New student data model 2022/23
What has changed with 2022/23 student data?
The Data Futures programme implemented a new sector-wide approach to the way higher education providers return data about their students. The 2022/23 Student record is based on this new model which replaces the former Student record and Student Alternative record.
When will the 2022/23 data be available?
The HESA student statistics products for 2024 will not be published on the normal schedule in January and February. This is due to delays in collecting the 2022/23 HESA Student Record. We now expect to publish these products in April 2024.
We will undertake an enhanced data quality assessment which will form the basis of a comprehensive set of quality information for users of the publications.
If there are any significant data quality issues which cannot be adequately addressed within the April publications, these may be resolved through a revision to the publications later in the year.
We will give four weeks' notice of each planned publication date at Upcoming data releases.
Will there be one annual release or multiple in-year releases?
There is one single data collection for 2022/23, much like the Legacy Student record. In-year data will start from the 2024/25 collection.
What is in-year data and when will it take place?
The Legacy Student record is currently retrospective and collects data in relation to a year long reference period. The reference period runs from 1 August Y1 to 31 July Y2 and data is collected during the Autumn of Y2. The move to in-year will mean a change to two reference periods per year. The reference periods will run from 1 August Y1 to 1 December Y1 and 2 December Y1 to 31 July Y2 with a data collection at the end of each reference period.
It was planned to move to in-year collection of student data from 2024/25, however this will now not happen in 2024/25 for providers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) will be reflecting on the implications of delaying the introduction of in-year collections for both SFC and Scottish HE providers in consultation with the sector and Jisc. The Data Futures programme board will be discussing this at its next meeting and will confirm further details in due course.
Will we be able to filter out ‘Alternative providers’ in the new data?
Alternative providers is a legacy term and not included in 2022/23 Student record. Many of the providers included in the Legacy Student Alternative record have funding arrangements similar to those in the Legacy Student record. Currently in the Legacy Student record the field ‘registration category’ is used to group English providers in to two categories; Approved fee cap and Approved. The definition of these terms is similar to how Alternative providers were previously defined. It will be possible to identify Approved fee cap and Approved providers in tailored datasets extracted from the 2022/23 Student record.
Will the same data fields be captured for those that previously submitted to the Legacy Alternative Student record as the Legacy Student record?
Yes, the same fields are returned for all providers in the 2022/23 Student record. The concept of Alternative record/Alternative providers no longer exists.
Does the new data model impact the Aggregate Offshore, Graduate Outcomes or Staff records?
No, this only affects the Legacy Student and Legacy Alternate provider records, which will now be combined into one record.
Why is cost centre not required for postgraduate research students and how does this impact student staff ratios (SSRs) and league tables?
It is no longer a requirement of HESA statutory customers to collect cost centre data for postgraduate research students. This means that SSRs cannot be calculated at cost centre level, in the way they were before.
We are investigating whether we can produce SSRs this year. Some fields included in the Legacy Student methodology are being returned differently in the 2022/23 Student record.
We have formed a working group to investigate whether we can produce useful SSRs. We will communicate the outcome of that investigation with users of SSR statistics.
I’m concerned about the quality of the data, how will this be addressed?
We are undertaking a significantly enhanced post-collection quality assurance process this year, as explained in the recent letter to Accountable Officers (Student 22056 Sign Off deadline and in-year update). This process will involve comprehensive and thorough testing to identify data anomalies. The actions we may take to resolve data anomalies will range from clear explanation to users in less serious cases to the suppression or removal of data in the most serious cases. This post-collection quality assurance process will seek to ensure as far as possible that data anomalies are trapped and addressed, with any impacts on onward uses mitigated.
Will all the fields available under the current format be included in the new format?
The majority of the fields included in the Legacy Student record will be available in the new collection. Some of the field names and valid entries will change slightly. There are a small number of fields that are no longer collected. These include:
Year of Student: This field is no longer collected. If you were using this field to identify new enrolments each year you can use the New entrant marker’ field instead. If you use this field in other ways please contact one of our consultants and we can discuss alternatives with you.
Mode of Study: This field will only contain the valid entries Full-time and Part-time. The previous valid entries Sandwich, Dormant and Writing up are no longer included in the mode of study field. These will be valid entries for a new set of fields available for analysis.
Location of study: It won't be possible to exactly replicate what was previously supplied in this field in the new collection. However, much of the same data can be retrieved using the following 2022/23 Student record fields:
- Study abroad (STUDYABROAD)
- Distance learning (DISTANCE)
- Primarily outside the UK (PRINONUK)
- Sandwich placement (PLACEMENT)