Higher Education Statistics for the UK 2009/10

The HESA publication Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom 2009/10 is released today. The National Statistics publication provides the official overview of the UK’s higher education sector in 2009/10. The publication contains data from HESA, the Student Loans Company, OECD, UCAS and the Labour Force Survey.

An introduction including commentary, summary tables and charts is provided for the first time this year. The introduction provides an overview of the key trends in higher education and is available free online. Some key trends in the HESA data are highlighted below.

Student trends

Between 2005/06 and 2009/10 the total number of students at UK HE institutions increased by 9.3% from 2.3 million to 2.5 million. The number of postgraduate students increased by 17.5% over the five years. The number of non-UK domicile students increased by 32.2% over the same period.

Staff trends

Over the same five years the number of staff employed at UK HE institutions increased by 9.0% from 355 thousand to 387 thousand. There was a 10.1% rise in the number of academic staff while the number of non-academic staff rose 8.0%.

Finance trends

The total income of the UK higher education sector was £26.8 billion in 2009/10. The table below shows income and expenditure in cash terms and has not been adjusted for inflation.

Publication

Higher Education Statistics for the UK is a National Statistics product which serves as a quick reference guide to high-level data on all aspects of higher education in the UK. A full introduction including commentary, summary tables and charts, is provided for the first time this year. The introduction provides an overview of the key trends in higher education over the last five years.

Higher Education Statistics for the UK contains 38 main tables including:

• Student, Staff, Finance and Destinations data from HESA
• Applications and admissions data from UCAS
• Data from the Student Loans Company on student support provision
• Information on participation and graduate rates for 30 countries sourced from the OECD
• Data from the Labour Source Survey on qualification rates over time.

Higher Education Statistics for the UK is available as a printed book or an electronic download.

Notes for editors

1. Press enquiries should be directed to:
   
   • Simon Kemp
   • HESA Press Officer
   • 01242 211120
   • [email protected]
2. In the above data 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5. Percentages are calculated on un-rounded numbers.
3. HESA appreciates the collaboration of all the bodies that have made data available for the volume, and in particular that of our colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), Welsh Assembly Government, Scottish Government and the Department for Employment and Learning (Northern Ireland) with whom we have worked closely in preparing it, in accordance with the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority .
4. Data for 2005/06 is based on the standard registration population used since 2007/08 which excludes students on sabbatical and students who are writing-up. The data for this year will therefore not perfectly match the data previously published in earlier editions of Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom.
5. Total Income figures include share of joint ventures. 2005/06 finance data is based on restated figures submitted in 2006/07.
6. The data tables above relate to all UK HE institutions. Figures for the individual nations of the UK are available below [England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland].
7. HESA cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived from the data by third parties.
8. Definitions of the terms used in this press release can be found on the publication pages.

Ends

Annex - equivalent tables for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

England

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland