HIGHER EDUCATION IN
FACTS AND FIGURES2016
2
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gures 20
16
22% of 18-year-olds from the areas of lowest higher education participation in
England have applied to university in 2016 as compared
to 12% ten years ago.
13% of undergraduate students, 38% of postgraduate students and 28% of academic staff are
from outside the UK.
In 2015, the unemployment rate of graduates was
half that of non-graduates (3.1% versus 6.4%).
In 2014–15, £1.25 billion worth of income for
institutions came from collaborative research.
16% of research and development funding received by UK universities in 2014–15 came from overseas sources – the majority (£0.8 billion)
from within the EU.
For further information: Tel: +44 (0)20 7419 4111
Visit: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk Email: [email protected]
HIGHLIGHTS
3
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cts an
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gures 20
16
STUDENTS
Students at higher education providers in the UK by country of provider, 2013–14 to 2014–15 5
18-year-old application rates to full-time first degree study in the UK, 2006 to 2016 6
Application rates to full-time first degree study for the most disadvantaged 18-year-olds, 2006 to 2016 7
Full-time and part-time higher education students by level of study at UK higher education providers, 2014–15 8
Higher education students by domicile and level of study, 2014–15 9
Students by subject area at UK higher education providers, 2014–15 10
Qualifications obtained by subject area, 2014–15 11
Home country of international students at UK higher education providers, 2014–15 12
Home country of European Economic Area students at UK higher education providers, 2014–15 13
Income from non-EU domiciled students and non-EU domiciled student numbers, 2003–04 to 2014–15 14
National Student Survey, 2008 to 2016 15
Qualifications awarded at UK higher education providers, 2014–15 16
Destinations of leavers by level of qualification, 2014–15 17
Unemployment rates and median salaries in the UK by group (2015) 18
STAFF
Staff by nationality and contract level, 2014–15 19
Academic staff in UK higher education providers by nationality and sex, 2014–15 20
Staff salaries at UK higher education providers, 2014–15 21
4
Fa
cts an
d fi
gures 20
16
FINANCE
Public expenditure on higher education as a percentage of GDP (2012) 22
Income and size of UK higher education providers, 2013–14 and 2014–15 23
Income and expenditure of UK higher education providers, 2014–15 24
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
Knowledge exchange income by type of activity for higher education providers, 2005–06 to 2014–15 25
Research and development funding received by UK higher education providers, 2014–15 26
Government-financed gross domestic expenditure on research and development as a proportion of GDP, 2007 to 2014 27
ANNEXE
Glossary 28
Sources 30
5
Stu
den
ts
-1.6%
0.1%
-3.0%
0.8%
232,570 TOTAL +2.4% FULL-TIME-3.8% PART-TIME19 PROVIDERS
Scotland
1,844,095 TOTAL -0.1% FULL-TIME-6.1% PART-TIME131 PROVIDERS
Wales
132,965 TOTAL -2.3% FULL-TIME
-4.6% PART-TIME10 PROVIDERS
Northern Ireland
56,445 TOTAL +2.1% FULL-TIME -3.8% PART-TIME
5 PROVIDERS
England
STUDENTS AT HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS IN THE UK BY COUNTRY OF PROVIDER, 2013–14 TO 2014–15
In 2014 there was a continuing decrease in part-time students in all four UK nations, while there were small decreases in numbers of full-time students at English and Welsh providers.
6
Stu
den
ts
18-YEAR-OLD APPLICATION RATES TO FULL-TIME FIRST DEGREE STUDY IN THE UK, 2006 TO 2016
18-year-olds in all UK nations are more likely than ever to apply to university.
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 20162015
Northern Ireland England Scotland Wales
Year
App
lica
tion
rat
e (%
)
48%
37%
33%
32%
7
Stu
den
ts
APPLICATION RATES TO FULL-TIME FIRST DEGREE STUDY FOR THE MOST DISADVANTAGED 18-YEAR-OLDS, 2006 TO 2016
18-year-olds from the areas of lowest higher education participation from England, Wales and Scotland have never been more likely to apply to university.
