Definitions - Higher Education Statistics 2008/09

Rounding strategy

Due to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998, HESA implements a strategy in published and released tabulations designed to prevent the disclosure of personal information about any individual. This strategy involves rounding all numbers to the nearest multiple of 5. A summary of this strategy is as follows:

0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0
All other numbers are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5.

So for example 3 is represented as 5, 22 is represented as 20, 3286 is represented as 3285 while 0, 20, 55 and 3510 remain unchanged.

This rounding strategy is also applied to total figures, the consequence of which is that the sum of numbers in each row or column will rarely match the total shown precisely. Note that subject level data calculated by apportionment will also be rounded in accordance with this strategy.

Average values, proportions and FTE values prepared by HESA will not be affected by the above strategy, and will be calculated on precise raw numbers. However, percentages calculated on populations which contain 52 or fewer individuals will be suppressed and represented as '..' as will averages based on populations of 7 or fewer.

Subject of study and JACS codes

Specification of JACS

All JACS subject codes consist of a letter followed by three digits, the first of them non-zero (except the generic codes described below). The initial letter identifies the subject group, for example F for Physical Sciences. The initial letter and immediately following digit identify the principal subject, for example F5 Astronomy. F500 is a valid JACS code used where there is no need for a higher level of precision, but subjects can be identified more precisely using a second non-zero digit, for example F520 Space and planetary sciences, and, with even more precision, F521 Space science and F522 Planetary science. Often it is necessary to consider together all the codes, or all the student numbers, falling within a principal subject, and this is done by referring to it using just the first two characters, so F5 refers to all of Astronomy and to total numbers in it, by no means all of which will have code F500. Similarly, F52 refers to the whole of Space and planetary sciences.

In 2007/08 a review of a selection of subject areas resulted in the implementation of a revision of the JACS subject codes, JACS2. The full listing of JACS2 can be found here.

Course codes

Student courses often involve combinations of subjects, and so cannot be described by a single JACS code. Within the HESA student data collection, there are two mechanisms for dealing with this. First, JACS has been slightly extended to allow codes to be assigned to highly integrated courses which cut across principal subjects. Where such a broadly-based course falls within a single subject group, it can be coded as the group letter followed by three zeroes, for example F000 would code such a course in Physical sciences. This is known as a generic code, and is an extension of JACS for the purpose of coding complete student courses; generic codes may not be used in any other way, for example for coding modules. Courses which cut across subject groups are given the generic code Y000, which is equivalent to continuing to recognise the need for a 'Combined' subject group. The second mechanism is designed to describe less integrated courses of the kind often known as Joint Honours. The HESA Student record allows the reporting of up to three subject descriptors for each course and a proportion of time allocated for each subject studied on a course.

Apportionment

Additionally, a procedure of apportionment is used. Under apportionment, each student instance is, where necessary, divided in a way that in broad-brush terms reflects the pattern of a split course. This is analogous to the use of FTE calculations (with a variation for initial teacher training (ITT) students).

For split courses not involving an ITT component, institutions assign their own percentages based on a broad assessment of the relative contribution of subjects to a course, rather than detailed analysis of the contributions of subjects to individual students' courses of study. It is therefore expected that most institutions will apply the same percentages to all courses and only vary this where there is a substantially different subject split. For institutions in England, Northern Ireland and Wales the listed standard percentages are recommended, and in Scotland obligatory:

Balanced 50% for each of the two subjects
Major - Minor 67% and 33%
Triple 34%, 33% and 33%.

The sum of the proportion allocated to each subject studied on a course must equal 100.

ITT students at undergraduate level who also have specialism subjects recorded (typically, secondary ITT students) are apportioned 50% to the Education subject area and the remaining 50% is further assigned according to the percentages recommended above. Where no subject other than education is recorded, or where the student is on a PGCE course, apportionment is 100% to the Education subject area.

Subject areas

HESA has defined nineteen subject areas in terms of JACS codes for reporting information broken down by subject to present a useful broad-brush picture. The subject areas do not overlap, and cover the entire range of JACS Principal Subjects. Apart from the need to separate the Mathematical science and Computer science elements of Principal Subject G0 and G9, they are expressed entirely in terms of JACS Principal Subjects, and correspond closely to JACS Subject Groups.

In response to requests from users of HESA data, the printed tables also show information for four supplementary subjects, three of which fall within single subject areas, and one, Geography, cuts across the two areas of Physical sciences and Social studies.

Subject areas	JACS code
Medicine & dentistry	A
Subjects allied to medicine	B
Biological sciences	C
Veterinary science	D1/2
Agriculture & related subjects	D0/3/4/5/6/7/9
Physical sciences	F
Mathematical sciences	G00/01/1/2/3/90/91
Computer science	G02/4/5/6/7/92
Engineering & technology	H, J
Architecture, building & planning	K
Social studies	L
Law	M
Business & administrative studies	N
Mass communications & documentation	P
Languages	Q, R, T
Historical & philosophical studies	V
Creative arts & design	W
Education	X
Combined	Y
Supplementary subjects
Psychology	C8
Geography	F8, L7
Economics & politics	L1/2
English	Q3

A. HESA student data

Coverage

In general, the HESA Student record is collected in respect of all students registered at a reporting institution who follow courses that lead to the award of a qualification(s) or institutional credit, excluding those registered as studying wholly overseas. The data specification of the record uses the term 'instance' to describe a student's engagement with the institution, which, because a student can have more than one instance of engagement, will exceed the number of students. Unless stated otherwise, Student data is based on an instance of engagement. Postdoctoral students are not included in the HESA Student record.

The reporting period for the 2008/09 HESA Student record is 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009.

Higher education (HE) students for the purpose of HESA's data collection are those students on courses for which the level of instruction is above that of level 3 of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (e.g. courses at the level of Certificate of HE and above).

Further education (FE) students are those students on programmes of study for which the level of instruction is equal to or below that of level 3 of the NQF.

The HESA session population has been derived from the HESA Student record. It includes all higher education and further education student instances active at a reporting institution at any point in the reporting period 1 August to 31 July except:

Dormant students (those who have ceased studying but have not formally de-registered)
Incoming visiting and exchange students
Students where the whole of the programme of study is outside of the UK, and
Students on sabbatical.

Incoming visiting and exchange students are excluded from the session population in order to avoid an element of double-counting with both outgoing and incoming students being included.

The HESA session population forms the basis for counts of full-time equivalent (FTE) student instances.

The HESA standard registration population has been derived from the HESA Student record, from all higher education and further education student instances active at a reporting institution in the reporting period 1 August to 31 July, and ensures that similar activity is counted in a similar way irrespective of when it occurs.

The population splits the student experience into 'years of study'; the first year of which is deemed to start on the commencement date of the student instance with second, and subsequent years, starting on, or near, the anniversary of that date. Student instances are counted once for each 'year of study'. However students who leave within two weeks of their instance start date, or anniversary of their start date, and are on a course of more than two weeks duration, are not included in the standard registration population.

Also excluded from this population are:

Dormant students (those who have ceased studying but have not formally de-registered)
Incoming visiting and exchange students
Students where the whole of the programme of study is outside of the UK
Students on sabbatical, and
Writing-up students.

The HESA standard registration population forms the basis for most counts of first year and continuing student instances.

The HESA qualifications obtained population is a count of student instances associated with the award of an HE qualification (excluding HE institutional credits) during the HESA reporting period 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009, which were returned to HESA by 31 October 2009. This includes qualifications awarded from dormant, writing-up and sabbatical status.

Incoming visiting and exchange students are excluded from this population.

Full-time equivalent

Full-time equivalent (FTE) data represents the institution's assessment of the full-time equivalence of the student instance during the reporting year 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009.

FTE data is based on the HESA session population, and includes writing-up students.

Mode of study

(Applicable to HESA populations except the qualifications obtained population)

Full-time and sandwich students are those normally required to attend an institution for periods amounting to at least 24 weeks within the year of study, on thick or thin sandwich courses, and those on a study-related year out of their institution. During that time students are normally expected to undertake periods of study, tuition or work experience which amount to an average of at least 21 hours per week.

Where full-time and sandwich are shown separately they are defined as follows:

Full-time students are those normally required to attend an institution for periods amounting to at least 24 weeks within the year of study.

Sandwich students are those on a minimum of 24 weeks study/placement, on thick sandwich courses (continuous absence from full-time study of at least one academic year), thin sandwich courses (an average of more than 21 hours study a week for a minimum of 24 weeks study/placement) or other sandwich courses/programmes where the expected length of study is over 24 weeks.

Part-time students are those recorded as studying part-time, or studying full-time on courses lasting less than 24 weeks, on block release, or studying during the evenings only.

