Higher education student enrolments and qualifications obtained at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom for the academic year 2011/12

10 January 2013

Introduction

This Statistical First Release (SFR) has been produced by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in collaboration with statisticians from the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Welsh Government (WG), the Scottish Government (SG) and the Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland (DEL(NI)). It has been released according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority. It provides details of student enrolments and qualifications obtained by higher education (HE) students at HE institutions (HEIs) in the United Kingdom (UK) for the academic year 2011/12. This SFR also includes information from the HESA Aggregate Offshore Record. This record captures students studying wholly outside the UK who are either registered with the reporting institution or who are studying for an award of the reporting institution.

Readers should be aware that data definitions sometimes change over time and this can affect the validity of time series comparisons. Any significant changes have been explained in the Notes to Editors and/or Definitions.

Please note, key points have been derived from the Excel tables (these can be found below). Comparisons with previous year's data have only been included where they can be derived from these tables.

Key points - enrolments (all UK HEIs)

The total number of HE enrolments at UK HEIs stood at 2,496,645 in 2011/12, showing no percentage difference from 2010/11. Postgraduate enrolments decreased by 3% between 2010/11 and 2011/12 while undergraduate enrolments increased by 1% between 2010/11 and 2011/12 (see Table 1 and Chart 1).

Over the time series shown in this SFR the overall number enrolled on HE courses has risen consecutively from 2,306,105 in 2007/08 to 2,501,295 in 2010/11. The total stood at 2,496,645 in 2011/12 showing the first decrease in overall numbers. Postgraduate numbers have increased each year from 2007/08 to 2010/11 decreasing for the first time in 2011/12. Undergraduate enrolments have increased each year over this same time frame apart from a slight decrease in 2010/11.

1,721,400 of all enrolments were full-time, an increase in numbers of 3% since 2010/11, continuing the trend of increasing full-time numbers over the time series shown. 775,240 enrolments were part-time showing a decrease of 6% since 2010/11. Part-time numbers peaked in 2009/10 and have decreased since (Ref. Table 1 and Chart 1).

Similar trends were observed in the numbers of first year enrolments on HE courses between 2007/08 and 2011/12 with overall numbers of first years reaching a peak in 2009/10 and decreasing since. Postgraduate first year enrolments increased year on year over the time series shown decreasing for the first time in 2011/12 and undergraduate enrolments have decreased each year since 2009/10. Only full-time numbers observed an increase in first year enrolments in 2011/12 (Ref. Table 2 and Chart 2).

The total number of first year enrolments stood at 1,117,335 in 2011/12 a decrease of 2% since 2010/11. The number of full-time first year enrolments increased by 2% between 2010/11 and 2011/12, while part-time first year enrolments decreased by 10% over the same period. The number of postgraduate first year enrolments decreased by 5% and undergraduate first year enrolments decreased by 1%. (Ref. Table 2 and Chart 2).

In 2011/12 UK domiciled students accounted for 83% of all enrolments at UK HEIs, 5% were EU domiciled and the remaining 12% came from countries outside the EU. The number of student enrolments from outside the EU increased by 2% from 2010/11 (from 298,110 to 302,680). The number of other European Union (EU) domiciled students also increased by 2% (from 130,120 to 132,550). Over the same period, the number of UK domiciled students decreased by 1% (from 2,073,070 to 2,061,410). (Ref. Table 1).

Proportions of students from outside the UK varied by both level and mode of study in 2011/12. UK domiciled students made up the majority of enrolments for all modes and levels of study with the exception of full-time postgraduates, where 45% were Non-EU domiciled (Ref. Chart 3).

Proportions of students from outside the UK also varied across the four administrations. Institutions in Wales had the greatest proportion of non-EU domiciled students at 15%, while institutions in Scotland had the greatest proportion of Other EU domiciled students at 8% (Ref. Chart 4 and Table 1a).

44% of full-time enrolments in 2011/12 were in science subjects the same percentage as in 2010/11, although an increase of 2% in enrolments. 38% of part-time enrolments in 2011/12 were in science subjects compared to 36% in 2010/11; while this shows an increase in the overall percentage in science subjects the number of part-time enrolments in science subjects decreased by 2% 2010/11 and 2011/12. (Ref. Table 3)

The greatest percentage increase in postgraduate student enrolments between 2010/11 and 2011/12 was observed in Agriculture and related subjects (10%). The largest percentage decrease in postgraduate numbers was observed in Computer science (15%). For undergraduate enrolments the greatest percentage increase was observed in Mathematical sciences (6%) while undergraduate enrolments in Architecture, building and planning decreased by (8%) (Ref. Table 3 and Chart 5)

Chart 6 shows the cross border flows of UK domiciled first year enrolments by the country of domicile and country of institution (excluding those studying at the Open University). Across all regions the majority of students stay in their home country although those domiciled from Wales and Northern Ireland were more likely to cross borders than those from England and Scotland. 24% of first year students from Wales were enrolled at HEIs in England. 5% of first year students from Northern Ireland were enrolled at HEIs in Scotland.

Key points - qualifications obtained (all UK HEIs)

In 2011/12, there were 787,205 HE qualifications obtained in the UK compared to 762,540 in 2010/11, showing an increase of 3%. Of these 390,985 were at first degree level, compared to 369,010 in 2010/11, showing an increase of 6%. (Ref. Table 5)

First degree qualifications accounted for 50% of all HE qualifications obtained in 2011/12 and other undergraduate qualifications (including foundation degrees and excluding undergraduate PGCE) accounted for 16%. (Ref. Table 5 and Chart 7)

Postgraduate qualifications (excluding postgraduate PGCE) accounted for 31% and PGCE qualifications (at postgraduate and undergraduate level) accounted for the remaining 3%. (Ref. Table 5 and Chart 7)

Chart 7 illustrates the distribution of qualifications obtained in 2011/12.

Over the time series shown in this SFR, the total number of qualifications gained has shown an overall increase in numbers between 2007/08 and 2011/12 except for other undergraduate qualifications which have decreased each year since 2007/08. (Ref. Table 5 and Chart 8)

Foundation degrees have shown the largest proportional increase over the 5 year time period increasing from 14,975 in 2007/08 to 27,145 in 2011/12. These overtook the number of postgraduate research qualifications in 2009/10 although numbers fell for the first time in 2011/12. (Ref. Table 5 and Chart 8)

Chart 8 shows the time series trend in qualifications obtained between 2007/08 and 2011/12 by level of qualification obtained.

Of those gaining a classified first degree, the proportion who obtained a first or upper second has shown a steady increase from 61% in 2007/08 to 66% in 2011/12. (Ref. Table 6)

Chart 9 shows the percentage distribution of first degree classifications by mode and gender in 2011/12.

67% of first degrees undertaken through full-time study in 2011/12 achieved first or upper second classifications compared to 53% of those undertaken through part-time study. (Ref Table 6 and Chart 9)

68% of first degree classifications achieved by females in 2011/12 were at first or upper second level compared to 63% of those achieved by males. (Ref Table 6 and Chart 9)

57% of first degree graduates in 2011/12 were women, which has remained constant over the 5 year time series. (Ref. Table 5)

In 2011/12, 39% of qualifications obtained were in science subjects, a slight decrease in the proportion since 2007/08 despite an overall increase in numbers. In 2007/08, 37% of qualifications achieved by women were in science subjects compared to 44% for men. These showed a small change over the 5 year time series to 35% and 44% respectively in 2011/12 (Ref. Table 7)

Key points - students studying wholly overseas (all UK HEIs)

In 2011/12, there were 571,010 students studying wholly overseas compared to 503,795 in 2010/11, an increase of 13%, although this increase should be interpreted with caution (refer to notes to editors 12, 13 and 14) (Ref. Table 8)

Of those students studying wholly overseas in 2011/12, 13% were studying within the EU compared to 14% in 2010/11. (Ref. Table 8)

Chart 10 shows the number of students who were studying wholly overseas between 2008/09 to 2011/12 by level of provision and location of study.

