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Introduction - Resources 2003/04

This publication is one of four reference volumes published annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). HESA is a company limited by guarantee, and is owned by the United Kingdom (UK) higher education sector through the representative bodies Universities UK and the Standing Conference of Principals. HESA collects data from publicly-funded higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK on behalf of funding bodies and government departments, in a framework underpinned by legislation.

This volume brings together information about the finances and the staff of HEIs during the academic year 2003/04 that is, the period 1 August 2003 to 31 July 2004. It covers data supplied by 171 HEIs (133 in England, 141 in Wales, 20 in Scotland, 4 in Northern Ireland). The data collection procedure is uniform across all institutions, regardless of size, nature and location. Tabulations are included that record and analyse income and expenditure, and the characteristics of staff, at the sector level in the printed volume, and on the CD also at the institutional level.

The other reference volumes published by HESA are as follows.

Students in Higher Education Institutions. This volume draws on HESA’s collection of data about students in HEIs. It includes information at the institutional level about entry qualifications, programmes taken and outcomes, together with background variables such as age, gender, ethnicity and disability. Data on HE provision in further education colleges (FECs) is not included in this volume except for students funded indirectly through HEIs, in which case it is reported by the HEI through which funding passes.

Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education. This volume draws on the Destinations of Leavers from HE (DLHE) survey and provides information about patterns of employment and further study or training at a point about six months after completion. DLHE covers leavers from part-time as well as full-time programmes.

Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom. This is the only HESA reference volume that currently falls within the National Statistics framework, and it accordingly carries the National Statistics logo as well as that of HESA. It provides an overview of higher education in the UK from a statistical perspective, including statistics about applications, participation, institutional finance, staffing, student awards and loans. To achieve this broad coverage, this volume draws on data collected by other bodies as well as HESA, and in particular includes some information about directly funded HE provision in FECs.

HESA also publishes annually two Statistical First Releases within the National Statistics framework; the Higher Education Management Statistics at sector and (on CD) institutional level and detailed data for institutional planning purposes on CD (HE Planning Plus and HE Finance Plus). Research Datapacks dealing with specific issues are produced on an occasional basis on CD. The HESA Information Provision Service exists to meet more specialist needs of data users on a bespoke basis.

Data protection

In order to comply with 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 minimise the risk of disclosure of personal information about any individual. The tabulations in the volume are derived from the HESA non-statutory populations2 and may differ slightly from those published by related statutory bodies or in National Statistics publications. This strategy involves rounding all numbers to the nearest multiple of 5. A summary of this strategy is as follows:

  1. 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0
  2. 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, 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 usually be affected by the above strategy, and will be calculated on precise raw numbers.

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 less.

Format of publications

Commencing with the 2002/03 cycle of publications, HESA reference volumes now comprise a relatively slim printed volume containing only a limited range of tables, together with a CD, which contains all the remaining data familiar to users from earlier years, supplemented with additional and more detailed tables. The tables on the CD are in Microsoft® Excel 2000 format. This has the further benefit of allowing users to select data from the tables and manipulate how it is displayed. However, arithmetical manipulations should be carried out with caution because of the effect of the rounding strategy described above.

Finance data

This commentary draws attention to some of the headline figures and key points that emerge from the main tables. The information is displayed graphically where appropriate. It should be noted that where comparisons are made between the latest financial year and a previous year, the figures for the previous year are as re-stated in the most recent financial statements available; any exceptions are noted explicitly. They are not therefore necessarily reconcilable with figures for that year published in previous HESA volumes. However, it is understood that all such figures can be reconciled to the published accounts of the institutions.

Because of rounding, published totals in finance tables may differ from the sum of the published figures that contribute to them.

Summary of key points

Balance sheet

Tangible assets have increased by £1,577 million (9.8%).

There has been a substantial increase of £314 million in short-term borrowing but also an increase of £178 million in short-term investments.

Income and expenditure

Income during the year amounted to £16.9 billion.

The surplus of income over expenditure was £241 million.

Sources of income

Funding council grants increased by £467 million (7.7%).

The amount of income received from tuition fees and education grants & contracts increased by 8.9%. EU domiciled students (including UK domiciled students) charged full-time HE course standard fees accounted for 33.3% of income from those sources.

Research councils provided 30.7% of research grants & contracts, the largest share of the total.

Expenditure

The £1,153 million (7.4%) rise in total expenditure was the result of broadly similar percentage rises in each of staff costs (£696 million), other operating expenses (£390 million) and depreciation, but there was very little increase in interest payable.

Balance sheet

A comparison of the HE sector’s balance sheet at 31 July 2004 with that at 31 July 2003 shows a £314 million increase in short-term creditors while amounts due after more than one year have increased by £240 million. There was an increase of £96 million in debtors.