Level of study/Qualification obtained

The level of study is taken from the course aim of the student.

HESA classifies courses according to a framework which aligns with the framework for HE qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (FHEQ), the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) (of which the framework for qualifications of HE institutions in Scotland is a constituent part) and the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) and Bologna frameworks. Details are available at www.hesa.ac.uk/C08051/a/COURSEAIM. It includes level M for taught masters degrees, and level H for honours degrees.

Qualification obtained is taken from the qualification awarded to the student during the reporting year, usually at the end of an instance. The qualification awarded may be different to the student's qualification aim level of study, and the student may be awarded more than one qualification during the reporting year.

Higher education (HE) courses are those programmes of study for which the level of instruction is above that of level 3 of the National Qualifications Framework, e.g. courses leading to GCE A levels, VCE A levels or SQA Advanced Highers/Highers.

Further education (FE) courses are those programmes of study for which the level of instruction is equal to or below that of courses leading to HE level as described above.

Postgraduate courses are those leading to higher degrees, diplomas and certificates (including Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE at level M) and professional qualifications) which usually require a first degree as an entry qualification (i.e. already qualified at level H).

Higher degrees includes doctorate and masters degrees obtained primarily through research and not obtained primarily through research, and postgraduate bachelors degrees at level M.

In analyses where higher degrees level of study is disaggregated into Doctorate and Other higher degrees, the following groupings are used:

Doctorates includes doctorate degrees obtained primarily through research and not obtained primarily through research written up as a thesis/dissertation.

Other higher degrees includes masters degrees obtained primarily through research and not obtained primarily through research and postgraduate bachelors degrees at level M.

Other postgraduate includes postgraduate diplomas, certificates and professional qualifications, Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE at level M), institutional postgraduate credits plus no formal postgraduate qualifications.

In analyses where other postgraduate level of study is disaggregated into Postgraduate Certificate in Education and Other postgraduate qualifications, the following groupings are used:

Postgraduate Certificate in Education are those PGCE qualifications which are pitched at level M.

Other postgraduate qualifications includes postgraduate diplomas, certificates and professional qualifications, institutional postgraduate credits plus no formal postgraduate qualifications.

First degrees includes first degrees (including eligibility to register to practice with a health or social care or veterinary statutory regulatory body), first degrees with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)/registration with a General Teaching Council (GTC), enhanced first degrees, first degrees obtained concurrently with a diploma and intercalated first degrees.

Other undergraduate includes qualification aims equivalent to and below first degree level, including, but not limited to, Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at level H (unless shown separately), foundation degrees (unless shown separately), diplomas in higher education (including those with eligibility to register to practice with a health or social care or veterinary statutory regulatory body), Higher National Diploma (HND), Higher National Certificate (HNC), Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE), Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), foundation courses at higher education level, National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)/Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) levels 4 and 5, post-degree diplomas and certificates at undergraduate level, professional qualifications at undergraduate level, other undergraduate diplomas and certificates including post-registration health and social care courses, other formal higher education qualifications of less than degree standard, institutional undergraduate credit and no formal undergraduate qualifications.

In analyses where other undergraduate level of study is disaggregated into Professional Graduate Certificate in Education, Foundation degree and Other undergraduate qualifications, the following groupings are used:

Professional Graduate Certificate in Education are those PGCE qualifications which are pitched at level H.

Foundation degree (e.g. FdA, FdSc) were introduced to provide vocational HE qualifications at level I.

HND/DipHE includes Higher National Diplomas (HND) and Diplomas of Higher Education (DipHE) (including those with eligibility to register to practice with a health or social care or veterinary statutory regulatory body).

Other undergraduate qualifications includes Higher National Certificate (HNC), Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), foundation courses at higher education (HE) level, National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)/Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) levels 4 and 5, post-degree diplomas and certificates at undergraduate level, professional qualifications at undergraduate level, other undergraduate diplomas and certificates including post-registration health and social care courses, other formal HE qualifications of less than degree standard, institutional undergraduate credit plus no formal undergraduate qualifications.

Further education programmes of study includes Diplomas, Certificates and National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)/Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) at level 3 and below, A/AS levels, Advanced Highers/Highers (Scotland), GCSEs, Intermediates (Scotland), HE Access courses, Welsh for Adults and other qualifications below higher education level.

Classification of first degrees

The classification of first degrees indicates the qualification class obtained. Certain qualifications obtained at first degree level are not subject to classification of award, notably medical and general degrees. These, together with ordinary degrees and aegrotat qualifications have been included within Unclassified. Third class honours, fourth class honours and pass have been aggregated as Third class/pass. Lower second and undivided second class honours have been aggregated as Lower second class.

Initial teacher training (ITT)

Information about ITT students is presented as a count of instances, and tabulated separately in this publication to reduce the risk of misinterpretation.

ITT students are based on the Standard registration population and includes instances that are: initial or pre-service teacher training courses leading to Qualified Teacher Status or registration as a school teacher with the General Teaching Council for Scotland Teacher Development Agency (TDA) funded flexible provision (ITT).

ITT qualifiers includes qualifications obtained from the categories of ITT instances listed above, and as it is based on the Qualifications obtained population includes qualifications awarded from dormant, writing-up and sabbatical status.

PGCE qualifications awarded includes both Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE at level M) and Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE at level H).

Bachelor of Education and other first degree ITT qualifications awarded includes: first degrees (including eligibility to register to practice with a health or social care or veterinary statutory regulatory body); first degrees with qualified teacher status (QTS)/registration with a General Teaching Council (GTC); enhanced first degrees at level M and level H; postgraduate bachelors degrees at level H; first degrees obtained concurrently with a diploma; intercalated first degrees.

First year students

First year students are based on the HESA standard registration population, and are those who commenced their instance in the relevant reporting period.

Domicile

Domicile data is supplied to HESA in the form of postcodes (UK, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man domiciled students) or country codes. Postcodes are mapped to counties, unitary authorities and UK nations using the National Statistics Postcode Directory. Countries are mapped to geographical regions, informed by the National Statistics Country Classification 2006 grouping of countries (www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_other/Explanatory_Notes_NSCC.pdf). Where no data is supplied about the student's domicile, fee eligibility is used to assign to either UK region unknown or Non-European Union unknown.

UK domiciled students are those whose normal residence is in the UK, and for the purposes of this publication include Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. (Officially, the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are not part of the UK or the EU.)

Other European Union (EU) domiciled students are those whose normal residence is in countries which were European Union (EU) members as at 1 December of the reporting period. EU countries are those which were EU members as at 1 December 2007. This includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

2007 EU accession countries include those joining the EU on 1 January 2007: Bulgaria, Romania.

Non-European Union (EU) domiciled students are those whose normal residence prior to commencing their programme of study was outside the EU.

Age

Age is as at 31 August 2008.

Gender

From 2007/08 the specification for student gender falls within the scope of the Aligned Data Definitions adopted by the Information Standards Board (ISB) for education, skills and children’s services (escs).

Indeterminate gender means unable to be classified as either male or female, and intended to identify students who are intersex and not trans-gender nor as a proxy for not-known.

Highest qualification on entry

It should be noted that a student’s highest qualification on entry is not necessarily that which was required for entry to the programme of study. Categories used are:

Postgraduate (excluding PGCE) includes all higher degrees, postgraduate diplomas and certificates (excluding Postgraduate and Professional Graduate Certificates in Education (PGCE at levels M and H)) and postgraduate equivalent qualifications.

PGCE includes Postgraduate and Professional Graduate Certificates in Education (PGCE at levels M and H) with and without qualified teacher status (QTS)/registration with a General Teaching Council (GTC).

First degree of UK institution plus undergraduate qualifications with qualified teacher status qualified teacher status QTS/registration with a General Teaching Council (GTC).

Other graduate and equivalent qualifications includes graduate qualifications obtained outside the UK, General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ)/General Scottish Vocational Qualification (GSVQ) level 5, National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)/Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) level 5 and other graduate equivalent qualifications not already specified.

HE credits includes Open University credits and credits from other UK higher education institutions.

Other HE and professional qualifications includes certificates and diplomas of education, Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Higher National Diploma (HND) (including BTEC and SQA equivalents), Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE), General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ)/General Scottish Vocational Qualification (GSVQ) level 4, National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)/Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) level 4, professional qualifications, foundation courses at higher education level, other higher education qualifications of less than degree standard and foundation degrees.

GCE A level/A level equivalent qualifications, SQA Highers and equivalent includes any combination of these qualifications plus General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ)/General Scottish Vocational Qualification (GSVQ) level 3, National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)/Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) level 3, Ordinary National Certificate (ONC) and Ordinary National Diploma (OND) (BTEC and SQA equivalents).

Access courses include those Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) recognised, those not QAA recognised and other accredited and unaccredited Access courses.

GCSE/O level qualifications, SCE O grades and standard grades includes any combination of these qualifications.

Other qualifications includes foundation courses at further education level, baccalaureate, other non-advanced qualifications, National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)/Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) level 2, Diploma in Foundation Studies, Advanced Modern Apprenticeships, and other non-UK qualifications (level not known).

No formal qualification required/held includes Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning (APEL/APL), mature students admitted on basis of previous experience/institution's own entrance examination, or it is known that the student has no formal qualification.

Not known/sought - nothing is known about the student’s qualifications on entry to their programme of study.

Location of institution

The allocation of an institution to a geographical region is done by reference to the administrative centre of that institution. There may be students registered at institutions who are studying in regions other than that of the administrative centre of the institution.

Although The Open University teaches throughout the UK, its administrative centre is located in South East England, and is counted as a wholly English institution.

Major source of tuition fees

The tuition fee awarded indicates the predominant source of the tuition fees for the student where this is known. This includes fees from UK government, research councils, charities, EU and other sources.

B. HESA aggregate offshore data

Coverage

A separate summary aggregate return collects data about all students registered with UK higher education institutions (HEI) but studying wholly outside the UK. Students studying wholly outside the UK (to date) are now required to be included in the Aggregate offshore record for students studying wholly outside the UK (Aggregate offshore record), unless they are funded (e.g. Crown servants overseas and the Services), or considered fundable under Funding Council Early Statistics rules.

Students who commence their studies outside the UK and subsequently come to continue their studies within the UK are included in the Aggregate offshore record up until the point at which they enter the UK, when a full individualised record is required. Students who spend a sandwich, language or other year abroad as part of their overall course, which is otherwise UK based, are not included in the Aggregate offshore record.

Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are counted as being outside the UK within the Aggregate offshore record.

Location of provision

Country of overseas provision data is supplied to HESA in the form of country codes. Countries are mapped to geographical regions, informed by the National Statistics Country Classification 2006 grouping of countries (www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_other/Explanatory_Notes_NSCC.pdf).

Within the European Union includes students whose location of study country was a European Union (EU) member state. Figures from location of study in the Åland Islands, the Canary Islands, and the French overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion are included in this category.

Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, for the purposes of these tables, are counted as within the European Union. (Officially, the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are not part of the UK or the EU).

Outside the European Union includes students whose location of study country was outside the EU.

Level of provision

Level of provision describes the qualification that will be obtained as a result of successful completion of studies. It is based on the coding frame used for course aim in the Student record.

Postgraduate research includes research doctorate and research masters degrees.

Postgraduate taught includes taught doctorate and taught masters degrees.

In analyses postgraduate research and postgraduate taught may be grouped as postgraduate.

First degree includes bachelors degrees with honours and ordinary bachelors degrees.

Other undergraduate includes diplomas and certificates in HE.

Further education includes qualifications at FE level.

Type of provision

Type of provision defines the arrangements under which overseas programmes are provided.

Students registered at a UK higher education institution

Overseas campus of reporting institution includes those studying at a campus set up as a branch campus of the parent institution, and as such it is seen as no different from any other campus of the institution.

Distance, flexible or distributed learning denotes educational provision leading to an award of an awarding institution delivered and/or supported and/or assessed through means which generally do not require the student to attend particular classes or events at particular times and particular locations. (There are a small number of distance learning students studying outside the UK who are funded (e.g. Crown servants overseas and the Services). These students are returned in the Student record and not included in the Aggregate offshore record.

Other arrangement including collaborative provision denotes provision leading to an award of an awarding institution delivered and/or supported and/or assessed through an arrangement with a partner organisation. Collaborative provision, sometimes described as 'franchised' provision includes consortia and joint award arrangements.

Students studying for an award of a UK higher education institution

Students studying for an award of a UK HEI are not registered students of the reporting institution, but are studying for an award of the reporting institution, and are registered at an Overseas partner organisation or via some Other arrangement.

C. HESA Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) data

In general, the HESA Student record is collected in respect of all students registered at a reporting higher education institution (HEI) who follow courses that lead to the award of a qualification(s) or institutional credit, excluding those registered as studying wholly overseas. The Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) record supplements the Student record in so far as it is linked to it and collects information about what those completing their HE experience, and respond to the DLHE questionnaire, go on to do.

Reference dates

The reference dates for this DLHE return were 20 April 2009 (if the leaver obtained the qualification between 1 August 2008 and 31 December 2008) and 11 January 2010 (if the leaver obtained the qualification between 1 January 2009 and 31 July 2009).

Coverage

The HESA Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) target population contains all United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) domiciled students reported to HESA for the reporting period 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009 as obtaining relevant qualifications and whose study was full-time or part-time (including sandwich students and those writing-up theses). Awards from dormant status are not included in the target population. Relevant qualifications exclude professional qualifications. Officially, the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are not part of the UK or the EU. However, they are grouped with and assumed to be part of the UK in the HESA DLHE record.

The data specifications of the Student and DLHE records use the term 'instance' to describe a student's engagement with the institution, which, because a student can have more than one instance of engagement, will exceed the number of students. Unless stated otherwise, DLHE data is based on an instance of engagement.

Relevant qualifications for inclusion in the DLHE record are taken from the qualification awarded to the student instance during the reporting year, usually at the end of an instance. The qualification awarded may be different to the student's qualification aim, and each student instance may have a maximum of two qualifications awarded. Where two relevant qualifications are awarded, the highest award is selected as the relevant qualification for DLHE.

Relevant qualifications include: doctorate and masters degrees; other postgraduate qualifications obtained primarily through supervised research at level L; qualifications leading towards obtaining eligibility to register to practice with a health or social care or veterinary statutory regulatory body (at level M, H, I and J); integrated undergraduate/postgraduate taught masters degrees on the enhanced/extended pattern; postgraduate bachelors degrees (at level M and level H); Postgraduate Certificates in /Professional Graduate Diplomas in Education and Professional Graduate Certificates in Education; other taught qualifications at level M; qualifications leading towards registration with the Architects Registration Board (Parts 2 and 1) (at level M and level H); first degrees with honours/ordinary first degrees (including those leading to qualified teacher status (QTS)/registration with a General Teaching Council (GTC), but excluding those from the intercalated pattern); first degrees with honours on the enhanced/extended pattern at level H; first degrees with honours and diploma; graduate diploma/certificates at level H and level I; other qualifications at level H; foundation degrees (including those which on completion meet entry requirement for pre-registration health or social care qualification); Diplomas of Higher Education (DipHE); Higher National Diplomas (HND); Certificates of Education (CertHE); Higher National Certificates (HNC).

The population for the DLHE return does not necessarily represent the full cohort graduating during the reporting period; examples of those excluded are professional qualifications (e.g. associate membership or membership of a body such as the Institute of Bankers) and undergraduate diplomas and certificates other than foundation degrees, Diplomas of Higher Education (DipHE), Higher National Diplomas (HND), Certificates of Higher Education (CertHE) and Higher National Certificates (HNC).

Level of qualification obtained

Postgraduate qualifications obtained includes doctorate degrees; masters degrees; other postgraduate qualifications obtained primarily through advanced supervised research; Masters of Business Administration (MBA); pre-registration masters degrees and other taught qualifications at level M leading towards obtaining eligibility to register to practice with a health or social care or veterinary statutory regulatory body; postgraduate bachelors degrees at level M; Postgraduate Certificates in Education or Professional Graduate Diplomas in Education; other taught qualifications at level M including those leading towards registration with the Architects Registration Board (Part 2 qualification).

First degree qualifications obtained includes integrated undergraduate/postgraduate taught masters degrees on the enhanced/extended pattern, and first degrees with honours on the enhanced/extended pattern at level H; first degrees with honours/ordinary first degrees (including those leading to qualified teacher status (QTS)/registration with a General Teaching Council (GTC), but excluding those from the intercalated pattern); first degrees with honours leading towards registration with the Architects Registration Board (Part 1 qualification); pre-registration first degrees with honours/ordinary first degrees leading towards obtaining eligibility to register to practice with a health or social care or veterinary statutory regulatory body; first degrees with honours and diploma; postgraduate bachelors degrees at level H.

Other undergraduate qualifications obtained includes graduate diplomas/certificates at level H; Professional Graduate Certificates in Education; other qualifications at level H including those leading towards registration with the Architects Registration Board (Part 2 qualification); graduate diplomas/certificates at level I; foundation degrees (including those which on completion meet the entry requirement for pre-registration health or social care qualification); Diplomas of Higher Education (DipHE) (including those leading towards obtaining eligibility to register to practice with a health or social care or veterinary statutory regulatory body); Higher National Diplomas (HND); Certificates of Higher Education (CertHE); Higher National Certificates (HNC).