Key points - enrolments (England only)

The total number of HE enrolments at England HEIs stood at 2,097,230 in 2011/12, showing no percentage change from 2010/11. Postgraduate enrolments decreased by 3% and undergraduate enrolments increased by 1% between 2010/11 and 2011/12. (Ref. Table 1a)

Between 2010/11 and 2011/12, the number of enrolments of UK domiciled students showed no percentage change (from 1,746,065 to 1,740,070). The number of all other European Union (EU) domiciled students increased by 2% (from 102,700 to 105,185). Over the same period, the number of Non-EU domiciled students increased by 1% (from 248,455 to 251,980). (Ref. Table 1a)

The number of full-time first year enrolments increased by 2% between 2010/11 and 2011/12, part-time first year enrolments decreased by 10% over the same period. The number of postgraduate first year enrolments decreased by 6% and undergraduate first year enrolments decreased by 1%. (Ref. Table 2a and Chart 11)

In 2011/12, 97% of English domiciled first year undergraduates studied at England HEIs (excluding The Open University), the same as in 2010/11. Similarly, 96% of English domiciled first year postgraduates studied at England HEIs (excluding The Open University), the same as in the previous year. (Ref. Table 4 & Chart 6)

Key points - qualifications obtained (England only)

In 2011/12 there were 326,530 first degree graduates compared to 308,340 in 2010/11, an increase of 6%. (Ref. Table 5a)

First degrees accounted for 49% of qualifications obtained in 2011/12. (Ref. Table 5a and Chart 12)

Chart 12 illustrates the distribution of qualifications obtained at England HEIs in 2011/12.

57% of first degree graduates in 2011/12 were women compared to 56% in 2010/11. (Ref. Table 5a)

218,680 HE qualifications obtained in 2011/12 were at Postgraduate level (research and taught), an increase of 4% from 2010/11. (Ref. Table 5a)

Key points - enrolments (Wales only)

The total number of HE enrolments at Wales HEIs stood at 131,185 in 2011/12, showing no percentage change from 2010/11. Postgraduate enrolments decreased by 7% and undergraduate enrolments increased by 2% between 2010/11 and 2011/12. (Ref. Table 1a)

Between 2010/11 and 2011/12, the number of enrolments of UK domiciled students increased by 1% (from 104,715 to 105,915). The number of all other European Union (EU) domiciled students decreased by 7% (from 6,455 to 6020). Over the same period, the number of Non-EU domiciled students decreased by 3% (from 19,835 to 19,250). (Ref. Table 1a)

The number of full-time first year enrolments decreased by 1% between 2010/11 and 2011/12. Part-time first year enrolments decreased by 3% over the same period. The number of postgraduate first year enrolments decreased by 13% and undergraduate first year enrolments rose by 3%. (Ref. Table 2a and Chart 13).

In 2011/12, 77% of Welsh domiciled first year undergraduates studied at Wales HEIs (excluding The Open University), the same as in 2010/11. In 2011/12, 70% of Welsh domiciled first year postgraduates studied at Wales HEIs (excluding The Open University), compared to 69% the previous year (Ref. Table 4 and Chart 6)

Key points - qualifications obtained (Wales only)

In 2010/11 there were 22,250 first degree graduates compared to 20,780 in 2010/11, an increase of 7%. (Ref. Table 5a)

First degrees accounted for 51% of qualifications obtained in 2011/12. (Ref. Table 5a and Chart 14)

Chart 14 illustrates the distribution of qualifications obtained at HEIs in Wales in 2011/12.

56% of first degree graduates in 2011/12 were women, the same as in 2010/11. (Ref. Table 5a)

15,835 HE qualifications obtained in 2011/12 were at Postgraduate level (research and taught), an increase of 6% from 2011/12. (Ref. Table 5a)

Key points - enrolments (Scotland only)

The total number of HE enrolments at Scotland HEIs stood at 216,320 in 2011/12, a 2% decrease from 2010/11. Postgraduate enrolments decreased by 3% and undergraduate enrolments decreased by 2% between 2010/11 and 2011/12. (Ref. Table 1a)

Between 2010/11 and 2011/12, the number of enrolments of UK domiciled students decreased by 4% (from 176,885 to 170,345). The number of all other European Union (EU) domiciled students increased by 7% (from 16,310 to 17,475). Over the same period, the number of Non-EU domiciled students increased by 2% (from 27,880 to 28,500). (Ref. Table 1a)

The number of full-time first year enrolments decreased by 2% between 2010/11 and 2011/12, part-time first year enrolments fell by 13% over the same period. The number of postgraduate first year enrolments decreased by 3% and undergraduate first year enrolments fell by 7%. (Ref. Table 2a and Chart 15)

In 2011/12, 92% of Scottish domiciled first year undergraduates studied at Scotland HEIs (excluding The Open University), the same as in 2010/11. Similarly, 85% of Scottish domiciled first year postgraduates studied at Scotland HEIs (excluding The Open University), the same as in 2010/11. (Ref. Table 4 and Chart 7)

Key points - qualifications obtained (Scotland only)

In 2011/12 there were 33,300 first degree graduates compared to 31,780 in 2010/11, an increase of 5%. (Ref. Table 5a)

First degrees accounted for 50% of qualifications obtained in 2011/12. (Ref. Table 5a and Chart 16)

Chart 16 illustrates the distribution of qualifications obtained at Scotland HEIs in 2011/12.

