Changes and trends in the student population

Two HESA publications released: Students in Higher Education 2015/16 and Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom – Student and qualifiers data 2015/16.

The figures released today include information on the personal characteristics and study activities of students in the UK. Comparing today's release with earlier figures reveals changes in both the demographic makeup of the student population, and the types of courses being studied.

The charts show changes in the proportions of students at UK HE providers between 2011/12 and 2015/16:

• The proportion of female students hardly changed, staying between 56% and 57% over the period
• The proportion of students studying science subjects has increased from 42% to 46%
• The proportion of non-UK domicile students increased from 17% to 19%
• The proportions of ethnic minority (UK domicile) and disabled students have each increased by 2 percentage points
• The proportion of students studying on 'other undergraduate' courses (i.e. not degree or postgraduate courses) fell from 15% to 8%
• The proportion of part-time students fell from 31% to 24%
• The proportion of students aged 30 or over fell from 26% to 21%

Publications

Students in Higher Education 2015/16 includes comprehensive data on students and qualifiers broken down by demographic and course characteristics, as well as data from the HESA Aggregate Offshore Record. The introduction tables and charts, and selected main tables, are free to download from www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/publications/students-2015-16

Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom is published for the first time under a Creative Commons 4.0 license, free of charge, as part of HESA's open data strategy. The publication will build over the year to cover all aspects of higher education data collected by HESA and others. The student data component is published today at www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/publications/higher-education-2015-16.

Notes for editors

1. Press enquiries should be directed to:
   
   • HESA Press Office
   • 01242 211120
   • [email protected]
   • 95 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1HZ.
2. HESA student data is collected from all publicly funded higher education providers in the UK, plus the University of Buckingham, which is a privately funded HE provider. The 2015/16 data covers 163 HE providers (132 in England, 9 in Wales, 18 in Scotland and 4 in Northern Ireland).
3. Definitions of the terms used in this press release can be found at www.hesa.ac.uk/support/definitions/students.
4. All data is subject to the HESA standard rounding methodology.
5. *Ethnicity data is collected for UK domicile students only.
6. Percentage calculations exclude unknown values – except for disability where unknown values are included within ‘No known disability’.
7. HESA cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived from the data by third parties.

About HESA

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is the recognised source of data on higher education in the UK. Our experts collect, analyse, and disseminate accurate and comprehensive statistical information on all aspects of UK higher education in order to support the strategic aims of our users and enhance the effectiveness of the sector as a whole. We are a charity and a company limited by guarantee. We operate as an independent organisation, working in close partnership with higher education providers, regulators, funders, government departments, policy makers, and other stakeholders.