Skip to main content
Publications » Higher Education Statistics for the UK 2011/12 » Notes to tables

Notes to tables - Higher Education Statistics 2011/12

  1. Figures for FE institutions in England were obtained from The Data Service and based on the final Individualised Learner Record (ILR) FE 11/12. Figures were supplied as a census count (snapshot date) as at 1 December 2011 where full-time full year students are normally required to attend more than 450 guided learning hours. From 2010/11, The Data Service has re-categorised some of the qualifications that form the Postgraduate, First degree and Other undergraduate groups in order to more closely align with the HESA definitions.

  2. Figures for FE institutions in Wales were obtained from the Lifelong Learning Wales Record (LLWR) data collection. The count is of learners pursuing Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) funded learning activities where full-time students are those with 450 or more guided contact hours per year.

  3. Figures for FE institutions in Scotland were supplied by the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC) as a session count (actively studying anytime during the academic year). Full-time students are those normally required to attend an institution for periods equal to 480 hours or more within the year of programme of study.

  4. Figures for FE institutions in Northern Ireland were supplied by the Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland (DEL(NI)) as a full-year count for the 2011/12 academic year. Full-time students are those normally required to attend an institution for periods amounting to a minimum of 15 hours per week, with at least seven sessions a week.

  5. FE students, in the same way as HE students, are counted as an instance of engagement with the institution. As a student can have more than one instance of engagement, the total FE figure will exceed the number of students. Due to the nature of FE programmes, it is likely that the average number of instances per FE student is slightly higher than the average number of instances per HE student.

  6. A number of HEIs with significant levels of FE provision agreed with the Funding Councils and the former Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to no longer make dual returns to both LSC and HESA. In 2007/08 and 2008/09 these HEIs only made a return for this provision to LSC. From 2009/10 these HEIs only made a return for this provision to the Data Service.

  7. Analyses of subject information show Full Person Equivalents (FPE). These are derived by splitting student instances between the different subjects that make up their course aim.

  8. Total UK domicile includes UK domicile region unknown.

  9. Total UK domicile includes Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man and UK domicile region unknown.

  10. Total non-UK domicile includes non-UK domicile region unknown.

  11. Students of indeterminate gender are included in total figures and percentage calculations but not in separate breakdowns.

  12. Initial Teacher Training (ITT) PGCE qualifications obtained includes both Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE at level M) and Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE at level H).

  13. UK LEA mandatory/discretionary awards includes the Student Awards Agency for Scotland and the Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland (DEL(NI)).

  14. First degree data submitted without a classification is included in total first degree figures but not in separate breakdowns.

  15. Students of unknown age are included in total figures and percentage calculations but not in separate age breakdowns.

  16. Percentage of known destination excludes those who replied to the survey but explicitly refused to give information, and is expressed as a percentage of all students from whom a destination of leavers record was expected.

  17. Unemployed includes those who replied to the survey indicating they were 'due to start work', but did not indicate that they were working and/or in further study on the reference date.

  18. Staff of indeterminate gender are included in total figures but not in separate breakdowns.

  19. In tables where comparisons are made between HESA FSR figures for the latest financial year 2011/12 and the previous financial year(s), the figures for the previous financial year(s) are those reported in the re-stated financial statements.

  20. The list of institutions in the HESA products for 2011/12 has changed:
    • Leeds College of Art joined the HE sector
    • Leeds College of Music left the HE sector
    • Edinburgh College of Art merged with The University of Edinburgh
    • The School of Pharmacy merged with University College London in January 2012. Both institutions continued to make separate returns for the 2011/12 HESA reporting period. A single return will be made in 2012/13.
  21. The following institution has changed its name in the HESA products for 2011/12:
    • Scottish Agricultural College changed to SRUC.
  22. University of London is a confederal organisation. The colleges of the university, shown separately in the HESA reference volumes, are:
    • Birkbeck College
    • The Institute of Cancer Research
    • Central School of Speech and Drama
    • Courtauld Institute of Art
    • Goldsmiths College
    • Heythrop College
    • Institute of Education
    • King’s College London
    • London Business School
    • London School of Economics and Political Science
    • London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
    • Queen Mary and Westfield College
    • Royal Academy of Music
    • Royal Holloway and Bedford New College
    • The Royal Veterinary College
    • St. George’s Hospital Medical School
    • The School of Oriental and African Studies
    • The School of Pharmacy
    • University College London.

    In addition, the institutes within the umbrella of University of London (Institutes and activities) are:

    • University of London Institute in Paris
    • University Marine Biological Station, Millport
    • School of Advanced Study comprises:
      • Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
      • Institute of Classical Studies
      • Institute of Commonwealth Studies
      • Institute of English Studies
      • Institute of Germanic Studies and Romance Studies
      • Institute of Historical Research
      • Institute of Musical Research
      • Institute of Philosophy
      • Institute for the Study of the Americas
      • Warburg Institute.

  23. In 2011/12 the University of Ulster returned students enrolled from a new partnership with Queen Anne Business School, which includes significant numbers of Non-EU students. This is reflected in the increase in Non-EU students for Northern Ireland institutions.

  24. In 2011/12, several institutions re-classified their nursing courses from a diploma of HE to a first degree. The 2011/12 data shows a rise from 2010/11 in first year first degree Nursing students and a drop in first year other undergraduate Nursing students. Nursing students are grouped within the 'Subjects allied to medicine' subject area.

  25. In 2011/12, students registered at Oxford Brookes University accounted for 44.1% of the total population of the Aggregate offshore record. The majority of these students were registered with an overseas partner on Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) programmes.

  26. In 2011/12, as a result of a clarification in the coverage, several institutions returned a substantial number of additional students in the Aggregate offshore record when compared to 2010/11. These increases do not represent new provision, but rather represent previously unreported students registered with an overseas partner for an award validated by the UK institution. Coventry University and The Open University show notable increases.

© Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited 2013