59% of first degree graduates in 2011/12 were women, compared to 58% in 2010/11. (Ref. Table 5a)

24,855 HE qualifications obtained in 2011/12 were at Postgraduate level (research and taught), an increase of 7% from 2010/11. (Ref. Table 5a)

Key points - enrolments (Northern Ireland only)

The total number of HE enrolments at Northern Ireland HEIs stood at 51,905 in 2011/12, showing no percentage change from 2010/11. Postgraduate enrolments decreased by 1% and undergraduate enrolments showed no percentage change between 2010/11 and 2011/12. (Ref. Table 1a)

Between 2010/11 and 2011/12, the number of enrolments of UK domiciled students decreased by 1% (from 45,405 to 45,085). The number of all other European Union (EU) domiciled students decreased by 17% (from 4,655 to 3,875). Over the same period, the number of Non-EU domiciled students increased by 52% (from 1,945 to 2,950). (Ref. Table 1a)

The number of full-time first year enrolments increased by 9% between 2010/11 and 2011/12, part-time first year enrolments increased by 1% over the same period. The number of postgraduate first year enrolments increased by 15% and undergraduate first year enrolments rose by 2%. (Ref. Table 2a and Chart 17)

In 2011/12, 71% of Northern Ireland domiciled first year undergraduates studied at Northern Ireland HEIs (excluding The Open University) compared to 73% in 2010/11. Similarly, 73% of Northern Ireland domiciled first year postgraduates studied at Northern Ireland HEIs (excluding The Open University), compared to 72% in 2010/11. (Ref. Table 4 and Chart 6)

Key points - qualifications obtained (Northern Ireland only)

In 2011/12 there were 8,905 first degree graduates compared to 8,115 in 2010/11, an increase of 10%. (Ref. Table 5a)

First degrees accounted for 55% of qualifications obtained in 2011/12. (Ref. Table 5a and Chart 18)

Chart 18 illustrates the distribution of qualifications obtained at Northern Ireland HEIs in 2011/12.

60% of first degree graduates in 2011/12 were women, compared to 61% in 2010/11. (Ref. Table 5a)

4,720 HE qualifications obtained in 2011/12 were at postgraduate level (research and taught), an increase of 4% from 2010/11. (Ref. Table 5a)

Tables

Table 1	All student enrolments on HE courses by level of study, mode of study and domicile 2007/08 to 2011/12.
Table 1a	All student enrolments on HE courses by location of HE institution, mode of study, domicile and level of study 2007/08 to 2011/12.
Table 2	First year student enrolments on HE courses by level of study, mode of study and domicile 2007/08 to 2011/12.
Table 2a	First year student enrolments on HE courses by location of HE institution, mode of study, domicile and level of study 2007/08 to 2011/12.
Table 3	Student enrolments on HE courses by level of study, subject area and mode of study 2007/08 to 2011/12.
Table 3a	Student enrolments on HE courses by level of study, subject area, mode of study and location of HE institution 2011/12.
Table 4	UK domiciled, first year student enrolments on HE courses by level of study, mode of study, domicile and location of HE institution 2010/11 and 2011/12.
Table 5	Qualifications obtained by students on HE courses at HEIs in the UK by gender, level of qualification obtained, mode of study and domicile 2007/08 to 2011/12.
Table 5a	Qualifications obtained by students on HE courses at HEIs in the UK by location of HE institution, gender, level of qualification obtained, mode of study and domicile 2007/08 to 2011/12.
Table 6	Class of degree achieved by students obtaining first degree qualifications at HEIs in the UK by gender and mode of study 2007/08 to 2011/12.
Table 6a	Class of degree achieved by students obtaining first degree qualifications at HEIs in the UK by location of HE institution, gender and mode of study 2011/12.
Table 7	Qualifications obtained by students on HE courses at HEIs in the UK by gender, subject area and level of qualification obtained 2007/08 to 2011/12.
Table 7a	Qualifications obtained by students on HE courses at HEIs in the UK by gender, subject area, location of HE institution and level of qualification obtained 2011/12.
Table 8	Students studying wholly overseas by location of HE institution, location, type of provision and level of provision 2008/09 to 2011/12.