Mode of study

The qualification obtained mode of study used in HESA DLHE analyses re-allocates writing-up and dormant status student instance awards to their previous mode.

Full-time study instances are those where students are recorded as studying full-time (normally required to attend an institution for periods amounting to at least 24 weeks within the year of study), on thick or thin sandwich courses or on a study-related year out. During that time students are normally expected to undertake periods of study, tuition or work experience which amount to an average of at least 21 hours per week. This includes writing-up status where the mode of study was previously full-time and students changing to dormant status previously full-time.

Part-time study instances are those where students are recorded as studying part-time, or studying full-time on courses lasting less than 24 weeks, on block release or studying during the evenings only. This includes writing-up and dormant status where the mode of study was previously part-time, awards given to those on sabbatical and students changing to dormant status previously part-time.

Age

Age is as at 31 July 2009.

Gender

Indeterminate gender means unable to be classified as either male or female, and intended to identify students who are intersex, and not trans-gender nor as a proxy for not-known.

Employment circumstances and Study circumstances

In the DLHE survey leavers are able to report separately what they are doing in relation to both employment and study and a matrix of possible outcomes is constructed. This matrix is used to define the key categories of outcomes such as employed and unemployed.

As leavers report separately what they are doing in relation to employment and further study, it is possible to be involved in either employment only, further study only or employment and further study. Therefore where the terms employment and further study are used, it is important to note that:

employment includes those in employment only, and those in both employment and further study
further study includes those in further study only, and those in both employment and further study.

Matrix of Employment circumstances and Study circumstances:

Employment circumstances	Full-time study (1)	Part-time study (2)	Not in study (3)
Employed full-time in paid work (01)	D	D	A
Employed part-time in paid work (02)	D	D	B
Self-employed/freelance (03)	D	D	A
Voluntary work/other unpaid work (15)	D	D	C
Permanently unable to work/retired (16)	G	G	G
Temporarily sick or unable to work/looking after the home or family (17)	E	E	G
Taking time out in order to travel (10)	G	G	G
Due to start a job within the next month (11)	E	F	F
Unemployed and looking for employment, further study or training (12)	E	F	F
Not employed but NOT looking for employment, further study or training (13)	E	E	O
Something else (14)	E	E	O
Question not answered (XX)	X	X	X

The values in brackets refer to the valid entries recorded for Employment circumstances (field 5) and Study circumstances (field 6) in the DLHE record.

Study circumstances describes whether the leaver was involved in study, training or research on the census date, and if so, if it was full-time or part-time. Not in study/Not studying includes not in study, training or registered as a research student.

Activity describes the employment category of the leaver based on the values in the Matrix of Employment circumstances and Study circumstances:

Full-time paid work only (including self-employed)	A
Part-time paid work only	B
Voluntary/unpaid work only	C
Work and further study	D
Further study only	E
Assumed to be unemployed	F
Not available for employment	G
Other	O
Explicit refusal	X

Employment

Of those working (including work and further study) includes those who reported that they were in full-time paid work only (including self-employed), part-time paid work only, voluntary/unpaid work only plus work and further study.

Location of employment

This describes the location of the HE leaver's place of work. Data is supplied to HESA in the form of postcodes (for employment in the UK, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man) or country codes. Postcodes are mapped to counties, unitary authorities, Government Office Regions and UK countries using the National Statistics Postcode Directory. Countries are mapped to geographical regions, informed by the National Statistics Country Classification 2006 grouping of countries (www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_other/Explanatory_Notes_NSCC.pdf).

Duration of employment

This describes the HE leaver's own assessment of the duration of their employment in the work they were doing when surveyed.

The Standard Occupational Classification

In 2003 HESA adopted the SOC2000 Standard Occupational Classification (which replaced SOC90), for comparability of sector data with other areas of the economy. A variant of the SOC2000 was created for the coding of occupational information collected in the DLHE survey. The classification is termed SOC (DLHE) and details are available from the Downloadable files section of the DLHE coding manual www.hesa.ac.uk/C08018 on the HESA website (Standard Occupational Classification (SOC DLHE) (Updated December 2003) (zip)).

D. HESA staff data

Coverage

The staff record provides data in respect of the characteristics of members of all academic and non-academic staff employed under a contract of employment by a higher education institution (HEI) in the UK. Staff employed under consultancy contracts, or on the basis of payment of fees for services, without a contract of employment, are not included in the record.

The reporting period for the 2008/09 HESA staff record is 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009.

The record is collected in three sections; the staff person table, the staff contract table and the staff grade table. The person table contains one record for every person employed by an institution during the HESA reporting period and contains attributes of the individual such as birth date, gender and ethnicity. Each person's employment with an institution will be governed by a legally-binding contract and each contract that exists is recorded on the contract table. If a person has a single contract with the institution there will be one record on the person table and one record on the contract table. If a person has three contracts with an institution there will be one record on the person table and three records on the contract table. A requirement to collect grade-based data nationally was introduced for 2008/09. The grade table provides details of institutions' local grade structure(s). Nationally recognised structures are not required to be included in this table.

The range of data required about an individual and the contract(s) that they hold, and the completion of the grade table, will depend on the nature of those contracts and also the classification of the activity for which the contract exists.

Atypical staff are those members of staff whose contracts are those with working arrangements that are not permanent, involve complex employment relationships and/or involve work away from the supervision of the normal work provider. These may be characterised by a high degree of flexibility for both the work provider and the working person, and may involve a triangular relationship that includes an agent. Source: DTI Discussion Document on Employment Status, July 2003, paragraph 23.

In addition to this definition from the DTI, some HE specific guidance has been devised by HESA in consultation with institutions. Atypical contracts meet one or more of the following conditions:

Are for less than four consecutive weeks - meaning that no statement of terms and conditions needs to be issued
Are for one-off/short-term tasks - for example answering phones during clearing, staging an exhibition, organising a conference. There is no mutual obligation between the work provider and working person beyond the given period of work or project. In some cases individuals will be paid a fixed fee for the piece of work unrelated to hours/time spent
Involve work away from the supervision of the normal work provider - but not as part of teaching company schemes or for teaching and research supervision associated with the provision of distance learning education
Involve a high degree of flexibility often in a contract to work as-and-when required - for example conference catering, student ambassadors, student demonstrators.

For atypical staff only a minimum data set is required.

Staff (excluding atypical) are those members of staff where one or more of the contracts held during the reporting period cannot be defined as atypical, and includes open-ended/permanent and fixed-term contracts.

For these staff there is a requirement to return a wider range of data (which may include salary information and start and end dates of employment and contracts).

The HESA staff atypical population is an indicator of those individuals who have only atypical contracts within the reporting period.

The HESA staff atypical population is used in analyses of atypical staff person attributes by full-person equivalents (FPE).

The HESA staff contract population is an indicator of those contracts that were active on 1 December within the reporting period. Atypical staff contracts are not counted in this population. Other staff with a default (or unknown) contract start date, a default (or unknown) contract end date and a contract full-time equivalent (FTE) of zero are also not counted in this population.

The HESA staff contract population is used in analyses of staff contract attributes by full-person equivalents (FPE).

In Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom, Table 15 is based on the HESA staff contract population, Table 16 is based on the HESA staff atypical population.

Full-person equivalent

Individuals can hold more than one contract with an institution and each contract may involve more than one activity. In analyses staff counts have been divided amongst the activities in proportion to the declared FTE for each activity. This results in counts of full person equivalents (FPE). Staff FPE counts are calculated on the basis of contract activities that were active on 1 December of the reporting period (using the HESA staff contract population).

Atypical full-person equivalent

Individuals can hold atypical contracts with an institution and each contract may involve more than one activity. In analyses staff counts have been divided amongst the activities in proportion to the declared FTE for each activity. This results in counts of full person equivalents (FPE). Atypical staff FPE counts are calculated on the basis of those individuals who have only atypical contracts that were active during the reporting period (using the HESA atypical staff population).

In Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom, Table 15 shows counts of Full-person equivalents, Table 16 shows counts of Atypical full-person equivalents.

Mode of employment

Full-time staff are those whose contracts state that their mode of employment is full-time. This includes staff who work full-time for part of a year and term-time only staff who work full-time during the term.

Part-time staff are those staff that work anything less than full-time. This includes atypical (unless shown separately) where institutions were unable to assign staff contracts to either the full-time or the part-time category.

Mode of employment is an attribute of the contract, not the person. Therefore, a person will be counted as wholly part-time, even if they hold a number of part-time contracts that sum to one FTE. The FPE allocated to the full-time category will only reflect the people that hold a full-time contract. This is consistent with the treatment of other attributes of the contract.