The value of tangible assets has increased by £1,577 million (9.8%), and endowment assets have increased by £181 million (7.6%). Endowments (specific and general) have also increased by £181 million from last year, compared with an increase of £34 million from 2002 to 2003.

Table A - Balance sheet(#3)
  Balance (£ thousands) as at 31 July
  2004 2003 Change % change
Fixed assets
  Tangible assets 17743452 16166684 1576768 9.8%
  Investments 599407 574141 25266 4.4%
  Total 18342859 16740825 1602034 9.6%
Endowment assets 2569785 2389055 180730 7.6%
Current assets
  Stock 60585 64260 -3675 -5.7%
  Debtors 2052738 1956831 95907 4.9%
  Investments 1866199 1688023 178176 10.6%
  Cash at bank & in hand 974603 804421 170182 21.2%
  Total 4954125 4513535 440590 9.8%
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 3846007 3532413 313594 8.9%
Net current assets 1108118 981122 126996 12.9%
Total assets less current liabilities 22020762 20111002 1909760 9.5%
Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year 3192086 2951991 240095 8.1%
Provisions for liabilities & charges 547512 516066 31446 6.1%
Net assets 18281164 16642945 1638219 9.8%
Deferred capital grants 5361090 4612952 748138 16.2%
Endowments
  Specific 2121643 1981259 140384 7.1%
  General 449380 409055 40325 9.9%
  Total 2571023 2390314 180709 7.6%
Reserves 10349051 9639679 709372 7.4%
Total 18281164 16642945 1638219 9.8%
# see relevant footnote in Notes to Tables.

Income and expenditure

The income of the HE sector totalled £16.9 billion during the financial year to 31 July 2004; this compares with £15.7 billion for the previous year. The surplus of income over expenditure increased from £218 million in 2002/03 to £241 million in 2003/04.

Table B - Total income and expenditure, financial years 2003/04 and 2002/03(#3)
    (£ thousands)
  2003/04 2002/03 % change
Income 16867041 15691291 7.5%
Expenditure 16625712 15473150 7.4%
Surplus/deficit(#4) 241329 218141 10.6%
Surplus/deficit(#4) as percentage of income 1.4% 1.4%  
# see relevant footnote in Notes to Tables.

To provide the context for these figures, Chart 1 shows the HE sector’s surplus/deficit (re-based and re-calculated as appropriate) for each of the years for which HESA now has data. Data were returned to HESA for financial year 1993/94 onwards; figures for these financial years are set out in earlier editions of this volume.

Surplus/deficit of income over expenditure, 1993/94 to 2003/04

The number of institutions reporting a surplus or breakeven was 130 in 2003/04, compared with 122 in 2002/03; in each year the total number of reporting institutions was 171. Deficits in both financial years were reported by 21 institutions.

The final table in this section aggregates figures for institutions funded by each of the four UK countries’ funding councils. It should be noted that in this and other tables, The Open University is counted as an institution based in England.

Table C - Income and expenditure by UK country(#3)
                  (£ thousands)
  Financial Year 2003/04     Financial Year 2002/03
Location of Institution Income Expenditure Surplus/ deficit(#4) % of income   Income Expenditure Surplus/ deficit(#4) % of income
England 13890631 13685548 205083 1.5%   12860837 12673302 187535 1.5%
Wales 799019 786891 12128 1.5%   748996 732374 16622 2.2%
Scotland 1824029 1813368 10661 0.6%   1763755 1749149 14606 0.8%
Northern Ireland 353362 339905 13457 3.8%   317703 318325 -622 -0.2%
Total 16867041 16625712 241329 1.4%   15691291 15473150 218141 1.4%
# see relevant footnote in Notes to Tables.

Income

The table and chart below summarise institutions’ sources of income in terms of proportions contributed by and the growth or otherwise of each source over time.

Table D - Sources of income(#3)
    (£ thousands)
  2003/04 2002/03 % change
Funding council grants 6516597 6049216 7.7%
Tuition fees & education grants & contracts 4078976 3747081 8.9%
Research grants & contracts 2714591 2597074 4.5%
Other income 3320439 3061975 8.4%
Endowment & investment income 236438 235945 0.2%
Total income 16867041 15691291 7.5%
# see relevant footnote in Notes to Tables.

Sources of income 1999/2000 to 2003/04

Funding council grants represent a 38.6% proportion of total income. Tuition fees and education grants & contracts represent a 24.2% proportion of total income. These proportions are very close to those for 2002/03. Previous years’ figures are those reported in the re-stated financial statements.

Funding council grants

Institutional funds for academic and other purposes are allocated primarily by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) and by the Department for Employment and Learning for Northern Ireland (DELNI) acting as a funding agency for the four Northern Ireland higher education institutions. Some funds are also provided in England by the Department of Health (DH) and the Teacher Training Agency (TTA). In relation to some categories of FE teaching funding comes from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in England and Education and Training Wales (ELWa). (In Scotland it is impossible to disaggregate the funding of FE teaching.)

Table E - Breakdown of funding council grants 2003/04
  (£ thousands)
    % of total
HE provision(#5)
  Recurrent - teaching 4393791 67.4%
  Recurrent - research 1300488 20.0%
  Recurrent - other (inc. special funding) 575226 8.8%
  Release of deferred capital grants - buildings 85962 1.3%
  Release of deferred capital grants - equipment 72527 1.1%
FE provision(#6) 88603 1.4%
Total funding council grants 6516597 100.0%
# see relevant footnote in Notes to Tables.

Tuition fees and education grants and contracts

The total income for tuition fees and education grants & contracts increased by 8.9% this year to £4.08 billion from £3.75 billion in 2002/03. Income from overseas (non-EC) students provided 31.3% of income in this category.

Table F - Income from tuition fees and education grants and contracts 2003/04
    (£ thousands)
    % of total
HE course fees
  Full-time UK & EC domiciled students charged standard fees 1359488 33.3%
  Full-time UK & EC domiciled students charged non-standard fees 645650 15.8%
  Part-time HE course fees 447064 11.0%
  Overseas (Non-EC) 1275358 31.3%
  Sub-total HE course fees 3727560 91.4%
Non-credit-bearing course fees 284229 7.0%
FE course fees 22581 0.6%
Research training support grants 44606 1.1%
Total tuition fees & education grants & contracts 4078976 100.0%

Research grants and contracts

Research grants & contracts increased by 4.5% this year to £2.71 billion from £2.60 billion in 2002/03. The Office of Science and Technology (OST) research councils continue to be the largest providers by representing a 30.7% proportion of total research grants & contracts income.

Table G - Income from research grants and contracts 2003/04
    (£ thousands)
    % of total
OST research councils 833164 30.7%
UK based charities 691356 25.5%
UK central government bodies, local, health & hospital authorities 522045 19.2%
UK industry, commerce & public corps 247318 9.1%
EU government bodies 188682 7.0%
EU other 32645 1.2%
Other overseas 143443 5.3%
Other sources 55938 2.1%
Total research grants & contracts 2714591 100.0%

Other income

Income in this category increased by 8.4% this year to £3.32 billion from £3.06 billion in 2002/03.

Table H - Other income 2003/04
    (£ thousands)
    % of total
Other services rendered
  Course validation fees 21399 0.6%
  Knowledge transfer partnerships 25748 0.8%
  UK central government bodies, local authorities, health & hospital authorities 323973 9.8%
  UK industry, commerce & public corporations 163705 4.9%
  EU government bodies 68089 2.1%
  EU other 32231 1.0%
  Other overseas 65602 2.0%
  Other sources 277208 8.3%
  Sub-total other services rendered 977955 29.5%
Residences & catering operations 1046415 31.5%
Grants from local authorities 1281 0.0%
Income from health & hospital authorities 275482 8.3%
Released from deferred capital grants 64050 1.9%
Income from intellectual property rights 25640 0.8%
Other operating income 929616 28.0%
Total other income 3320439 100.0%

Expenditure

The 7.4% (£1,153 million) rise in expenditure to £16.6 billion as shown in Table I did not vary greatly as a percentage under each heading, except that there was only a very small percentage increase in interest payable.

Table I - Expenditure, financial years ending 2003/04 and 2002/03(#3)
    (£ thousands)
  2003/04 2002/03 % change
Staff costs 9728675 9032522 7.7%
Other operating expenses 5904120 5513683 7.1%
Depreciation 791329 727060 8.8%
Interest payable 201588 199885 0.9%
Total 16625712 15473150 7.4%
# see relevant footnote in Notes to Tables.

The percentage distribution of expenditure by activity within the total as shown in Table J has changed little from the previous year. Academic departments represent a 41.7% proportion of total expenditure and residences and catering operations represent a proportion of just 6.0%.

Table J - Distribution of expenditure by activity 2003/04
    (£ thousands)
    % of total
Academic departments 6925564 41.7%
Academic services 1257536 7.6%
Administrative & central services 2178431 13.1%
Premises 1771740 10.7%
Residences & catering operations 989429 6.0%
Research grants & contracts 2342452 14.1%
Other expenditure 1160560 7.0%
Total expenditure 16625712 100.0%

The clinical medicine cost centre and business & management studies cost centre continue to have the largest share of total expenditure on academic departments with 9.7% and 9.5% respectively, spending £670 million and £655 million in 2003/04. The social studies cost centre and nursing & paramedical studies cost centre have a 7.5% and 7.0% share of total expenditure respectively. They spent £518 million and £487 million in 2003/04.

