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Appendix - Students 2007/08

This Appendix provides further quantitative details of a change applied to the standard basis for counting students1 – the Standard Registration Population (SRP) from 2007/08 onwards. This change involves the removal from the population of students who are recorded with a mode of study of ‘writing-up’ or ‘sabbatical’. The change results from a decision taken by HESA in consultation with UK HE funding bodies and government education departments with the aim of bringing statistical counts of students more into line with funding and fee arrangements.

Students on sabbatical years are those who have suspended their studies for a year in order to undertake duties such as holding student union office. Their numbers in any one academic year across the UK are small, around 40 in 2007/08. Therefore they have no material effect on statistical analyses and are not disaggregated within this Appendix.

The much larger and more significant group of students excluded from the population this year are ‘writing-up’ students. In 2007/08 these amount to around 50,000 students across the UK. These are typically graduate students who have completed the active taught or research phases of their courses and are preparing theses or dissertations.

Within previous years’ publications writing-up students were grouped into the ‘part-time’ mode of study category, regardless of whether their former active mode was full-time or part-time. Therefore, their exclusion from the SRP in 2007/08 has no impact on full-time student numbers; the impact is confined entirely within the part-time numbers.

It is worth clarifying that the removal of writing-up students only affects the Standard Registration Population, and thereby counts of student instances. It does not affect counts of student full-time equivalents (FTE) in which the FTE of writing-up students will be reduced accordingly. Nor does it affect counts of students obtaining qualifications, in which case writing-up students are categorised under their last active mode of study before entering their writing-up period.

The tables shown below provide bridging material to enable readers to gauge the effect of the change in population and to provide student numbers on a consistent basis over the last three academic years under the new and previous SRP definition. These tables are disaggregated by level of study and UK administration.

Table A1 - All HE students by level and mode of study 2005/06
  Full-time Part-time Total (new SRP) Writing-up and sabbatical Total (previous SRP)
UK Total 1433040 848200 2281235 54875 2336110
Postgraduate research 61145 27400 88545 25385 113930
Postgraduate taught 173075 231015 404090 27345 431435
First degree 1073770 203955 1277730 1130 1278860
Other undergraduate 125045 385825 510870 1015 511885
England 1173550 721290 1894835 41585 1936420
Postgraduate research 50980 23195 74180 19900 94080
Postgraduate taught 145750 194690 340445 19915 360360
First degree 867520 182485 1050005 870 1050875
Other undergraduate 109295 320915 430210 900 431110
Wales 74990 50725 125715 3520 129230
Postgraduate research 2435 1260 3695 1520 5215
Postgraduate taught 7775 10310 18090 1970 20060
First degree 60240 5005 65245 20 65265
Other undergraduate 4540 34145 38685 5 38690
Scotland 148825 59015 207840 7990 215830
Postgraduate research 6355 2265 8620 3390 12010
Postgraduate taught 16935 20480 37415 4560 41980
First degree 115560 12700 128260 10 128270
Other undergraduate 9975 23570 33545 30 33575
Northern Ireland 35675 17170 52845 1780 54625
Postgraduate research 1375 680 2055 575 2630
Postgraduate taught 2615 5530 8145 895 9040
First degree 30455 3765 34220 230 34445
Other undergraduate 1235 7195 8425 85 8510
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5.

 

Table A2 - All HE students by level and mode of study 2006/07
  Full-time Part-time Total (new SRP) Writing-up and sabbatical Total (previous SRP)
UK Total 1451715 852985 2304700 58110 2362815
Postgraduate research 63340 27045 90385 28625 119010
Postgraduate taught 179730 232630 412360 28020 440380
First degree 1086075 200360 1286440 785 1287225
Other undergraduate 122570 392950 515520 680 516200
England 1187635 724415 1912050 45140 1957190
Postgraduate research 52270 22750 75020 23350 98370
Postgraduate taught 149560 194055 343615 20445 364060
First degree 879450 181385 1060835 710 1061545
Other undergraduate 106355 326225 432580 635 433215
Wales 77180 51050 128230 3535 131765
Postgraduate research 2665 1335 4000 1490 5490
Postgraduate taught 8510 11660 20170 2005 22175
First degree 61495 4710 66205 35 66240
Other undergraduate 4510 33345 37855 5 37860
Scotland 152795 62765 215560 7970 223530
Postgraduate research 6985 2335 9320 3240 12560
Postgraduate taught 19695 22090 41780 4685 46465
First degree 115545 10965 126510 30 126540
Other undergraduate 10570 27375 37945 20 37965
Northern Ireland 34110 14750 48860 1470 50325
Postgraduate research 1425 625 2045 545 2590
Postgraduate taught 1965 4825 6790 885 7675
First degree 29585 3295 32885 10 32895
Other undergraduate 1135 6000 7135 30 7165
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5.

 

Table A3 - All HE students by level and mode of study 2007/08
  Full-time Part-time Total (new SRP) Writing-up and sabbatical Total (previous SRP)
UK Total 1480385 825720 2306105 49825 2355925
Postgraduate research 66400 27165 93565 27970 121535
Postgraduate taught 181980 225590 407570 20095 427665
First degree 1108685 198155 1306840 945 1307785
Other undergraduate 123320 374810 498130 815 498940
England 1218820 703365 1922180 37805 1959985
Postgraduate research 54875 23015 77890 22695 100585
Postgraduate taught 151990 187285 339280 13670 352945
First degree 903580 179805 1083385 800 1084180
Other undergraduate 108375 313260 421630 640 422275
Wales 78215 47325 125540 3695 129240
Postgraduate research 2800 1300 4100 1450 5545
Postgraduate taught 8610 10550 19160 2205 21365
First degree 62430 4215 66645 40 66690
Other undergraduate 4380 31255 35635 0 35635
Scotland 149610 60575 210180 7245 217425
Postgraduate research 7310 2265 9580 3280 12860
Postgraduate taught 19005 22690 41695 3825 45520
First degree 113515 10765 124280 60 124340
Other undergraduate 9775 24855 34630 80 34710
Northern Ireland 33740 14455 48200 1075 49275
Postgraduate research 1415 585 2000 545 2540
Postgraduate taught 2375 5060 7435 395 7835
First degree 29155 3375 32530 45 32575
Other undergraduate 795 5440 6230 90 6325
In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5.

1 Technically the Standard Registration is applied to generate counts of student ‘instances’ which describe a student’s engagement with the HE institution. Since each student may have more than one engagement with the HE institution, the count of instances will exceed the number of students.