Aggregate Offshore record 2023/24 - Coverage of the record
Coverage of the record
Version 1.0 Produced 2024-??-??
General definition
The Aggregate Offshore record is collected in line with statutory requirements from all HE providers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and in line with statutory requirements from all Approved and Approved (fee cap) providers in England. These requirements are as detailed in subscription model information. Where providers do not have any offshore provision that conforms with the below definition, in the reporting year, it is required that a nil return form is completed.
In general, the Aggregate Offshore record should be collected in respect of students studying (to date) wholly outside the UK who are either registered with the reporting provider and aiming for a qualification or credit, or who are studying for an award of the reporting provider. Providers in England should only include validated provision where it is not included in the Aggregate Offshore record of another provider registered with the Office for Students. This will include all students active at any point in the reporting period, regardless of how long the students are active for. This includes students becoming dormant part way through the year, and those withdrawing from courses. For providers in England and Wales, students who are dormant for the entire reporting year should be included in the return. For providers in Northern Ireland and Scotland, students who are dormant for the entire reporting year should be excluded from the return.
Please note that the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are classified as locations outside of the UK and students studying there should therefore be returned in the Aggregate Offshore record.
Once a student is included in the Student record, they should not be recorded in any of the AOR headcounts.
There are a small number of distance learning students studying outside the UK who are funded - e.g. crown servants overseas and the services. For these students a full individualised record is needed. In addition, if students studying wholly outside the UK are considered fundable under Funding Council or Regulating Body Early Statistics rules, then they should not be included in the Aggregate Offshore record; such students should continue to be included in the individualised Student record only. All other distance learning students studying outside the UK who are not fundable distance learning students are required to be included in the Aggregate Offshore record.
Where students are studying on more than one instance they should only be included as a headcount once. If the instances are at different levels of study, then they should be counted against the higher level. For example, a student following both a PG and a UG course is counted against the PG level and not against the UG level. If the instances are at the same level, it is suggested that Provision.TYPE should be used as the first indicator, in the order of the codes given 1, 2, 3, 4. Instance start date can then be used as a second differential, if a split cannot be made by type, preferring the earliest start date and using the outcome from that instance for recording in the HEADCOUNT fields. Providers in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are required to return students that are studying at HE level, while providers in Wales should return students that are studying at HE or FE level. For further information please refer to the Provision.LEVEL guidance.
Link between coverage of the HESA Student record and the Aggregate Offshore record
If it is known at the beginning of the engagement that a student will spend a block of eight weeks or more in the UK as part of their engagement then they should be included on the HESA Student record throughout.
If a period of eight weeks or more in the UK is an optional part of the course the student is engaging with, then the student should be included in the HESA Student record only if they come to the UK, and then from that point at which they come to the UK onwards.
If a student is expected to spend less than eight consecutive course weeks in the UK during their entire engagement they should be included on the Aggregate Offshore record throughout.
Where students on distance learning courses move between UK and overseas locations as a consequence of changes in personal circumstances they must remain on the HESA Student record.
In addition, there may in any year be a small number of UK-domiciled students (usually research students) who, due to the nature of their study necessarily spend their entire studies overseas. These students will need to be included in the HESA Student record.
Courses completed in the UK
Some students may commence their studies outside the UK and subsequently come to continue their studies within the UK. In such cases, up until the point at which they enter the UK, these students are to be included in the Aggregate Offshore record; however, once they enter the UK to study, a full individualised record is required instead. Students who spend a sandwich, language or other year abroad as part of their overall course, which is otherwise UK based, are not to be included in the Aggregate Offshore record. For these students a full individualised record is needed for all years of the course.
Articulation arrangements
Students studying under articulation arrangements but who do not meet the criteria of being either registered with the reporting provider or studying for an award of the reporting provider are not included in the Aggregate Offshore record.
For clarification, under articulation arrangements the students are neither registered at a UK HEP nor do they receive a UK HEP award, but the UK HEP has guaranteed entry to a UK HEP course on successful completion of a programme at an overseas partner provider, where the students work for a qualification and follow a course of study that has been approved (and in some cases developed) by a UK HEP. With such arrangements the UK HEP is often seen as having a presence in the country concerned. The main reason for not collecting information on such arrangements in the return is that it is difficult to obtain a robust definition, and also the many and varied interpretations possible of the terms likely to be used.
Consortia arrangements
In the case of consortia arrangements, involving two or more UK HEPs, only one of the providers should include the students in making returns to HESA. This should be the HEP at which the students are registered and/or which will be making the award. Where this is not clearly distinguishable, it is up to the providers concerned to agree which one should be responsible for making the returns to HESA, and for which years of the course (or for which students on a particular year of the course), as seems most appropriate, given the particular administrative arrangements in place.
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