Staff data

For the 2003/04 data collection, HESA replaced three separate staff returns (the Individualised Staff Return (ISR), the Aggregate Staff Return (ASR), and the New Aggregate Staff Return (NASR)) with a single new collection, the New Individualised Staff Return (NISR); the word ‘New’ will be dropped once there is no risk of confusion.

As its name indicates, NISR is an individualised return. It covers all academic and non-academic staff who have a contract of employment with a higher education institution (HEI) in the UK, or for whom the HEI is liable to pay Class 1 National Insurance contributions. Other staff, such as those employed under consultancy contracts, or on the basis of payment of fees for services but without a contract of employment, are not included in the record. This is a major change from ISR which covered only staff with at least a 25% teaching and/or research commitment. The data previously collected on all academic staff activity by cost centre through ASR, and the equal opportunities monitoring data previously collected at an aggregate level on all staff through NASR, can broadly speaking be derived from NISR because of its full coverage, and this has made it possible to discontinue the use of separate returns to provide that information.

Within this record, staff designated as ‘academic’ include academic professionals who are responsible for preparing, directing and undertaking academic teaching and research within HE institutions and also medical practitioners, dentists, veterinarians and other health care professionals who undertake lecturing or research activities. By custom and practice a small number of other staff who do not have direct responsibility for the delivery of either teaching or research, including some institutional officers, are also designated as ‘academic’. All other staff in HEIs are designated as ‘non-academic’, and are grouped in twelve categories. In some tabulations these are combined into three broad-brush groups.

The amount of information collected on individual members of staff depends on the staff category into which they fall. Academic staff are recruited within a national, or indeed international, market, but one that is specialised by subject area. It is of value to be able to identify patterns of career progression as staff move from institution to institution, and to compare staffing resources with teaching and research commitments and funding streams. For such staff, the full record is collected. By contrast, for clerical, secretarial and manual staff, recruitment is from the labour market local to each institution. Although the individual institution may need to monitor its staffing position in considerable detail, the national data requirement is very limited, and is focused mainly on equal opportunities monitoring. For staff in these categories, the data collection is limited to a subset of the fields in the full record.

A key feature of the new HESA Staff Record is the format of collection. For the first time data can be analysed in terms of both people and employment contracts. The record consists of two tables. The person table contains one record for each person employed by an institution during the 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 one or more legally-binding contracts 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.

The new Individualised Staff Return has introduced some definitional changes and refinements relative to previous collections, and NISR-derived figures from the staff record 2003/04 onwards are seldom exactly comparable with those for previous years. Three particular changes need mention. First, published figures now report staff with contracts active at 1 December, rather than reporting, as hitherto, the session population; this change is intended to avoid the over-counting, particularly of staff employed for a short period, inherent in the previous method. Secondly, academic staff are no longer categorised as clinical/non-clinical, so it is not possible to produce tabulations limited to non-clinical staff. Thirdly, tabulations will for the future generally include staff who are not wholly institutionally financed; in this volume a number of introductory tables have been produced both on this basis and on the previous basis limited to wholly institutionally-financed staff, so as to facilitate comparison with earlier years.

In addition, there are a number of transient effects due to the phasing-in of the full NISR collection. For 2003/04, institutions were not required to return data on ‘atypical’ staff. These are, broadly speaking, staff on contracts that qualify them for inclusion in NISR, but are not on a full-time or proportionate part-time basis. Such staff may be found throughout the sector, but form an important component of the total staffing in subject areas such as performing arts and fine art. Data on atypical staff will be collected from 2004/05 onwards. Also, there are some fields in the record where the exact definition of what is to be collected is still under discussion, and data from these fields is accordingly not yet available.

Analysis by staff grade is meaningful only where institutions have reported their staff within nationally recognised grade structures, or within internal grade structures that facilitate discrimination on a similar basis. Several institutions, including some large post-1992 universities, report their staff on a single grade structure lacking a separate category for the ‘Professor’ grade. Where this happens, Professors cannot be distinguished from staff on the Senior Lecturer (pre-1992) or Principal Lecturer (post-1992) grade, leading to Professors being zero-counted for those institutions and under-counted for the sector as a whole. This under-counting limits the scope of comparative analyses of the proportion of Professors within particular subject areas, by cost centres, by gender, and so on.

Summary of key points

In 2003/04 there were in total 227,525 full-time staff in the HE sector, of whom 44.7% were female, and 110,580 part-time staff, of whom 68.1% were female.