Northern Ireland England Scotland Wales
App
lica
tion
rat
e (%
)
App
lica
tion
rat
e (%
)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
0
5
10
15
2024%
22%
20%
16%
POLAR3 method is used for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while SIMD is used for Scotland. Therefore, they are not directly comparable. Application rates reported for Scotland are lower, as a substantial section of Scottish providers do not use UCAS.
8
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den
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FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS BY LEVEL OF STUDY AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15
Part-time students make up about a quarter of all postgraduate research students, a fifth of all undergraduate students, and half of all postgraduate taught students.
Postgraduate research
112,910
Postgraduate taught425,270
Undergraduate1,727,895
Full-time Part-time
52.1%
47.9%
25.9%
74.1%
25.1%
74.9%
19.5%
80.5%
Total 2,266,075
9
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HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS BY DOMICILE AND LEVEL OF STUDY, 2014–15
13% of undergraduate students and 38% of postgraduate students are from outside the UK.
0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000
Undergraduate
Postgraduate taught
Postgraduate research
UK EU Non-EU
1,495,750153,745
269,070
64,37531,360
78,345
124,610
14,870
33,655
10
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ts
STUDENTS BY SUBJECT AREA AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15
The most popular subjects for male undergraduate students are business, engineering and biological sciences, and for female undergraduate students are health allied subjects, business and biological sciences.
Undergraduate female Undergraduate male Postgraduate female Postgraduate male
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
Health
allie
d su
bjects
Biolo
gical
scien
ces
Socia
l stu
dies
Educ
ation
Arts and
des
ign
Engin
eerin
g
Lang
uage
s
Phys
ical s
cienc
es
Compu
ting
Law
Histor
y
Med
icine
& den
tistry
Combin
ed sub
jects
Mas
s co
mmun
icatio
n
Arch
itectur
e
Mat
hemat
ics
Agric
ultur
e & ve
t scie
nces
Busin
ess
11
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den
ts
QUALIFICATIONS OBTAINED BY SUBJECT AREA, 2014–15
In 2014–15, the subject areas where a high percentage of postgraduate qualifications were obtained include education (57%), business (47%), medicine and dentistry (45%), and architecture (43%).
First degree Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Foundation degree
Other undergraduate qualifications (incl HND) Postgraduate Certificate in Education
Other postgraduate qualifications Other higher degree Doctorate
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Business & administrative studiesSubjects allied to medicine
EducationSocial studies
Biological sciencesCreative arts & design
Engineering & technologyLanguages
LawPhysical sciences
Computer sciencesHistorical & philosophical studies
Medicine & dentistryMass communications & documentation
Architecture, building & planningMathematical sciences
Agriculture & related subjectsVeterinary sciences
12
Stu
den
ts
-0.6%2,565
3.7%
1.0%27,610
-0.1%35,070
-0.6%124,575
-7.2%18,320
2.0%19,920
12.9%5,995
North America
South America
EU
Other Europe
Australasia
-0.5%84,460
Rest ofAsia
1.9%89,540
China
India
Africa Middle East
% of total non-UK domiciled students at UK HEPs% change from last yearTotal students 2014–15
Legend
4.2%
6.3%
1.4%
8.0%
6.5%
4.5%
20.5%
19.3%
0.6%
up to 1%1–5%5–10%10–20%20–30%
28,525
28.5%
4.6%
HOME COUNTRY OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15
Students from Europe accounted for 33% of all international students, while 20.5% were from China and 4.2% from India. Between 2013–14 and 2014–15 there was a decrease in the number of students from India by 7.2%, and an increase from South America by 12.9%.
13
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HOME COUNTRY OF EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA (EEA) STUDENTS AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15
In 2014–15 there were 133,485 students from the EEA studying in UK universities, equating to 5.9% of the entire student body.
