News and insight

The survey results show the number of new and on-going spin-off companies associated with UK HE providers. 129 spin-offs were started with some provider ownership in 2014/15. 4,160 graduate start-up companies and 138 social enterprises were formed

The full tables show the national non-continuation rates and indicators for every publicly funded HE provider in the UK alongside their benchmark.

Further tables show the statistics for entrants to part-time and other undergraduate courses.

Three of the UK's leading higher education agencies have announced plans to explore increased collaboration and cost sharing through a new partnership to be known as the 'M5 Group'.

HE Finance Plus 2014/15 shows that the total income of higher education providers in 2014/15 was £33.2 billion.² Tuition fees and education contracts contributed £15.6 billion or 47% of this total. The total expenditure of UK HE providers was £31.2 billion, of which £17.1 billion (55%) was spent on staff costs.

Data published today show that there were 198,335 academic staff employed at UK HE providers in 2014/15. When analysed by cost centre (a proxy for academic departments) nearly a quarter of these staff (24%) were working in the areas of medicine, dentistry and health.

Data published today show that 745,005 higher education qualifications were awarded by UK HE providers in 2014/15. This is 4% fewer than were awarded in 2013/14. While 6% fewer first degrees were awarded than in the previous year, the number of postgraduate qualifications rose by 1%. The number of other undergraduate qualifications awarded, such as diplomas and certificates of HE fell by 10%, continuing a four year downward trend. 

Indicators for Widening Participation are published today on our website. The full tables show the indicators for every publicly funded HE provider in the UK alongside their benchmark.

The Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) report ‘From Bricks to Clicks: the potential of data and analytics in Higher Education’, published today (Friday 22 January 2016), contains the findings of the Commission’s ten-month inquiry into the transformative effect that data and analytics can have for university students, higher education providers and the HE sector as a whole.

This is the first release of data from the 2014/15 HESA Staff record. The release provides details of staff employment at UK Higher Education providers (HEPs) on 1 December 2014. It has been produced in partnership with the UK administrations and is released in accordance with the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

We have responded to the Government's Higher Education Green Paper 'Fulfilling our potential: teaching excellence, social mobility, and student choice'.

We believe that the Green Paper is an important set of proposals, outlining changes required to build on the original reforms set out in the White Paper on higher education in 2011, putting students at the heart of the system.