The total number of academic staff was 150,230, of whom 106,900 were full-time (47.0% of all full-time staff) and 43,330 were part-time (39.2% of all part-time staff). The number of full-time academic staff for 2002/03 recalculated on the new basis was 105,550; the corresponding 2003/04 figure is an increase of 1.3% on this.

Of all academic staff, 40.0% were female, but among part-time academic staff this percentage was higher at 52.2%.

Of all full-time academic posts, 70.6% were wholly financed by the institutions themselves.

Of full-time academic staff 92.3% were working in the same institution as in the previous year.

The average age of full-time academic staff was 42.5, and 40.3% were aged over 45.

Teaching as a primary employment function was included in 71.0% of full-time and 83.0% of part-time academic posts.

Ethnicity was reported for 88.1% of all staff. Of those of known ethnicity, 8.9% were drawn from ethnic minority groups. For academic staff the percentages were 86.2% and 10.5%. Both the overall proportion of ethnic minority staff, and the pattern on which different ethnic minority groups were represented, varied considerably by staff group.

Disability status was reported for 90.4% of all staff, and of those of known disability status, 2.4% had a disability. For academic staff, the percentages were 89.9% and 2.1%.

Among full-time academic staff, the proportion of professors who were female was 15.0%; of senior lecturers & researchers, 27.1%; of lecturers, 40.3% and of researchers, 41.7%.

Of all full-time academic staff, 25.7% were employed in medicine, dentistry, or health.

Of all research-only staff, 91.1% were employed on fixed-term contracts.

General

Table K is a new table showing for the first time the overall pattern of staffing in UK HEIs.

Table K - All staff in all UK institutions by activity, mode of employment and gender 2003/04
  Full-time     Part-time
  Female Male Total   Female Male Total
All activities 101765 125760 227525   75280 35300 110580
  Managers 4690 6045 10740   690 235 925
  Academic professionals 37525 69370 106900   22620 20715 43330
  Non-academic professionals(#12) 8790 8400 17190   5790 4190 9980
  Laboratory, engineering, building, IT & medical technicians (including nurses) 6470 16730 23200   2885 1160 4045
  Student welfare workers, careers advisors, vocational training instructors, personnel & planning officers 3335 1500 4835   1980 460 2435
  Artistic, media, public relations, marketing & sports occupations 1775 1705 3480   820 405 1225
  Library assistants, clerks & general administrative assistants 22570 6045 28610   13625 2280 15905
  Secretaries, typists, receptionists & telephonists 11715 770 12485   6775 340 7115
  Chefs, gardeners, electrical & construction trades, mechanical fitters & printers 600 4250 4845   405 265 665
  Caretakers, residential wardens, sports & leisure attendants, nursery nurses & care occupations 1265 1715 2980   1350 580 1930
  Retail & customer service occupations 420 170 590   440 95 535
  Drivers, maintenance supervisors & plant operatives 160 1105 1260   175 100 275
  Cleaners, catering assistants, security officers, porters & maintenance workers 2460 7960 10415   17730 4485 22215

# see relevant footnote in Notes to Tables.

In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5.

In 2003/04 (that is, on 1 December 2003) there were in total 227,525 full-time staff, of whom 44.7% were female, and 110,580 part-time staff, of whom 68.1% were female. Of the full-time staff, 47.0% were academic (group 2 in detailed tabulations), 26.1% were managerial, professional and technical (groups 1, 3, 4, 5, 6), 18.1% were secretarial and clerical (groups 7, 8), and 8.8% were manual (groups 9, 10, 11, 12). The corresponding figures for part-time staff were 39.2%, 16.8%, 20.8% and 23.2%.

Table L provides a breakdown of academic staffing in HE. The coverage of this table corresponds fairly closely to that of the table labelled as Table K in Resources volumes for previous years. The non-clinical/clinical split can no longer be made, but it is now possible to identify staff on fixed-term contracts.

Table L - Summary of academic staff in all UK institutions 2003/04
  Full-time Part-time Total
Mode of employment 106900 43330 150230
Gender
  Female 37525 22620 60145
  Male 69370 20715 90085
Source of salary
  Wholly institutionally financed 75430 36450 111880
  Other sources of finance 31465 6885 38350
Academic employment function
  Teaching only 6295 23860 30155
  Research only 29870 6325 36195
  Teaching & research 69570 12105 81675
  Neither teaching nor research 1165 1040 2205
Grade
  Professors 12325 1200 13525
  Senior lecturers & researchers 21925 2820 24745
  Lecturers 37450 16595 54045
  Researchers 27590 5600 33190
  Other grades 7615 17115 24725
Terms of employment
  Open-ended/permanent 70450 12485 82935
  Fixed-term contract 36450 30845 67295
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5.