Country 2014–15% change from
2013–14 to 2014–15Country 2014–15
% change from 2013–14 to 2014–15
Germany 13,675 -2.7% Portugal 2,730 7.9%
France 11,955 4.0% Finland 1,895 0.5%
Ireland 10,905 -5.1% Austria 1,880 5.3%
Italy 10,525 10.2% Hungary 1,685 15.0%
Greece 10,130 -5.1% Latvia 1,530 -16.8%
Cyprus (EU) 9,745 -5.3% Slovakia 1,415 0.7%
Spain 7,040 6.9% Czech Republic 1,405 6.8%
Romania 6,590 1.2% Denmark 1,360 -4.6%
Bulgaria 6,255 -1.6% Luxembourg 1,100 2.8%
Norway 5,475 4.9% Estonia 1,075 -8.5%
Poland 5,245 0.9% Malta 895 -8.7%
Lithuania 4,340 -10.8% Slovenia 370 2.8%
Netherlands 3,390 1.5% Croatia 355 39.2%
Switzerland 3,190 2.9% Iceland 225 7.1%
Sweden 3,095 -4.2% Liechtenstein 20 33.3%
Belgium 2,925 0.9%
14
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INCOME FROM NON-EU DOMICILED STUDENTS AND NON-EU DOMICILED STUDENT NUMBERS, 2003–04 TO 2014–15
Higher education providers received £4.2 billion in tuition fees from 312,000 registered international students in 2014–15.
2007–08
2008–09
2009–10
2010–11
2011–12
2012–13
2013–14
2014–15
Real tuition fee income from non-EU students (£bn) Total non-EU domiciled students
Rea
l tu
itio
n fe
e in
com
e fr
om n
on-E
U s
tud
ents
(£
bn)
Tot
al n
on-E
U d
omic
iled
stu
den
ts
Year
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
Note: Base year 2014–15 prices.
15
Stu
den
ts
NATIONAL STUDENT SURVEY, 2008 TO 2016
Overall student satisfaction at UK providers has remained at a record level of 86% since 2014, an increase of four percentage points compared to 2008. In 2016, satisfaction with teaching on the course was 87%, assessment and feedback 74%, and academic support 82%. Satisfaction with academic support has increased by eight percentage points since 2008.
Lev
el o
f sa
tisf
act
ion
(%
)
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
The teaching on my course Overall satisfaction Learning resources
Academic support Assessment and feedback
16
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QUALIFICATIONS AWARDED AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15
53% of all qualifications awarded in 2014–15 were for undergraduate first degrees, 12% were for other types of undergraduate degrees, and 35% were for postgraduate degrees.
Undergraduate Postgraduate
First degree Other undergraduate
Foundation degree
Postgraduatetaught
PGCE Postgraduate research
Full-time
Modeof study
Part-time
Total
% oftotal
395,580
37,225
358,355
70,950
32,040
38,910
16,875
6,515
10,365
213,650
70,155
143,495
21,310
1,055
20,255
26,640
22,015
4,625
53.1% 9.5% 2.3% 28.7% 2.9% 3.6%
17
Stu
den
ts
DESTINATIONS OF LEAVERS BY LEVEL OF QUALIFICATION, 2014–15
Six months after graduation, 92% of postgraduates and other undergraduates, and 89% of first degree students were working or pursuing further study.
0 20 40 60 80 100
Postgraduate
First degree
Other undergraduate
Work Work and study Study Unemployed and looking for work Other
81.6% 4.3% 6.2% 3.6%
5.7%4.9%14.0%5.1%70.3%
3.9%4.2%22.7%12.9%56.3%
4.3%
18
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den
ts
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES AND MEDIAN SALARIES IN THE UK BY GROUP (2015)
In 2015, the unemployment rate of graduates was half that of non-graduates. The median salary for graduates was a third higher than for non-graduates among those aged 21–30, and 43% higher for those aged 16–64.
Young unemployment rate (21–30 year olds) Unemployment rate (16–64 year olds)
GraduatePostgraduate Non-graduate
Median salary (16–64 year olds) Young median salary (21–30 year olds)
Une
mpl
oym
ent r
ates
(%
)
Med
ian
sala
ry (
£)
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
20%
19
Sta
ff
STAFF BY NATIONALITY AND CONTRACT LEVEL, 2014–15
EU and international staff make up 7% of senior management, and 25% of senior lecturers, professionals and researchers.
