Student enrolments on higher education courses at publicly funded higher education institutions in the United Kingdom for the academic year 2001/02

Introduction

This Statistical First Release (SFR) has been produced by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), in collaboration with Department for Education and Skills (DfES) statisticians. It provides provisional estimates of the numbers of student enrolments on higher education (HE) courses at higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United Kingdom (UK), for the academic year 2001/02. Also included are provisional estimates of the numbers of HE enrolments in further education colleges (FECs) in the UK for 2000/01, the latest available year.

Key Points

• The total number of HE enrolments at UK HEIs stands at 1,859,600 in 2001/02, an increase of 3% between 2000/01 and 2001/02. Between 1997/98 and 2001/02, UK HE enrolments at UK HEIs have increased by 9%. The latest comparable data available for HE enrolments in FECs in the UK is for the 2000/01 year. This data shows that there were a further 241,200 HE enrolments in FECs in the UK that year, of which 32% were full-time and 98% at undergraduate level.
• Postgraduate enrolments increased by 2%, first degree enrolments increased by 3% and other undergraduate enrolments increased by 5% between 2000/01 and 2001/02.
• 1,236,300 (66%) of all enrolments are full-time, an increase in numbers of 3% since 2000/01. The number of part-time enrolments also grew by 3% over the same period.
• The number of first year enrolments increased by 4% between 2000/01 and 2001/02, and grew by 13% between 1997/98 and 2001/02.
• Between 2000/01 and 2001/02, the number of enrolments of UK domiciled students increased by 3%. The numbers of all other European Union (EU) domiciled students decreased by 6%. Over the same period, the number of other overseas domiciled students increased by 12%.
• 55% of students in 2001/02 are female compared with 53% in 1997/98.
• 699,500 (38%) of all enrolments in 2001/02 are in science, an increase in numbers of 3% between 2000/01 and 2001/02, and an increase in numbers of 12% between 1997/98 and 2001/02.

Tables

Table 1 shows Student Enrolments on HE courses by Year of Study, Level of Course, Mode of Study and Domicile, 1997/98 to 2001/02.

Table 2 shows Student Enrolments on HE courses by Domicile, Level of Course, Gender and Mode of Study, 1997/98 to 2001/02.

Table 3 shows Student Enrolments on HE courses by Mode of Study, Level of Course and Subject Area, 1997/98 to 2001/02.

Table 4 shows First Year UK Domiciled Student Enrolments on HE courses by Mode of Study, Age and Level of Course, 1997/98 to 2001/02.

Table 5 shows Total Student Enrolments on HE courses at HEIs and FECs by Level of Course, Gender and Mode of Study, 2000/01.

Notes to Editors

1. The statistics in the majority of this SFR are derived from data collected from publicly funded HEIs in the UK by HESA. Enrolments at the University of Buckingham and at private and independent HE colleges are not included in the figures. One table (Table 5) includes comparable data for FECs in the UK for an earlier year.
2. The 2001 figures in this SFR are provisional.
3. It should be noted that there are occasional changes in the designation of institutions in the FE and HE sectors. In 2001/02, five institutions joined the HE sector.
4. Because of changes in the reporting practices of a large part-time provider, the numbers of part-time students cannot be directly compared between 1997/98 and 1998/99.
5. Registration on newly introduced courses from a large part-time provider in 2000/01 contributes significantly to the increase in part-time other undergraduates seen between 1999/2000 and 2000/01.
6. A volume, Students in Higher Education Institutions, 2000/01, setting out more information about students in higher education in the UK, is now available from HESA. Another volume Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom, 2000/01, containing broader information about higher education and distributed within the National Statistics framework, will be published by HESA in September 2002.

7. In order to provide consistent comparisons between years, the student enrolment census count figures for 1997/98 to 2001/02 in Tables 1 to 4 are derived from the December student record. The December student record provides interim figures in advance of the following July whole session student record.

   The HEI figures shown in Table 5 are calculated from the 2000/01 July whole session student record, and, as a consequence, do not exactly match the census count figures derived from the corresponding December student record presented in Tables 1 to 4 of this SFR.

Definitions

1. Higher education students are those students on courses that are of a standard that is higher than the Advanced Level of the General Certificate of Education, the Higher Grade of the Scottish Certificate of Education, GNVQ/NVQ level 3 or the BTEC or SCOTVEC National Certificate/Diploma.
2. The figures presented in Tables 1 to 4 of this SFR are counts of student enrolments as at 1 December in each year. For ease of reading, the terms student and enrolment are used interchangeably.

