Data intelligence

In 2013/14, Edge Hill University had a significant reduction in their part-time postgraduate taught students from 4,655 in 2012/13 to 2,975 in 2013/14. This was primarily due to a reduction in broad reach NCTL funded professional development activity and most effected the Education subject area.

The University of the Highlands and Islands is a partnership of 13 independent colleges and research institutions with a small core management referred to as the ‘executive office’. Consequently the university only reports on income and expenditure directly related to the executive office activities. This will affect any data derived from the Finance Statistics return relating to income; staff and resources expenditure; expenditure by activity or cost centre; assets; and bursary and scholarship costs.

The Finance Statistics return submissions for The University of East Anglia and The University of Essex include figures for income, net return, net assets and deferred capital grants for the University Campus Suffolk, which is a 50:50 joint venture between these two universities.

From 2021/22 some providers included an accounting cost relating to pension provisions following periodic pension valuations. This adjustment is shown in the staff cost totals within Tables 1, 8 and 12. Note that this cost is not reflective of the pure underlying financial performance of these institutions for this year.

The University of Worcester have misreported their percentage of renewable energy purchased through green tariffs in the 2014/15 EMR return. In 2014/15 and for the past two years, they have procured all their electricity from 100% renewable sources.

The specification of the HESA session and HESA standard registration populations has changed in 2007/08. Students on sabbatical are no longer included in these populations and additionally, writing-up students are not included in the HESA standard registration population.

In 2011/12, as a result of a clarification in the coverage, several providers returned a substantial number of additional students in the Aggregate offshore record when 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 provider. Coventry University and The Open University show notable increases.

In 2015/16, Birmingham City University incorrectly reported qualifiers on H76 Post-Registration Health and Social Care courses. This has resulted in a fall of 835 part-time other undergraduate qualifiers from 2015/16 to 2016/17.

For 2018/19 The National Film and Television School omitted 283 students from postgraduate diploma courses.

London Metropolitan University has had a significant reduction (840) in their first year postgraduate taught students. This is largely due to the revocation of the University's Tier 4 licence which has meant that no new international students were recruited in 2012/13.

City University awarded a significant number of additional qualifications for postgraduate taught students in 2011/12. This was due to a previous change in course end dates meaning that a cohort crossed into a second HESA reporting year. This caused a temporary drop in numbers in 2010/11 with the 2011/12 figures returning to normal.

The City University has had a notable drop in full-time postgraduate taught qualifiers and a similar increase in part-time postgraduate taught qualifiers (approx. 1700). This is due to HEFCE requirements to re-code full-time postgraduate taught students whose course lasts longer than 12 months but less than 24 months to part-time after the first 12 months has expired. Students recorded in this way are now being awarded on a part-time mode and have now appeared under part-time qualifier figures.

In 2015/16, The University of Glasgow moved the date the board of examiners approves the award for its Business school. This meant it fell outside of HESA's reporting period and specifically affected postgraduate taught qualifiers. This has contributed to a 50% reduction in full-time postgraduate taught qualifiers at the University of Glasgow. These will be returned in 2016/17.

In 2019/20, The University of Glasgow reported a reduction in the number of qualifications awarded at postgraduate (taught) level. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many awards were delayed and are expected to be completed in the 2020/21 data return. This accounts for a reduction of around 3,660 qualifications awarded at postgraduate (taught) level in the 2019/20 data return in comparison to 2018/19.

In 2021/22, The University of Glasgow saw an increase in postgraduate taught enrolments of 4,495. Of the increase, 3,975 were due to a delayed start in 2020/21 as an impact of the pandemic and were therefore reported in the 2021/22 academic year.

The University of York was incorrectly setting end dates for postgraduate taught students prior to 2012/13 using award date as opposed to the required date at which students completed the structured/ taught part of instance. Data submitted in 2012/13 is using the correct end date.  This has impacted on their Postgraduate taught student instance count population for this year’s return (decreasing by 1140).

In 2015/16, The University of Birmingham changed the way it reported the final months of its postgraduate taught students programmes. This has resulted in a visible decrease of both full-time and part-time postgraduate taught student numbers at The University of Birmingham. These students now fall out of HESA’s standard populations whereas previously they would have been included and now better align with HESA reporting requirements.

In 2015/16, The University of Birmingham changed the way it reported the final months of its Postgraduate taught students programmes. This has resulted in a visible decrease of both full-time and part-time Postgraduate taught student numbers at The University of Birmingham. These students now fall out of HESA’s standard populations where as previously they would have been included and now better align with HESA reporting requirements.

The University of Oxford has a significant increase (244 in 2010/11 to 828 in 2011/12) in the number of academic staff who have been classified as a ‘Professor’. This is not an actual increase but a change in how professors have been identified at Oxford. This increase should bring them more in line with the rest of the sector.

University of Oxford has asked that the following caveats be supplied with their data:

"As part of the pay agreement for 2006-2009 the Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (JNCHES) reiterated the equality principles set out in the 2004 Framework Agreement, and strongly advised that following the implementation of new pay structures all higher education institutions should undertake an equal pay review

The new salary and grading structure for the University of Oxford was implemented on 1 August 2006 for 6,500 support, academic and related staff, followed by 530 staff in clinical support roles in July 2007. The University’s Personnel Services, in conjunction with the Equality and Diversity Unit and in partnership with staff representatives, including from the UCU, subsequently undertook an equal pay audit across the new grading structure to identify and investigate any pay gaps, and make recommendations for action in the light of the findings of the audit.

The audit looked at pay by grade and equality strand. This analysis did not reveal any significant pay gaps and across the board the results clearly demonstrate the University is achieving equal pay for work of equal value irrespective of gender, age, disability, ethnicity, or contractual status.

The HESA staff data does not include staff on college-only contracts. The college-only contract staff engaged in teaching activity are therefore not reflected in staff:student ratios."

With effect from 2010-11, the University of Oxford has moved from previously agreed practice of reporting to HESA the University-only component of the salary for joint appointments with Colleges to reporting an estimate of the total remuneration received from both College and University sources. This estimate is derived through calculating a multiple of the University-only component to reflect the overall FTE of the joint appointment. This change has been made at HEFCE’s request and results in a greater overall percentage rise in average salary for non-professorial full-time academic staff than would otherwise be the case.

Dartington College of Arts merged with University College Falmouth in 2007/08 but continued to make separate returns for that collection year. A single return has been made in 2008/09.