits after the completion of the taught or structured part of their course should not have their mode of study up-dated. For example a full-time student who finishes the courses in June but has to take resits in September should not be re-coded.

Students that leave early

If a student leaves early, mode should be recorded in accordance with what was planned. For example, if they were due to study full-time for the year, then they should have a Instance.MODE = 01. This includes students that have left within two weeks but had confirmed attendance with the SLC.

Quality rules
Quality rules relating to this entity are displayed here.
Reason required To allow standard populations to be defined and financial calculations to be made
Part of
Field length2
Minimum occurrences1
Maximum occurrences1
Schema components
Element: MODE
Related fields
OwnerHESA
Version1.3
Date modified2021-08-20
Change management notesGuidance added for providers in Scotland, when returning a student with an Instance.ENDDATE in the previous reporting year. Additionally guidance added to clarify the reporting of sandwich MODEs for providers in England and Wales.

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