UK EEAOther non-European Union countries
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Senior
lectu
rers
Senior
man
agem
ent
Profes
sors
Admin st
aff
Task
providers
Team
lead
ers
76.3%
10.1%
13.6%
79.5%
8.4%
12.1%
90.9%3.5%
5.6%
85.8%6.1%8.1%
82.1%7.1%
10.7%92.9%
3.0%
4.1%
Note: Each column contains a number of job titles, which can be found in the online version of this publication.
20
Sta
ff
ACADEMIC STAFF IN UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS BY NATIONALITY AND SEX, 2014–15
16% of academic staff at UK higher education providers are from EU countries, while 12% are from non-EU countries, and 72% are from the UK.
32%
39%
8%
9%
5%
7%
Female UK staff
Male UK staff
Female EU staff
Male EU staff
Female non-EU staff
Male non-EU staff
21
Sta
ff
STAFF SALARIES AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15
54% of the total higher education workforce is female, and accounts for two thirds of those earning under £24,057 per annum. In contrast, men make up 46% of the total higher education workforce and account for 70% of those earning over £58,172 per annum.
Staf
f
Percentage of employeesfrom total
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
Up to
£18
,031
£18,
031
to £
24,0
57
£24,
057
to £
32,2
77
£32,
277
to £
43,3
25
£43,
325
to £
58,1
72
£58,
172+
Male non-academic Male academic Female non-academic Female academic
32%27%
22%19%
22
Fin
an
ce Country Total expenditure in %
Finland 1.78Austria 1.74Norway 1.58Sweden 1.51Canada 1.47United States 1.41Estonia 1.41Belgium 1.40Netherlands 1.37France 1.26Switzerland 1.24Germany 1.22Slovenia 1.22Turkey 1.21New Zealand 1.21Czech Republic 1.20United Kingdom 1.20Poland 1.18Iceland 1.06
Country Total expenditure in %
Chile 1.04Latvia 1.03Ireland 1.03Spain 1.01Mexico 0.97Slovak Republic 0.96Portugal 0.93Brazil 0.93Colombia 0.93Israel 0.92Russian Federation 0.89Australia 0.88Korea 0.84Italy 0.80Hungary 0.80South Africa 0.67Indonesia 0.55Japan 0.53Luxembourg 0.45
PUBLIC EXPENDITURE ON HIGHER EDUCATION AS A PERCENTAGE OF GDP (2012)
In 2012 the UK’s public spending on higher education was 1.2% of total GDP – a lower proportion than many competitor countries including the United States, Canada, Finland, France and Germany.
23
Fin
an
ce
INCOME AND SIZE OF UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2013–14 AND 2014–15
One third of all UK higher education providers have an annual income of up to £100m, and two thirds of providers have an annual income above £100m.
Inco
me
(£)
Num
ber
of s
tude
nts
Total income 2013–14
Total income 2014–15
Number of students 2013–14
Number of students 2014–15
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40
More than £1bn
£500–1000m
£200–500m
£100–200m
£50–100m
£20–50m
£10–20m
Less than £10m
50,000 to 200,000
30,000 to 50,000
25,000 to 30,000
20,000 to 25,000
15,000 to 20,000
10,000 to 15,000
5,000 to 10,000
1,000 to 5,000
Less than 1,000
24
Fin
an
ce
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15
In total, tuition fees made up 44% of provider income. Within that 44%, the highest proportion came from full-time UK and EU students.
10% 6% 1%
55%38%
44%
16%
8%
1%
21%
Staff costs Other operating expenses
Depreciation Interest and otherfinance costs
Teaching – UK government Teaching – fees
Research – UK government Research – other
Endowment Other income
Total expenditure £31.2 billionTotal income £33.2 billion
25
Resea
rch a
nd
inn
ovation
Income from collaborative research Contract research Consultancy contracts
Facilities and equipment related servicesCourses for businesses and the community
Intellectual property revenues Regeneration and development programmes
Inco
me
(₤)
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
2013–14 2014–152011–12 2012–132009–10 2010–112007–08 2008–092005–06 2006–07
KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE INCOME BY TYPE OF ACTIVITY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2005–06 TO 2014–15
In 2014–15, income from collaborative research accounted for 30% of the sources of income shown below.