Download all tables

None of the tables presented should be interpreted without reference to the Notes to editors and Definitions provided below.

Notes to Editors

The United Kingdom Statistics Authority has designated these statistics as National Statistics, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Designation can be broadly interpreted to mean that the statistics:

• meet identified user needs
• are well explained and readily accessible
• are produced according to sound methods
• are managed impartially and objectively in the public interest.

Once statistics have been designated as National Statistics it is a statutory requirement that the Code of Practice shall continue to be observed.

1. The data presented in this SFR is based on the 2011/12 HESA Student and Aggregate offshore records. The statistics in this SFR are derived by HESA from data collected from all publicly funded HEIs in the UK (including The Open University - see definition 6) and The University of Buckingham, which is privately funded. The figures therefore exclude HE enrolments and qualifications obtained by students registered at UK further education colleges and at other private and independent UK HE colleges.

   The 2011/12 data for HE enrolments in further education colleges in the UK is not included in this SFR, however this data will be published in Table 1 of the HESA publication, Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom, in September 2013.

   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.

2. From 2007/08 the specification for student gender falls within the scope of the Aligned Data Definitions adopted by the Information Standards Board for education, skills, and children's services. Students of ‘indeterminate gender' are included in total figures but not in separate breakdowns.
3. Students with a domicile of ‘UK unknown' have been included in total figures but not in separate breakdowns.
4. First degree qualifiers with a classification of ‘not applicable' have been included in total figures but not in separate breakdowns. These qualifiers are also not included in percentage calculations.

5. In 2008/09, an institution in England misreported 305 other undergraduate incoming exchange students as non-exchange students. As a result these students appear in the enrolment figures where they would have usually been excluded.

   In 2008/09, an institution in Wales showed a drop of 2,195 part-time enrolments. This was due to those students being recorded as dormant which automatically excluded them from enrolment data. This should be taken into account when looking at part-time time series.

   Prior to 2008/09, an institution in Scotland missed a number of awards from their qualifications obtained data submission. From 2008/09, these awards have now been included in the submission and have resulted in an increase in number of qualifications obtained. This should be taken into account when looking at time series for qualifications obtained.

   In 2009/10, an institution in Wales changed its reporting practices for a number of their full-time postgraduate taught students that were active over two reporting years. These students were previously returned as active in their first year but dormant in their second year. For 2009/10 these students were returned as active in both academic years, in line with HESA reporting requirements. Consequently the number of full-time postgraduate enrolments in Wales has shown a larger percentage increase than expected.

6. In 2008/09, an institution in Northern Ireland misreported a number of part-time students (280) as non-EU domicile. Consequently this had a considerable effect on the number of non-EU and UK domiciled students in Northern Ireland institutions. As a result, part-time and total data by domicile for Northern Ireland HEIs has been suppressed from Table 1a and 2a and shown as $$. This may also result in some under-reporting of domicile figures in Table 4 although the effect is not judged to be of sufficient magnitude to warrant suppression.
7. In 2008/09, an institution in Northern Ireland miscoded a number of part-time, other undergraduate post-registration nursing and midwifery qualifiers (525). Consequently the number of part-time other undergraduate qualifiers at institutions in Northern Ireland was under-reported by this amount. As a result, affected data in Table 5a has been suppressed and shown as $$.
8. Foundation degrees have not been introduced in Scotland. As numbers of foundation degree students in Wales and Northern Ireland are small, these are not separately reported in the text of this SFR.
9. A statistical reference volume ‘Students in Higher Education Institutions 2011/12' based on the HESA Student record and setting out more information about students in higher education in the UK will be published by HESA in February 2013.
10. For the purposes of Table 4, ‘England HEIs' does not include data for The Open University. Data for this institution is shown separately and included in total figures. For all other tables, The Open University is included within ‘England HEIs'.
11. In 2011/12 an institution in Northern Ireland returned students enrolled from a new partnership which includes significant numbers of Non-EU students. This is reflected in the numbers and percentage change for Non-EU students for Northern Ireland institutions in Tables 1a and 2a.
12. In 2008/09, an institution in Scotland misreported a number of students as ‘Students registered at a UK HEI' instead of ‘Students studying for an award of a UK HEI'. This should be taken into account when comparing these Aggregate offshore figures in Table 8.
13. Students registered at Oxford Brookes University accounted for 44.1% of the total population of the 2011/12 Aggregate offshore record (47.6% in 2010/11 and 39.7% in 2009/10). The majority of these students were registered with an overseas partner on Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) programmes.
14. In 2011/12 several institutions returned a substantial number of additional students 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 resulting from a clarification in the coverage of the Aggregate offshore record. 