Source of basic salary

Source of basic salary indicates whether contract salaries are paid wholly or in part from funds other than general institution funds. Whether income can be regarded as general institution funds or not depends on the distinction between general and specific income as defined in the Statement of recommended practice: accounting for further and higher education (SORP), published by Universities UK (www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Documents/SORP_2007.pdf). Specific income is that which can only be applied to a specific purpose or activity so designated by the grantor or donor.

Wholly institutionally financed staff contracts are those paid wholly from general institution funds.

Principally institutionally financed staff contracts are paid mainly from general institution funds and partly from another source. Principally financed by the institution is defined as that where the proportion financed by the institution equals, or is greater than, 50% of the basic salary.

Other sources of finance staff contracts are paid mainly or wholly from sources other than general institution funds. Other sources of finance describes those contract salaries where the proportion financed by other sources is greater than 50%. These sources (unless shown separately) include: NHS/General Medical or General Dental practice or Department of Health, BIS Research Councils (including research councils - not specified), UK central government bodies and local authorities, UK industry, commerce and public corporations, Charities (including Cancer Research UK, Wellcome Trust, other Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) and other charitable foundations), EU government bodies, EU other, Other overseas sources, and Other sources not listed.

Academic employment function

The academic employment function of a member of staff relates to the academic contract of employment and not the actual work undertaken.

Teaching/Teaching & research staff are those whose contracts of employment state that they are employed only to undertake teaching and staff are those whose contracts of employment state that they are employed to undertake both teaching and research.

Research only staff are those whose contracts of employment state that the primary academic employment function is research only, even though the contract may include a limited number of hours teaching.

Neither teaching nor research staff are those whose contracted academic employment function is neither teaching nor research, e.g. Vice-Chancellor.

Location of institution

The allocation of an institution to a geographical region is done by reference to the administrative centre of that institution. There may be staff employed in regions other than that of the administrative centre of the institution.

Although the Open University teaches throughout the UK, its administrative centre is located in South East England, and is counted as a wholly English institution.

SOC - Occupational coding for higher education staff

The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) provides a national standard for categorising occupational information. SOC forms the basis of occupational classification in a variety of national surveys that collect statistical information such as the Labour Force Survey and New Earnings Survey. The utilisation of SOC for classifying occupations within the HE sector therefore both allows for the heterogeneity of occupations that exist and enables comparisons to be made with other sectors of the economy and from a variety of data sources.

However, some difficulties emerge in the direct application of SOC for occupational coding within the HE sector. At the most aggregate level, SOC distinguishes nine broad categories termed Major Groups. The titles associated with these Major Groups, which by necessity have to be general in their nature to encompass all occupations, do not provide an intuitive method of classifying the occupations within HE. Additionally, the coding manuals of the Standard Occupational Classification contain information on many occupations and job titles that are not relevant to the HE sector.

The classification of occupations within higher education has therefore necessitated the development of a variant of the national standard that is relevant for the HE sector. This enables the classification of job titles found within the HE sector to fall into one of 13 broad occupational categories.

Activity

1	Managers
2A	Academic professionals
2B	Non-academic professionals
3A	Laboratory, engineering, building, IT & medical technicians (including nurses)
3B	Student welfare workers, careers advisers, vocational training instructors, personnel & planning officers
3C	Artistic, media, public relations, marketing & sports instruction occupations
4A	Library assistants, clerks & general administrative assistants
4B	Secretaries, typists, receptionists & telephonists
5	Chefs, gardeners, electrical & construction trades, mechanical fitters & printers
6	Caretakers, residential wardens, sports & leisure attendants, nursery nurses & care occupations
7	Retail & customer service occupations
8	Drivers, maintenance supervisors & plant operatives
9	Cleaners, catering assistants, security officers, porters & maintenance workers

Academic staff are defined as academic professionals who are responsible for planning, directing and undertaking academic teaching and research within HE institutions. They also include vice-chancellors, medical practitioners, dentists, veterinarians and other health care professionals who undertake lecturing or research activities. All academic staff fall into group 2A of the SOC classification, regardless of their discipline (e.g. science, engineering, social sciences, humanities, languages).

Non-academic staff are defined as members of staff who fall into one of the remaining 12 occupational categories such as managers, non-academic professionals, student welfare workers, secretaries, caretakers and cleaners.

Salary range

Salary range is based on the contract salary for members of staff at each institution where applicable, at 31 July in the reporting period, or the end date of the contract if earlier.

For analysis purposes the contract salaries are grouped into six salary ranges, the upper and lower of each range aligned with salary spine points used in the Framework Salary Spine, as detailed in the document Single pay spine for academic and HE support staff 2006-09 www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/manual_documents/C08025_spine_2006-09_oct_5.pdf (salary from October 2008 column).

Contract salary not applicable includes members of staff for whom the concept of a per annum contractual salary does not apply e.g. hourly paid staff, staff with zero hour contracts etc.

Contract salaries reported to HESA based on the reporting of the Framework Salary Spine, the Framework Clinical Spine, plus salaries not set against a nationally negotiated pay spine are included in this analysis. Where HESA is provided with both a salary point (within the Framework Pay Spine or Framework Clinical Spine) and an enhanced salary figure (e.g. London weighting), the actual enhanced salary is used.

Staff with atypical contracts are not included in the Salary range analysis.

Note: staff salary relates to the entire contract and not the individual activities that may be associated with that contract. Therefore, whilst a staff contract may be assigned to more than one activity group, the salary displayed will reflect the entire contract.

Gender

From 2008/09 the specification for staff gender falls within the scope of the Aligned Data Definitions adopted by the Information Standards Board (ISB) for education, skills and children's services (escs).

Indeterminate gender means unable to be classified as either male or female, and intended to identify staff who are intersex, and not trans-gender nor as a proxy for not-known.

E. HESA Finance Statistics Return data

Coverage

The annual HESA Finance Statistics Return (FSR) is the main source of historical financial information on the total activities of all UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The FSR provides data in respect of the consolidated income and expenditure account, statement of recognised gains and losses, balance sheet and cash flow statement. The figures recorded for the consolidated income and expenditure account, balance sheet headings, statement of recognised gains and losses and cash flow statement should be the same as those recorded in the HEI’s audited/published financial statements. The financial statements should be prepared in accordance with the Statement of recommended practice: accounting for further and higher education (SORP), published by Universities UK (www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Documents/SORP_2007.pdf), and comply with the financial reporting requirements contained in any UK legislation relevant to their constitution, such as the Companies Act and the Charities Act. The FSR uses the principles in the SORP to analyse the financial statements in greater detail than is required for published financial statements.

HESA finance data in Tables 17 and 18 relates to the institutions' financial year, i.e. 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009. The categories used in the FSR for the HEI income and expenditure figures are defined below. (The full specification of the data return can be found in the HESA Finance record 2008/09 coding manual.)

Income

Total income identifies the gross income position, i.e. it includes income attributable to a share in joint venture(s).

A joint venture is an entity in which the reporting HEI holds an interest on a long-term basis, and is jointly controlled by the HEI and one or more ventures under a contractual arrangement. The HEI’s share of income (and expenditure) should be recognised in the HEI’s income (and expenditure) account.

Sources of income

Income is analysed by five main income sources: funding body grants; tuition fees & education contracts; research grants & contracts; other income; endowment & investment income. The total of each of these headings should be the same as the HEI's financial statement, showing the gross position for the HEI.

Funding body grants

Funding body grants includes those from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC), the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) and the Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland (DEL(NI)).

Grants for HE provision (SFC grants for all provision) includes recurrent and capital grants as defined below in respect of higher education (HE) provision, except in Scotland where this category also includes grants for further education (FE) provision.

Recurrent (Teaching) includes the total grant (or main and associated grants) for teaching, including widening participation and tuition fee compensation, as shown in the annual grant letter or additional grant letter from the funding councils.

Recurrent (Research) includes the total grant (or main and associated grants) for research as shown in the annual grant letter or additional grant letter from the funding councils.

Recurrent - Other (including special funding) includes all other recurrent grants and grants to support special initiatives as stated in the annual grant letter or additional grant letter from the funding councils. Income relating to non-capitalised expenditure, for example Learning and Teaching Capital Investment Fund or Research Capital Investment Fund (RCIF) are included in this category.

Release of deferred capital grants comprises the release of deferred capital grants for buildings, which includes where capital funding has been applied to the purchase of an asset that has been capitalised (and includes grants from the RCIF and Strategic Development Fund (SDF)) and equipment, which includes where the equipment grant (including grants from the Science Research Investment Fund (SRIF), SDF, Project Capital Allocation (PCA) and Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) has been applied to the purchase of furniture or other assets that have been capitalised.