In 2003/04, the total number of academic staff employed by UK HEIs was 150,230, of whom 106,900 (71.2%) were in full-time employment. Because of the change from a session population to a 1 December population, these numbers cannot be compared with those published for previous years, either in absolute or proportionate terms. However, it is possible to recalculate the number of full-time academic staff for 2002/03 on the new basis, and this gives a figure of 105,550; the corresponding 2003/04 figure is an increase of 1.3% on this.

While two-fifths (40.0%) of all academic staff were female, women comprised just over a half (52.2%) of those working part-time.

70.6% of full-time academic posts were wholly financed by the institutions themselves, this proportion rising to 84.1% for part-time posts.

70.1% of full-time academic posts and 83.0% of part-time academic posts included teaching as a primary employment function.

Inflow/outflow of full-time academic staff

Table Mi and Chart 3i show the inflow and outflow of full-time academic staff.

Table Mi - Full-time academic staff by employment in the previous year and destination 2003/04
  Total     Total
Employment in the previous year     Destination  
  Full-time 106900     Full-time 106900
    Current institution 98700          Current institution 98735
    UK other HEI 1745       UK other HEI 875
  Inflow 6455     Outflow 7290
    UK 2675       UK 1110
    Overseas 1105       Overseas 715
    Not in regular employment 165       Not in regular employment 520
    Not known 2510       Retirement 475
          Death 65
          Not known 4410
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5.

Inflow and outflow of full-time academic staff 2003/04

In 2003/04, 92.3% of full-time academic staff were working in the same institution as they had been in the previous academic year. A further 1.6% had been working in another HEI. The loss of 7,290 staff from the HE sector outnumbered the inflow of 6,455 staff. Outflow to the UK was the largest single known reason for departures and the sector gained more staff from overseas than left to work overseas. Caution should be exercised when further analysing staff flows on account of the size of the ‘Not known’ categories.

In the reference volumes for previous years, the corresponding table showed only the inflow and outflow of non-clinical staff who were wholly institutionally-financed. Although it is no longer possible to limit tabulations to non-clinical staff, it is possible to limit them to wholly institutionally-financed staff. To aid comparability with previous years, Table Mii and Chart 3ii have been produced on this basis.

Table Mii - Full-time wholly institutionally-financed academic staff by employment in the previous year and destination 2003/04
  Total     Total
Employment in the previous year     Destination  
  Full-time 75430        Full-time 75430
    Current institution 70885       Current institution 71605
    UK other HEI 1235       UK other HEI 480
  Inflow 3310     Outflow 3345
    UK 1270       UK 390
    Overseas 495       Overseas 245
    Not in regular employment 80       Not in regular employment 200
    Not known 1465       Retirement 410
          Death 55
          Not known 2040
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5.

Inflow and outflow of full-time wholly institutionally financed academic staff 2003/04

Among wholly institutionally-financed staff retirement continued to be the largest single known reason for departures. The large reduction in this figure from 2002/03, where it is reported as 1,100, is a consequence of the move from a session population to a 1 December population; if the 2002/03 figure is recalculated on the new basis, it falls to 450, which is in the same range as the figure of 410 for 2003/04.

Age of full-time academic staff

Table Ni presents the age distribution of full-time academic staff by grade.

Table Ni - Full-time academic staff by grade and age 2003/04
  Professors Senior lecturers & researchers Lecturers Researchers Other grades Total
25 & under 0 5 245 2435 440 3120
26-30 5 100 2895 8810 845 12660
31-35 85 1100 6965 7290 910 16345
36-40 705 3475 7320 4165 840 16505
41-45 1670 4300 6040 2160 965 15135
46-50 2405 4255 5450 1320 1120 14545
51-55 3220 4275 4865 815 1300 14475
56-60 3015 3400 2960 435 900 10720
61-65 1140 980 680 130 235 3170
66 + 70 30 20 25 50 195
Unknown 5 0 10 5 15 35
Total 12325 21925 37450 27590 7615 106900
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5.

Of those staff whose age was known, 40.3% were aged over 45 and 13.5% were aged between 51 and 55. 38.9% of senior lecturers & researchers were aged between 46 and 55, and 50.6% of professors were aged between 51 and 60. 82.3% of researchers were aged 40 years or under.

The average age of full-time academic staff was 42.5 and of part-time staff, 43.0 (from Table 23).

In the reference volumes for previous years the corresponding table showed the age distributions of non-clinical staff who were wholly institutionally-financed. Although it is no longer possible to limit tabulations to non-clinical staff, it is possible to limit them to wholly institutionally-financed staff. To aid comparability with previous years, Table Nii has been produced on this basis.