Definitions

1. Higher education

   Higher education (HE) students for the purpose of HESA's data collection are those students on courses for which the level of instruction is above that of level 3 of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (e.g. courses at the level of Certificate of HE and above).

   The HESA standard registration population has been derived from the HESA Student record, from all registered higher education and further education instances active at a reporting institution in the reporting period 1 August to 31 July, following courses that lead to the award of a qualification or institutional credit, and ensures that similar activity is counted in a similar way irrespective of when it occurs.

   The reporting period for the 2011/12 Student record is 1 August 2011 to 31 July 2012.

2. Level of study/qualification obtained

   Postgraduate courses are those leading to higher degrees, diplomas and certificates (including Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) and professional qualifications) and usually require that entrants are already qualified to degree level (i.e. already qualified at level H of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) and Bologna frameworks). In analyses where postgraduate level of study is disaggregated into postgraduate (research) and postgraduate (taught), the following groupings are used:

   Postgraduate (research) includes doctorate (incorporating New Route PhD), masters degrees and postgraduate diplomas or certificates (not Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at level M) studied primarily through research.

   Postgraduate (taught) includes doctorate, and masters degrees, postgraduate bachelors degrees at level M and postgraduate diplomas or certificates not studied primarily through research, including Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at level M (unless shown separately), Masters in Teaching and Learning, level M Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector, and professional qualifications.

   First degree includes first degrees with or without eligibility to register to practice with a health or social care or veterinary statutory regulatory body, first degrees with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)/registration with a General Teaching Council (GTC), enhanced first degrees (including those leading towards obtaining eligibility to register to practice with a health or social care or veterinary statutory regulatory body), first degrees obtained concurrently with a diploma and intercalated first degrees.

   Foundation degrees (e.g. FdA, FdSc) were introduced to provide vocational higher education qualifications at level I.

   Other undergraduate includes qualification aims equivalent to and below first degree level, such as Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at level H, foundation degrees, diplomas in HE with eligibility to register to practice with a health or social care or veterinary statutory regulatory body, Higher National Diploma (HND), Higher National Certificate (HNC), Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE), Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), foundation courses at HE level, NVQ/SVQ levels 4 and 5, post-degree diplomas and certificates at undergraduate level (including those in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector), professional qualifications at undergraduate level, other undergraduate diplomas and certificates including post registration health and social care courses, other formal HE qualifications of less than degree standard, institutional undergraduate credit and non-formal undergraduate qualifications.

   Further education programmes of study (applicable to table 8 only) include diplomas, certificates and National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)/Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) at level 3 and below, A/AS levels, Advanced Highers/Highers (Scotland), GCSEs, Intermediates (Scotland), HE Access courses, Welsh for Adults and other qualifications below higher education level.

3. Mode of study - enrolments

   Full-time includes students recorded as studying full-time, normally required to attend an institution for periods amounting to at least 24 weeks within the year of study, plus those enrolled on a sandwich course (thick or thin), irrespective of whether or not they are in attendance at the institution or engaged in industrial training, and those on a study-related year out of their institution. During that time students are normally expected to undertake periods of study, tuition or work experience which amount to an average of at least 21 hours per week for a minimum of 24 weeks study/placement.

   Part-time students are those recorded as studying part-time, or studying full-time on courses lasting less than 24 weeks, on block release, or studying during the evenings only.

   Mode of study - qualifications obtained

   Full-time students are those whose study was recorded as full-time (as described above), and also includes awards from dormant and writing-up status where the student's mode of study was previously full-time.

   Part-time students are those whose study was recorded as part-time (as described above), and also includes awards from dormant and writing-up status where the student's mode of study was previously part-time, and awards given to those on sabbatical.

4. Domicile

   UK domiciled students are those whose normal residence is in the UK, and for the purposes of this publication include Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. (Officially, the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are not part of the UK or the EU).