Grants for FE provision (not applicable to SFC) includes all funding council grants for the provision of FE. Grants from HE funding councils and FE funding councils are added together. This category does not apply to SFC funded institutions, as they do not receive separately identified grants for non-advanced/FE provision.

Tuition fees & education contracts

This includes all income received in respect of fees for students on all courses for which fees are charged. Where fees are waived in whole or in part, the income due, though not received, is included.

Following the introduction of variable student fees in the 2006/07 academic year for institutions in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, this information is now administration specific. From 2008/09 postgraduate fee income from research and taught students has been separated. This has been grouped in Table 17 as follows:

Full-time HE fees - undergraduate includes all fees for undergraduate full-time and sandwich degree, diploma and similar award-bearing courses for home and EU domiciled students.

Full-time HE fees - postgraduate includes all fees for postgraduate full-time and sandwich higher degree, diploma and similar award-bearing courses for home and EU domiciled students.

Part-time HE fees - undergraduate includes all fees for part-time undergraduate courses for home and EU domiciled students.

Part-time HE fees - postgraduate includes all fees for part-time postgraduate courses for home and EU domiciled students.

Non-EU domicile includes fees for all HE courses for students whose normal residence prior to commencing their programme of study was outside the EU.

Non-credit-bearing course fees includes all fee income received in respect of non-credit-bearing liberal adult education, continuing education or extra-mural courses.

Other fees & support grants includes FE course fees received for the provision of FE/non-advanced courses; Research training support grants made by research councils and other bodies in support of the training of research students.

Research grants & contracts

This includes all income in respect of externally sponsored research carried out by the institution or its subsidiary undertaking for which directly related expenditure has been incurred.

BIS Research Councils, The Royal Society, British Academy & The Royal Society of Edinburgh
This includes all research grants and contracts income from Research Councils sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), The Royal Society, British Academy & The Royal Society of Edinburgh, and includes:

AHRC Arts & Humanities Research Council
BBSRC Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council
EPSRC Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council
ESRC Economic & Social Research Council
MRC Medical Research Council
NERC Natural Environment Research Council
STFC Science & Technology Facilities Council

Plus other BIS Research Councils, The Royal Society, British Academy & The Royal Society of Edinburgh sponsored research grants and contracts income not included above.

UK-based charities includes all research grants and contracts income from all charitable foundations, charitable trusts, etc. based in the UK which are registered with the Charities Commission or those recognised as charities by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) in Scotland. Income from UK-based charities is split between those with an open competitive process for the allocation of funds and other charities.

UK-based charities (open competitive process) includes research grants or contracts income from UK-based charities that was available to more than one institution through direct competition, awarded to the institution that demonstrated the highest quality research proposal according to external peer review. It also includes grants where it can be shown that the charity took external expert advice on its choice of institution, and either the charity had made it known that it was open to grant applications from other institutions, even though an open invitation to bid for the particular grant was not issued; or the charity restricted the funding opportunity on a reasoned basis in that particular requirements of the project could only be met by a limited number of institutions (i.e. where a project required highly specialist expertise or facilities, or a specific regional focus).

UK-based charities (other) includes research grants or contracts income from UK-based charities that does not meet the definition of open competition.

UK central government bodies, local authorities, health & hospital authorities includes all research grants and contract income from UK central government bodies, UK local authorities and UK health and hospital authorities, except Research Councils and UK public corporations. This includes government departments and other organisations (including registered charities) financed from central government funds. Research grants and contracts from non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) such as the British Council are also included in this source of income.

UK industry, commerce & public corporations includes all research grants and contracts income from industrial and commercial companies and public corporations (defined as publicly owned trading bodies, usually statutory organisations with a substantial degree of financial independence) operating in the UK.

EU government bodies includes all research grants and contracts income from all government bodies operating in the EU, which includes the European Commission, but excludes bodies in the UK.

EU-based charities (open competitive process) includes research grants or contracts income from EU bodies with exclusively charitable purposes (consistent with the definition set out in the Charities Act 2006 and which exists for the public benefit in a manner which is consistent with the Public Benefit Guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales), that was available to more than one institution through direct competition, awarded to the institution that demonstrated the highest quality research proposal according to external peer review. It also includes grants where it can be shown that the charity took external expert advice on its choice of institution, and either the charity had made it known that it was open to grant applications from other institutions, even though an open invitation to bid for the particular grant was not issued; or the charity restricted the funding opportunity on a reasoned basis in that particular requirements of the project could only be met by a limited number of institutions (i.e. where a project required highly specialist expertise or facilities, or a specific regional focus).

EU industry, commerce & public corporations includes all research grants and contracts income from industrial and commercial companies and public corporations (defined as publicly owned trading bodies, usually statutory corporations, with a substantial degree of financial independence) operating in the EU outside of the UK.

EU other includes all research grants and contracts income from EU-based non-competitive charities and any other EU income not otherwise specified.

Non-EU-based charities (open competitive process) includes research grants or contracts income from non-EU bodies with exclusively charitable purposes (consistent with the definition set out in the Charities Act 2006 and which exists for the public benefit in a manner which is consistent with the Public Benefit Guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales), that was available to more than one institution through direct competition, awarded to the institution that demonstrated the highest quality research proposal according to external peer review. It also includes grants where it can be shown that the charity took external expert advice on its choice of institution, and either the charity had made it known that it was open to grant applications from other institutions, even though an open invitation to bid for the particular grant was not issued; or the charity restricted the funding opportunity on a reasoned basis in that particular requirements of the project could only be met by a limited number of institutions (i.e. where a project required highly specialist expertise or facilities, or a specific regional focus).

Non-EU industry, commerce & public corporations includes all research grants and contracts income from industrial and commercial companies and public corporations (defined as publicly owned trading bodies, usually statutory corporations, with a substantial degree of financial independence) operating outside the EU.

Non-EU other includes all research grants and contracts income from all non-EU-based non-competitive charities and any other non-EU income not otherwise specified.

Other sources includes all research grants and contracts income not covered above. This includes income from other higher education institutions (HEIs) where the HEI is the original contractor.

Other income

Other income - other services rendered

This includes all income in respect of services rendered to outside bodies, including the supply of goods and consultancies.

UK central government bodies, local authorities, health & hospital authorities and EU government bodies includes all non-research income from UK central government bodies, non-departmental public bodies, UK local authorities and UK health and hospital authorities (except any included under tuition fees & education contracts), plus all non-research income from all government bodies operating in the EU, including the European Commission but excluding the UK. This includes European Social Fund (ESF) grants.

Other includes all non-research income for services rendered to industrial and commercial companies and public corporations. It includes all validation fees for courses such as those run by other institutions.

Other income – other

This includes all other income not included in other services rendered.

Residences & catering operations (including conferences) includes the gross income from residences, catering and conference operations.

Grants from local authorities includes income from local authorities providing capital or revenue for the purpose to which the grant will be applied.

Income from health & hospital authorities (excluding teaching contracts for student provision) includes income received from UK health or hospital authorities for the funding of any employees of the institution, including posts in academic teaching, except for those relating to the provision of a service, and excluding income provided for research.

Release of deferred capital grants includes an institution’s capital grant from a source other than a Funding Council, to finance, or partly finance, the construction or acquisition of a fixed asset.

Income from intellectual property rights includes all income received from intellectual property rights such as licences and patents.

Other operating income includes all other operating income not covered above such as Trans-European Mobility Scheme for University Studies (TEMPUS) and European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS) grants.

Endowment & investment income

This includes income from specific endowment asset investments, general endowment asset investments, other investment income and other interest receivable.

Expenditure activities

Academic departments

This includes all expenditure directly incurred by or on behalf of academic departments (including departments of continuing education) and expenditure incurred in connection with special and short courses, which is not reimbursable by research councils or other bodies in respect of work carried out on their behalf.

Academic services

This includes expenditure incurred on centralised academic services such as the library and learning resource centres, central computers and computer networks (including maintenance and operating costs), expenditure on centrally run museums, galleries and observatories, and any other general academic services not covered elsewhere.

Administration & central services

This includes expenditure incurred on central administration, staff and student facilities and amenities and general educational expenditure.

Premises

This includes all expenditure incurred (whether centrally or departmentally) on the management of premises (including academic buildings, central academic services, art centres, institution’s health service premises, pavilions, sports buildings, etc) and on roads and grounds, except residences and catering.

Residences & catering operations (including conferences)

This includes the gross expenditure incurred in providing the residence, catering and any conference operations, including the cost of maintenance of residential and catering premises, salaries and any other identifiable costs relating to these operations. The depreciation costs and financing costs of these operations are included in the appropriate categories of expenditure.