3. First year students

   First year students are those in their first year of study on a programme. In some cases the student’s first year of study may be the second or subsequent year of a programme. From 1998/99, the basis for identifying first year students changed. The numbers of first years in 1998/99 cannot therefore be directly compared with those for earlier years.

4. Level of course

   Postgraduate courses are those leading to higher degrees, diplomas and certificates (including postgraduate certificates of education and professional qualifications), which usually require a first degree as an entry qualification.

   First degrees include first degrees, first degree with eligibility to register to practice (doctor/ dentist/veterinary surgeon), first degrees with qualified teacher status, enhanced first degrees, first degrees obtained concurrently with a diploma and intercalated first degrees.

   Other undergraduate includes all HE courses not listed above (e.g. Diploma of Higher Education, Higher National Diploma, Foundation degree, etc.).

5. Mode of study

   1998/99 onwards

   Full-time students include all students studying full-time (for more than or equal to 24 weeks in the academic year), students on thick or thin sandwich courses, and those on a study-related year out of their institution.

   Part-time students include those studying part-time, on block release, during the evenings only, or full-time for less than 24 weeks in the academic year.

   Incoming exchange and visiting students are included in the figures. Students writing-up theses, on sabbatical, or dormant, are not included in the figures.

   Pre 1998/99

   Full-time students include all students studying full-time (for more than 18 weeks in the academic year), students on thick or thin sandwich courses, and those on a study-related year out of their institution.

   Part-time students include those studying part-time, on block release, during the evenings only, or full-time for less than or equal to 18 weeks.

   Incoming exchange and visiting students are included in the figures. Students writing-up theses, on sabbatical, or dormant, are not included in the figures.

6. Domicile

   UK domiciled students are those normally resident in the United Kingdom, including those living in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Other EU students are those normally resident in countries which were European Union members, or in their designated territories, as at 1 December in the relevant academic year. Other overseas students are those whose normal place of residence prior to commencing their programme of study was outside the EU.

7. Age

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

8. The HE in FECs figures presented in Table 5 for the latest available year, 2000/01, should be considered to be provisional.

   These figures were supplied by the data collectors (Scottish Executive, Education and Learning Wales and Department for Education and Learning Northern Ireland), or obtained from Individualised Student Record (ISR) data mapped into HESA format (England).

   The figures for England and Scotland were supplied as a session count (actively studying anytime during the academic year) and the figures for Wales and Northern Ireland were supplied as a census count (snapshot date).

   The England figures contained within this table reflect the total number of valid records processed through the mapping procedure and therefore might appear to undercount enrolments compared with figures published elsewhere.

9. In the tables, '1997' refers to the academic year 1997/98, '1998' refers to the academic year 1998/99, ‘1999’ refers to the academic year 1999/2000, ‘2000' refers to the academic year 2000/01 and ‘2001' refers to the academic year 2001/02. The definitions of the symbols used are:

   '0.0' zero

   '-' non-zero, less than the least significant figure shown

   '.' not applicable.

   The figures presented in Tables 1 to 4 are shown in thousands. The figures shown in Table 5 have been rounded to the nearest ten.

10. Press enquiries should be directed to Press Officer at the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), 95 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1HZ; Tel: 01242 211133. General enquiries about the data contained within this SFR should be addressed to Rachael Millichope, Data Quality Manager, HESA (at the same address); Tel: 01242 255577.

ENDS

Table 1 - Student Enrolments on Higher Education Courses by Year of Study, Level of Course, Mode of Study and Domicile, 1997/98 to 2001/02 (1)

(1) Refer to Notes to Editors paragraphs 2, 3, 4 and 5

(2) Excludes "Other" modes of study, i.e. students writing-up theses, on sabbatical, or dormant

Table 2 - Student Enrolments on Higher Education Courses by Domicile, Level of Course, Gender and Mode of Study, 1997/98 to 2001/02 (1)

(1) Refer to Notes to Editors paragraphs 2, 3, 4 and 5

Table 3 - Student Enrolments on Higher Education Courses by Mode of Study, Level of Course and Subject Area, 1997/98 to 2001/02 (1)

(1) Refer to Notes to Editors paragraphs 2, 3, 4 and 5

Table 4 - First Year UK Domiciled Student Enrolments on Higher Education Courses by Mode of Study, Age and Level of Course, 1997/98 to 2001/02 (1)

(1) Refer to Notes to Editors paragraphs 2, 3, 4 and 5

(2) Includes unknown ages

Table 5 - Total Student Enrolments on Higher Education Courses at HEIs and FECs by Level of Course, Gender and Mode of Study, 2000/2001 (1)(2)

(1) Refer to Notes to Editors paragraph 7

(2) See Definitions 15