Appendix - Students 2009/10
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 are ‘writing-up’ students. In 2008/09 these amounted to around 46,000 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 publications up to and including 2006/07 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 from 2007/08 onwards 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 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 A2 - 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. |
Table A3 - All HE students by level and mode of study 2008/09 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full-time | Part-time | Total (new SRP) |
Writing-up and sabbatical |
Total (previous SRP) |
|
UK Total | 1540030 | 856020 | 2396050 | 46380 | 2442430 |
Postgraduate research | 67115 | 27575 | 94690 | 30115 | 124805 |
Postgraduate taught | 200885 | 241240 | 442125 | 15275 | 457400 |
First degree | 1146550 | 205195 | 1351745 | 435 | 1352180 |
Other undergraduate | 125480 | 382010 | 507495 | 550 | 508045 |
England | 1267675 | 738165 | 2005840 | 35995 | 2041835 |
Postgraduate research | 54925 | 23470 | 78395 | 25075 | 103470 |
Postgraduate taught | 168030 | 202890 | 370920 | 10015 | 380935 |
First degree | 933465 | 187455 | 1120920 | 375 | 1121300 |
Other undergraduate | 111255 | 324350 | 435605 | 525 | 436125 |
Wales | 80990 | 45485 | 126475 | 3570 | 130040 |
Postgraduate research | 2905 | 1340 | 4245 | 1485 | 5730 |
Postgraduate taught | 9640 | 11680 | 21315 | 2050 | 23365 |
First degree | 64285 | 4250 | 68540 | 30 | 68570 |
Other undergraduate | 4160 | 28215 | 32370 | 5 | 32375 |
Scotland | 156820 | 58675 | 215495 | 6610 | 222105 |
Postgraduate research | 7645 | 2255 | 9900 | 3360 | 13255 |
Postgraduate taught | 20110 | 21645 | 41755 | 3205 | 44960 |
First degree | 119315 | 10640 | 129955 | 25 | 129985 |
Other undergraduate | 9750 | 24135 | 33885 | 20 | 33905 |
Northern Ireland | 34545 | 13695 | 48240 | 205 | 48450 |
Postgraduate research | 1640 | 505 | 2145 | 200 | 2345 |
Postgraduate taught | 3105 | 5030 | 8135 | 5 | 8135 |
First degree | 29485 | 2845 | 32330 | 0 | 32330 |
Other undergraduate | 320 | 5315 | 5635 | 0 | 5635 |
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.