Research grants & contracts

This includes the total of the direct costs attributed to research grants & contracts as detailed for research grants & contracts income.

Other expenditure

This includes the total direct costs attributed to other services rendered and all other expenditure not covered above.

Categories of expenditure

Staff costs covers the costs of all staff for whom the institution is liable to pay Class 1 National Insurance contributions and/or who have a contract of employment with the institution, and includes any redundancy or restructuring payments (that are not treated as exceptional items) made to these staff. It includes costs in respect of academic professionals (Standard Occupational Classification Group 2A, as defined in the HESA Staff record), whose primary function is planning, directing and undertaking academic teaching and/or research, and all other staff, paid from within the budgets of academic departments and allocated to the appropriate cost centre.

Other costs includes other operating expenses (costs in respect of payments to non-contracted staff or individuals, all other non-staff costs except for depreciation and interest payable, equipment which has not been depreciated, expenditure on maintenance contracts and telephone costs (calls, rental and non-capitalised equipment) if not charged to departments), depreciation (depreciation costs on capitalised equipment according to where the assets being depreciated are located) and interest and other finance costs (costs in respect of interest payable on premises, residences and catering operations (including conferences), and other expenditure).

F. UCAS data

Coverage

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) system processes applications for full-time higher education courses, sandwich first degree, foundation degree, Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE), Higher National Diploma (HND) and Higher National Certificate (HNC) courses. These include member institutions in the United Kingdom (UK). The Nursing and Midwifery Admissions Service, through which applications for diploma-level courses were previously made, merged with UCAS for the 2008 entry cycle.

The UCAS member institutions include all UK universities (with the exception of The Open University and those colleges of the University of London (Institutes and activities) which do not offer full-time undergraduate courses), most colleges and institutes of higher education (HE) and some colleges of further education (FE).

The number of member institutions in the UCAS scheme can vary from year to year due to institutions joining (or leaving) the UCAS scheme, and institutional mergers. In the 2009 entry cycle there were 312 member institutions.

Population

Applicants are those who sent an application form to UCAS containing at least one first degree, foundation degree, DipHE, HND, HNC, ADN (Advanced Diploma of Nursing), DNM (Diploma of Nursing & Midwifery) or GDN (Graduate Diploma of Nursing & Midwifery) course application to a UCAS member institution. Each applicant is permitted to make up to five applications on the application form (six applications in 2007 and before). Applicants are classed as home (UK) or overseas based on the area of permanent residence given by them on the application form. There is no direct correlation between the classification used in these UCAS tables and that used as a basis for fees assessment.

Applications data is the sum of applications from applicants who submitted their application at any time before 30 June but excludes direct applicants and those applicants who applied directly into Clearing. Direct applicants include those who returned a Record of Prior Acceptance (RPA) or an Overseas Partnership Form (OPF).

UCAS Extra gives applicants holding no offers the chance to make additional applications prior to Clearing, providing them with the opportunity to be accepted at an earlier stage in the application cycle.

Accepted applicants are those who were offered and subsequently accepted a place at a UCAS member institution regardless of the route taken. Accepted applicant data includes applicants who were accepted for deferred entry.

Classification of academic subjects

UCAS subject classifications now employ the Joint Academic Coding System (JACS). For more information on JACS coding please see the UCAS website: www.ucas.com/he_staff/datamanagement/jacs/. The subjects now use JACS version 2.0.

Where data on subject group is tabulated for UCAS applicants, the preferred subject group is used since an applicant may submit applications to different subject areas. An applicant’s preferred subject is classified as the subject area for which the applicant makes the majority of his or her applications. If no such majority exists, the applicant is classified as having no preferred subject.

Ethnic origin

Applicants are asked to record their ethnic origin on the UCAS application form. This information is only coded for UK domiciled applicants and provision is not obligatory.

Disability

Applicants are asked to declare any disability on the UCAS application form. Provision of this information is voluntary and applicants are advised that they may choose only to inform the institutions to which they apply directly. Disability data is only reported for UK domiciled applicants.

Region of domicile and region of institution

The region of domicile for UK applicants and the region of institutions are categorised using Government Office Regions (GOR).

UCAS Extra

UCAS Extra was introduced in the 2003 entry cycle. This gives applicants holding no offers the chance to make additional applications prior to Clearing, providing them with the opportunity to be accepted at an earlier stage in the application cycle.

Adjustment

Adjustment was introduced in the 2009 entry cycle. Eligible applicants can use Adjustment to look for an alternative place while remaining Unconditional Firm (UF) at their original place.

G. Student loans data

The numbers of students taking out loans, and the amounts borrowed, have been obtained from the Students Loans Company.

New student support arrangements in higher education came into effect from the start of the 1998/99 academic year. New entrants to HE were, with certain specified exceptions, expected to contribute up to £1,000 a year (£1,285 in 2009/10) towards the cost of their tuition fees, except for those students entering in or after 2006/07 who are subject to variable fees. The amount depended on their own and, if appropriate, their parents' or spouse's income. The remainder is met from public funds and paid directly to HE institutions.

In the transitional year of the new arrangements, academic year 1998/99, some students who were not expecting to receive a contribution to their fees from public funds did not make an application to their Local Authority.

In 1998/99, eligible new entrants received support for living costs through both grants and loans. Grants, which were assessed against family income, on average formed about a quarter of the support available. All students were entitled to a non income-assessed loan, which comprised the remaining three quarters of support available, and which is repayable on an income contingent basis. From 1999/2000, all basic support for living costs through loans as grants were discontinued up until the introduction of the Higher Education Grant (HEG) in 2004/05 (apart from the Assembly Learning Grant introduced for Welsh domiciled students from 2002/03 but eventually replaced partly by the HEG).

The HEG was introduced for new entrants into HE in England and Wales in academic year 2004/05 to help cover the costs of participating in HE. The grant is fully means tested and is non-repayable. The maximum amount in 2009/10 is £1,000 as in 2004/05. The HEG does not reduce the amount of Student Loan available to the student.

Expenditure on the HEG forms part of the expenditure on Maintenance reported in Table 19c.

Maintenance expenditure for England and Wales specific to the HE Grant in 2009/10 was reported in SLC SFR 06/2009 and 07/2009.

The amount available to students through loans was increased to compensate for the reduction in grants until 1999/2000 from which point onwards students received their basic support for living costs solely through loans, approximately one quarter of which are income-assessed. However, maintenance grants have since been reintroduced beginning with the HE grant in 2004/05.

Repayment of student support scheme loans is linked to income after leaving university or college so that leavers only repay as and when they can afford to. Repayments are at the rate of 9% of income above the income threshold (which was £10,000 up until the end of March 2005 and then £15,000 for all borrowers from April 2005 onwards). A new Maintenance Grant (England) and Assembly Learning Grant (ALG) (Wales) was introduced for 'new system' students who started their course in September 2006. This replaces the HE Grant. The maximum amount of support available in 2009/10 is £2,906 a year, and how much a student receives depends on their income and that of their household. Students receive the full grant of £2,906 if they are 2008 or 2009 entrants with a household income up to £25,000 (in England only) or a continuing 'current system' student with a household income up to £18,360 (£18,370 in Wales). Students receive a partial grant with a minimum grant of £50 if they are 2009 entrants with a household income up to £50,020 (in England only) or a continuing 'current system' student with a household income up to £39,333 (£39,329 in Wales). No grant is payable where household income is above £39,333 (£39,329 in Wales). These grants are non-repayable. The equivalent special support grant ensures that students in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) vulnerable groups have their grant disregarded when entitlement to benefits is calculated.

From September 2006 'new system' students studying in England are subject to tuition fees (up to £3,225 in 2009/10). In Wales, variable fees were introduced a year later, in September 2007. Loans to cover the cost of fees are available, which students start to repay when they have left higher education and are earning over £15,000. In Wales the non means-tested Tuition Fee Grant of up to £1,845 came into force in 2007/08 (£1,940 in 2009/10). This grant is for Welsh domiciled and EU 'new system' students (i.e. those entering under the 2006/07 regulations and subject to variable fees) who are studying in Wales. The grant effectively limits the fee charged to this group of students to a maximum of £1,285 in 2009/10.

Students can defer payment of tuition fees by taking out a Tuition Fee loan. As well as being available to 'new system' students, this option is also available to pre-2006/07 entrants if they make a full or partial contribution to their fixed fees.

Data in tables 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d are taken from two Statistical First Release (SFR) documents published on 25 November 2009 by the Student Loans Company. These SFRs are available from SLC, 100 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JD, or from: www.slc.co.uk/statistics/national_statistics.html.

The information in the SFR will be updated annually in November.