   Other European Union domiciled students are those whose normal residence prior to commencing their programme of study was in countries which were European Union (EU) members (excluding the UK) at 1 December of the reporting period. This includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

   Non-European-Union students are those whose normal residence prior to commencing their programme of study was outside the EU. Where Non-EU countries are shown separately, individual country figures exclude the country's overseas territories. These individual country figures are listed within the geographic region in which they lie.

5. Subject area

   HESA has defined nineteen subject areas in terms of JACS codes (www.hesa.ac.uk/jacs2) for reporting information broken down by subject to present a useful broad-brush picture. If a student is studying a combination of subjects, a procedure of apportionment is used:

   For split courses not involving an initial teacher training (ITT) component, a percentage is assigned to each subject to reflect the split (from 2007/08 institutions could choose to assign their own percentages based on a broad assessment of the relative contribution of subjects to a course), with the following standard percentages recommended (obligatory in Scotland):

   • Balanced 50% for each of the two subjects
   • Major - Minor 67% and 33%
   • Triple 34%, 33% and 33%.

   Total - Science subject areas has been added to certain analyses. This is the sum of the following subject areas: medicine & dentistry; subjects allied to medicine; biological sciences; veterinary science; agriculture & related subjects; physical sciences; mathematical sciences; computer science; engineering & technology plus architecture, building & planning (i.e. sum of JACS codes A to K inclusive).

6. Location of institution

   The allocation of an institution to a geographical region is done by reference to the administrative centre of that institution. There may be students registered at institutions who are studying in regions other than that of the administrative centre of the institution.

   The Open University is counted as a wholly English institution. The administrative centre is located in England, although The Open University teaches throughout the UK.

7. Class of first degree

   The classification of a first degree indicates the qualification class obtained. Certain qualifications obtained at first degree level are not subject to classification of award, notably medical and general degrees. These, together with ordinary degrees and aegrotat qualifications have been included within Unclassified. Third class honours, fourth class honours and the pass have been aggregated as Third/pass. Lower second and undivided second class honours have been aggregated as Lower second. The percentage calculations included in this SFR are expressed excluding unclassified first degrees from the denominator.

8. First year

   First year students are based on the HESA standard registration population who commenced their instance in the relevant reporting period. The term 'instance' is used to describe a student's engagement with the institution aiming towards the award of a qualification(s) or credit.

9. Age

   Age is as at 31 August within the relevant academic year.

10. Students studying wholly overseas

    These are students studying wholly outside the UK who are either registered with a reporting UK higher education institution or who are studying for an award of the reporting institution.

11. Location of provision

    Within the European Union includes students whose location of study country was a European Union (EU) member state.

    Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, for the purposes of this SFR, are counted as within the European Union.

12. Type of activity

    Type of activity defines the arrangements under which overseas programmes are provided.

    Students registered at a UK higher education institution includes:

    Overseas campus of reporting institution includes those studying at a campus set up as a branch campus of the parent institution, and as such it is seen as no different from any other campus of the institution.

    Distance, flexible or distributed learning denotes educational provision leading to an award of an awarding institution delivered and/or supported and/or assessed through means which generally do not require the student to attend particular classes or events at particular times and particular locations. There are a small number of distance learning students studying outside the UK who are funded (e.g. Crown servants overseas and the Services). These students are returned in the Student record and not included in the Aggregate offshore record.

    Other arrangement including collaborative provision denotes provision leading to an award of an awarding institution delivered and/or supported and/or assessed through an arrangement with a partner organisation. Collaborative provision, sometimes described as 'franchised' provision includes consortia and joint award arrangements.

    Students studying for an award of a UK higher education institution includes:

    Students studying for an award of a UK HEI are not registered students of the reporting institution but are studying for an award of the reporting institution, and are registered at an overseas partner organisation or via some other arrangement.

13. Rounding Strategy

    In the text and tables the figures presented are rounded. 0, 1 and 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down, to the nearest 5. Percentages are calculated on the base data and are suppressed if they are calculated on a population which contains 52 or fewer individuals. These cases are represented as '..'.

Press enquiries should be directed to the Press office at the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), 95 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1HZ: Tel: 01242 211120. General enquiries about the data contained within this SFR should be addressed to Jenny Skeet, Statistical Analyst, HESA (at the same address), telephone: 01242 211115.

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