Table Nii - Full-time wholly institutionally-financed academic staff by grade and age 2003/04
  Professors Senior lecturers & researchers Lecturers Researchers Other grades Total
25 & under 0 0 230 455 315 1000
26-30 5 75 2380 1380 535 4375
31-35 75 930 5935 1190 560 8695
36-40 625 2980 6620 845 585 11655
41-45 1495 3715 5455 535 720 11920
46-50 2185 3765 4985 405 840 12175
51-55 2905 3910 4500 320 1075 12705
56-60 2790 3195 2830 185 790 9790
61-65 1070 940 665 50 210 2935
66 + 60 25 20 10 40 155
Unknown 5 0 10 5 15 30
Total 11205 19540 33625 5380 5680 75430
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5.

Of the staff included in Table Nii whose age was known, 50.1% were aged over 45 and 16.9% were aged between 51 and 55. Subject to caveats about the move to a 1 December population and the inclusion of clinical staff, these figures may be compared with those published for 2002/03, which were 49% and 17%, so no material change is apparent.

Ethnicity of all staff

In previous years information on ethnicity was available only for academic staff, but it is now possible to show the position for all staff. In Table P this is done by the four broad-brush staff groups and by mode of employment. The presentation of ethnicity data in this introductory section is not now limited to those of UK nationality, and this should be borne in mind if comparisons are made with figures published for previous years.

Table P - All staff by ethnicity and mode of employment 2003/04
  Total Staff of known ethnicity Staff of known ethnicity as a percentage of total staff Ethnic minority staff Ethnic minority staff as a percentage of staff of known ethnicity
All staff 338105 297835 88.1% 26515 8.9%
Academic staff 150230 129445 86.2% 13600 10.5%
  Full-time 106900 97095 90.8% 10690 11.0%
  Part-time 43330 32350 74.7% 2910 9.0%
Non-academic total 187875 168395 89.6% 12915 7.7%
  Full-time 120625 109795 91.0% 7605 6.9%
  Part-time 67245 58600 87.1% 5310 9.1%
  Managerial, professional and technical staff(#12) 78050 71045 91.0% 4655 6.6%
    Full-time 59440 54175 91.1% 3620 6.7%
    Part-time 18610 16875 90.7% 1035 6.1%
  Clerical staff 64110 59160 92.3% 4505 7.6%
    Full-time 41095 38305 93.2% 2905 7.6%
    Part-time 23015 20855 90.6% 1600 7.7%
  Manual staff 45715 38190 83.5% 3755 9.8%
    Full-time 20095 17315 86.2% 1080 6.2%
    Part-time 25620 20875 81.5% 2675 12.8%

# see relevant footnote in Notes to Tables.

In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5.

Of all staff, 88.1% reported their ethnicity. The response rate did not vary greatly by staff group and mode of employment, except for the low response rate of 74.7% from part-time academic staff. Among staff of known ethnicity, the proportion from ethnic minority groups varied considerably, with greater representation among academic staff at 10.5% than among non-academic staff at 7.7%.

Charts 4i to 4iv show the percentages of those from ethnic minorities represented by each visible ethnic minority group, for each of these four groups of staff. The pattern in each group is noticeably different.

Academic professional staff

Managerial, professional and technical staff

Clerical staff

Manual staff

Disability of all staff

Table Q presents information on disability in the same style as Table P; again, coverage now extends to all staff groups and is not limited to those of UK nationality.

Table Q - All staff by disability status and mode of employment 2003/04
  Total Staff of known disability status Staff of known disability status as a percentage of total staff Staff declared disabled Disabled staff as a percentage of staff with known disability status
All staff 338105 305530 90.4% 7360 2.4%
Academic staff 150230 135035 89.9% 2770 2.1%
  Full-time 106900 99770 93.3% 2110 2.1%
  Part-time 43330 35265 81.4% 660 1.9%
Non-academic total 187875 170495 90.7% 4590 2.7%
  Full-time 120625 111345 92.3% 3005 2.7%
  Part-time 67245 59150 88.0% 1580 2.7%
  Managerial, professional and technical staff(#12) 78050 71915 92.1% 2015 2.8%
    Full-time 59440 55270 93.0% 1505 2.7%
    Part-time 18610 16650 89.5% 510 3.1%
  Clerical staff 64110 59070 92.1% 1460 2.5%
    Full-time 41095 38260 93.1% 930 2.4%
    Part-time 23015 20810 90.4% 530 2.5%
  Manual staff 45715 39510 86.4% 1115 2.8%
    Full-time 20095 17815 88.7% 570 3.2%
    Part-time 25620 21690 84.7% 545 2.5%

# see relevant footnote in Notes to Tables.

In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5.

Disability status was reported for 90.4% of all staff. Of those of known disability status, 2.4% had a disability. For academic staff, the percentages were 89.9% and 2.1%.