H. International comparisons data

The Department for Education (DfE) supplies summary statistics, on behalf of the UK, to a joint questionnaire compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Statistical Office of the European Communities (EUROSTAT) and the Statistical Office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO-UIS). Table 20 has been compiled using data supplied by various countries to the international bodies and in particular, data derived from the OECD's own annual publication, 'Education at a Glance'. There are inevitably a number of problems of comparability and interpretation in using this table, and readers are advised to read the footnotes carefully. The main aspects to be borne in mind are:

The underlying educational systems need to be understood, as far as possible, in interpreting these comparisons. As an aid to understanding the differences between the various countries, up to date information about the different educational systems in the European Union is available from, EURYDICE at NFER, The Mere, Upton Park, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 2DQ (website: www.nfer.ac.uk/Eurydice). Or see the European EURYDICE Unit website: www.eurydice.org.
Within HE three sub-divisions of tertiary education are recognised internationally. These are known as ISCED levels 5A, 5B and 6 (the International Standard Classification of Education). Level 5A courses are largely theoretically based and designed to provide entry to advanced research programmes and professions with high skill requirements. They have a minimum of three years full-time equivalent duration. These programmes are not exclusively offered at universities; conversely, not all university programmes fulfil the criteria to be classified as tertiary-type 5A. In the UK, first and higher degree qualifications (excluding PhDs) are included at this level. Level 5B qualifications are more practically-oriented and occupationally specific than programmes at ISCED 5A. They have a minimum of two years' full-time equivalent duration and are focused on equipping students for direct entry into the labour market, although some theoretical foundations may be covered in these programmes. In the UK these comprise 'sub degree' qualifications such as the DipHE, BTEC Higher National Diploma/Certificate (HND/HNC), nursing, and other professional qualifications. Level 6 is reserved for advanced research qualifications - in the UK, the PhD is included at this level.
Although renewed efforts have been made to standardise education classifications, through a revised ISCED (1997), the definition of HE may be interpreted slightly differently by different countries. In some countries the masters degree is the first degree in higher education and in others, the higher education system is oriented towards vocationally-based, level 5B courses, considered to be of an equal standing to level 5A courses. ISCED97 is itself currently under review with a revised and updated version expected to be ready for implementation in 2011.
The range of public and private provision and definition of the public/private sectors will vary from country to country.
Participation rates can be influenced by a number of factors including varying course lengths and drop-out rates.
Graduation rates from Tertiary-type A and Tertiary-type B programmes are calculated on a 'gross' basis i.e. by dividing an unduplicated count of graduates (taken from the UOE GRAD questionnaire) by the population at the 'typical' age of graduation.
In the case of Tertiary-type A (i.e. degree) courses, OECD took the average of the UK 21, 22, 23 and 24 year old population to be the population at the 'typical age of graduation'.
Graduation rates from advanced research (i.e. PhD) programmes continued to be calculated on a 'net' basis i.e. the sum over all 'x' of PhD graduates aged 'x' divided by population aged 'x'. Both these methods give a measure of the "lifetime chance" of graduating from tertiary education, based on current patterns.
Regarding entry rate figures, although OECD's method is based on the same principle as the Department's Initial Entry Rate (IER) (e.g. it uses HESA's 'entry code' field to distinguish between first year students entering HE for the first time and students re-entering HE), OECD's figures should not be compared to the IER, and this indicator should not be used to measure how other countries fare against the UK's '50%' HE participation target. One difference is that all HE students are included in the OECD count, whereas the IER excludes students on very short courses and overseas students. The main difference, though, is that the IER calculations use sophisticated methods to exclude double-counting of entrants, and the IER only refers to England, rather than the UK.

I. The Labour Force Survey and Annual Population Survey data

This section is included to give a broad indication of the output of the United Kingdom (UK) higher education (HE) system - that which can be gained by looking at the proportion of the adult population of the UK who hold HE qualifications. Time series comparisons show the impact that the HE experience is having on the general population over time.

The two statistics show the percentage of the UK population with HE qualifications, by age and gender, over time, and the percentage of the UK population with postgraduate qualifications, by age and gender, also over time.

These statistics are based on external data sources - the Labour Force Survey, the Local Area Database, the Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey and, from 2004, the Annual Population Survey. These are run by The Office for National Statistics and cover the whole of the UK.

The sample is equivalent to approximately a half percent of the adult population of the UK. The sampling strategy is such that the surveys have a rotating panel of respondents. Households are asked to remain in the survey for 4 or 5 interviews or 'waves'. Thus each dataset contains respondents being interviewed for the first time along with others being interviewed for the second, third, and fourth or final time.

A respondent can provide information for other household members who may not be present to be interviewed; these are called 'proxy interviews'. Around one third of data is collected through proxy interviews. It is possible that data are less accurate than they would be if each adult answered the survey individually.

For most of the UK, households are chosen from a postcode address file. The majority of first interviews are carried out face to face and 70% of recall interviews are by telephone. However, due to the sparse population north of the Caledonian Canal in Scotland, households are chosen from the published telephone directory and interviews are conducted by telephone primarily to reduce costs. The questions asked by telephone interviewers are the same as those which are asked face to face, and interviewers are extensively trained and monitored in order to ensure the data they record is accurate.

The survey covers people of all ages, including the employed, inactive and unemployed. Qualification information is asked of those of working age and those above working age who are in employment. Students living in halls of residence are included in the household survey of the parental address.

Notes on coverage

It should be noted that there is a certain discontinuity in following through those who have had the HE experience because the classification of HE qualifications and postgraduate qualifications used for the Labour Force Survey is different from that used by HESA.

It should also be noted that in looking at the impact of HE on the general population, some of the UK population will have gained their qualifications outside the UK, or at private higher education institutions (HEIs), or further education colleges in the UK, and/or on a part-time basis. Others will have gained HE qualifications at publicly-funded HEIs in the UK, but then left the UK.

There have also been significant changes in how HE data has been collected by ONS over the time period displayed. Households within the Main Labour Force Survey (LFS) are asked to take part for five interviews or 'waves', each being three months apart. Main LFS datasets are published quarterly and cover a period of three months. Thus each quarter some households leave and others join the survey. Between 1996 and 1999 the Main LFS data was used to construct an annual dataset; this data source is known as the Local Area Database (LADB). To construct this dataset wave 1 and wave 5 cases were combined for a 12 month period; this ensures that respondents only appear once in the dataset. This was developed into the Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey (ALALFS), which runs from 2000 to 2003. This again takes wave 1 and wave 5 cases of the Main LFS but now adds a 'boost' sample. Initially the 'boost' was just for England but later a 'boost' was also introduced for Wales and Scotland. An additional boost was added to England in 2004 when the dataset became known as the Annual Population Survey (APS), the additional boost was however dropped in 2006, so the APS, from 2006 to the present, has the same structure as the ALALFS. The 'boost' households are asked to take part for four interviews or 'waves', each being 12 months apart; these respondents are asked a subset of the LFS questions. Currently a quarterly Main LFS dataset contains around 120,000 individuals and an APS dataset contains around 340,000 individuals. This analysis uses the annual datasets described above; the LADB in 1999, and the APS in 2004 and 2009.

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Definitions - Higher Education Statistics 2008/09

Rounding strategy

Subject of study and JACS codes

Specification of JACS

Course codes

Apportionment

Subject areas

A. HESA student data

Coverage

Full-time equivalent

Mode of study

(Applicable to HESA populations except the qualifications obtained population)

Level of study/Qualification obtained

Classification of first degrees

Initial teacher training (ITT)

First year students

Domicile

Age

Gender

Highest qualification on entry

Location of institution

Major source of tuition fees

B. HESA aggregate offshore data

Coverage

Location of provision

Level of provision

Type of provision

Students registered at a UK higher education institution

Students studying for an award of a UK higher education institution

C. HESA Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) data

Reference dates

Coverage

Level of qualification obtained

Mode of study

Age

Gender

Employment circumstances and Study circumstances

Matrix of Employment circumstances and Study circumstances:

Employment

Location of employment

Duration of employment

The Standard Occupational Classification

D. HESA staff data

Coverage

Full-person equivalent

Atypical full-person equivalent

Mode of employment

Source of basic salary

Academic employment function

Location of institution

SOC - Occupational coding for higher education staff

Activity

Salary range

Gender

E. HESA Finance Statistics Return data

Coverage

Income

Sources of income

Funding body grants

Tuition fees & education contracts

Research grants & contracts

Other income

Endowment & investment income

Expenditure activities

Academic departments

Academic services

Administration & central services

Premises

Residences & catering operations (including conferences)

Research grants & contracts

Other expenditure

Categories of expenditure

F. UCAS data

Coverage

Population

Classification of academic subjects

Ethnic origin

Disability

Region of domicile and region of institution