Funding, grade, and gender of full-time academic staff

Table R - Full-time academic staff in all UK institutions by source of salary, grade and gender 2003/04
  Source of salary
  Wholly institutionally financed All other sources of finance Total
Professors 11205 1120 12325
  Female 1655 195 1850
  Male 9550 925 10470
Senior lecturers & researchers 19540 2380 21925
  Female 5100 850 5950
  Male 14440 1535 15975
Lecturers 33625 3825 37450
  Female 13230 1850 15080
  Male 20395 1975 22370
Researchers 5380 22210 27590
  Female 2210 9300 11510
  Male 3170 12910 16080
Other grades 5680 1935 7615
  Female 2210 930 3140
  Male 3470 1005 4475
Total 75430 31465 106900
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5.

Among full-time academic staff, 89.8% of professors, senior lecturers & researchers, and lecturers were wholly institutionally funded, with very little variation across these grades, whereas 19.5% of researchers were wholly institutionally funded. Within each grade there was very little variation by gender in the proportion of full-time academic staff who were wholly institutionally funded.

The proportion of full-time professors who were female was 15.0%; of senior lecturers & researchers, 27.1%; of lecturers, 40.3%; and of researchers, 41.7%.

Cost centre distribution of full-time academic staff

Table S - Full-time academic staff in all UK institutions by source of salary, gender and departmental cost centre 2003/04
  Wholly institutionally financed     All other sources of finance
  Female Male Total   Female Male Total
Cost centres 24405 51025 75430   13120 18345 31465
  Medicine, dentistry & health 6690 7250 13935   7140 6405 13545
  Agriculture, forestry & veterinary science 370 960 1330   245 280 520
  Biological, mathematical & physical sciences 2345 9910 12260   3030 5885 8920
  Engineering & technology 1400 8840 10240   760 3555 4315
  Architecture & planning 330 1190 1515   115 180 295
  Administrative, business & social studies 5470 11350 16820   935 1100 2035
  Language based studies 2075 2390 4470   165 150 315
  Other arts 2660 5410 8070   300 415 715
  Education 2480 2815 5300   325 230 555
  Academic services 265 300 565   55 80 135
  Administration & central services 315 605 920   50 65 115
  Premises 0 5 5   0 0 0
  Residences & catering 0 5 5   0 0 5
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5.

36.8% of female and 19.7% of male full-time academic staff worked in medicine, dentistry & health. The biological, mathematical & physical science departments accounted for nearly a quarter (22.8%) of male full-time academic staff.

49.3% of full-time academic staff in medicine, dentistry & health and 42.1% in biological, mathematical & physical sciences were financed other than wholly by the institutions themselves. Departments with the fewest partially or wholly externally funded full-time academic staff were in the areas of language based studies (6.6%), other arts (8.1%) and education (9.5%).

Pattern of employment of academic staff

Table T - Academic staff in all UK institutions by academic employment function, gender, mode and terms of employment 2003/04
  Full-time     Part-time
  Open-ended/
permanent
Fixed-term
contract
Total   Open-ended/
permanent
Fixed-term
contract
Total
Teaching only 4495 1800 6295   5430 18425 23860
  Female 2180 885 3065   2860 8975 11835
  Male 2315 915 3230   2570 9455 12025
Research only 2765 27100 29870   455 5875 6325
  Female 870 11375 12245   300 3680 3980
  Male 1895 15730 17625   155 2195 2350
Teaching & research 62405 7165 69570   6515 5590 12105
  Female 18990 2815 21805   3940 2360 6300
  Male 43420 4345 47765   2575 3230 5805
Neither teaching nor research 785 380 1165   80 960 1040
  Female 260 150 415   55 445 505
  Male 525 230 750   25 510 535
Total 70450 36450 106900   12485 30845 43330
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5.

At 90.7% for full-time staff and 92.8% for part-time staff, fixed-term contracts were the norm among research-only staff regardless of mode of employment. Among staff who had teaching responsibilities, the figures were 11.8% and 66.8% respectively, so fixed-term contracts were far commoner for part-time teaching staff. For female staff who had teaching responsibilities, the figures were 14.9% and 62.5% respectively, so the proportion of full-time female teaching staff on fixed-term contracts was somewhat higher than that of male staff, whereas there was little difference in the proportions for part-time staff.

Nearly four-fifths (79.1%) of teaching-only staff were part-time, compared with 17.5% for research-only staff and 14.8% for staff with both teaching and research duties.


1 The number of Welsh institutions in this volume is different than reported in Students in Higher Education Institutions, due to the inclusion of finance and staff data from The University of Wales Registry.

2 Non-statutory populations omit any contribution from individuals who have notified HESA of their wish to be excluded in circumstances such as the publication of the present volume where inclusion is not defined as a requirement by the bodies whose statutory powers underpin HESA data collections.