26
Resea
rch a
nd
inn
ovation
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDING RECEIVED BY UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2014–15
16% of research and development funding received by UK providers came from overseas sources – the majority (68%) from within the EU.
UK business
UK government*
UK charities
EU sources
Non-EU sources
Other sources
66%
4%
13%
11%
5%1%
Research funding from
EU sources increased by
Research funding from
non-EU sources increased by
5.9%from 2013–14. in the same period.
3.6%
*Note: UK government includes RDEC funding, a one-off funding amount, which therefore increases research and total income for 2014–15 only. For more information please see the glossary and online version of this publication.
27
Resea
rch a
nd
inn
ovation
GOVERNMENT-FINANCED GROSS DOMESTIC EXPENDITURE ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AS A PROPORTION OF GDP, 2007 TO 2014
UK government spending on research and development is consistently below the OECD average as a proportion of GDP.
0%
0.1%
0.2%
0.3%
0.4%
0.5%
0.6%
0.7%
0.8%
0.9%
1.0%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
United Kingdom United States Germany France OECD
EU28 Japan Canada Italy China
Year
Gov
t-fi
nanc
ed G
ER
D a
s %
of G
DP
28
An
nexe
GLOSSARY
Application rateThe number of applicants divided by the estimated base population.
DLHEThe Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing six months after graduation. About three quarters of leavers complete the survey.
DomicileA student’s permanent country of residence.
EEAThe European Economic Area (EEA) is the 28 EU countries plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
Entry rateThe number of acceptances for entry to start higher education divided by the estimated base population.
First degreeA three- or four-year undergraduate higher education course taken after finishing further education, generally resulting in a bachelor’s degree.
GDPGross domestic product: monetary measure of the value of all final goods and services produced in a period.
GERDGross Domestic Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) is the total spending on research and development performed within a country during a given period.
HE-BCIHigher Education-Business and Community Interaction Survey.
HEFCEThe Higher Education Funding Council for England funds and regulates universities and colleges in England.
29
An
nexe
HEPHigher education provider. This publication covers organisations that deliver higher education and receive government funding, plus The University of Buckingham. It excludes alternative providers and further education colleges.
HESAHigher Education Statistics Agency
Mode of studyWhether a student studies full or part-time.
NSSNational Student Survey
OECDOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Other undergraduateUndergraduate degrees which are not first degrees, including foundation degrees and Higher National Diplomas.
POLAR3Participation of Local Areas (POLAR) is a widening participation measure which classifies local areas or ‘wards’ into five groups, based on the proportion of 18-year-olds who enter higher education aged 18 or 19 years old. These groups range from quintile 1 areas, with the lowest young participation (most disadvantaged), up to quintile 5 areas with the highest rates (most advantaged).
RDECResearch and Development Expenditure Credit
SIMDScottish index of multiple deprivation. SIMD ranks small geographical areas in Scotland by their relative level of deprivation across a range of measures. Data used in this publication refers to 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged SIMD quintile.
30
An
nexe
SOURCES
P.5 HESA Student Record [2014–15]*
P.6 UCAS, 2016
P.7 UCAS, 2016
P.8 HESA Student Record [2014–15]*
P.9 HESA Student Record [2014–15]*
P.10 HESA Student Record [2014–15]*
P.11 HESA Student Record [2014–15]*
P.12 HESA Student Record [2014–15]*
P.13 HESA Student Record [2014-15]*
P.14 HESA Finance and Student Record (multiple years) and BIS GDP deflators series, 2016
P.15 National Student Survey (NSS), 2016
P.16 HESA (2016) Statistical First Release 224
P.17 HESA Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) [2014–15]*
P.18 BIS (2016) Graduate Labour Statistics
P.19 HESA Staff Record [2014–15]*
P.20 HESA Staff Record [2014–15]*
p.21 HESA Staff Record [2014–15]*
p.22 OECD Education at a Glance (2015)
p.23 HESA Finance Record and Student Record [multiple years]
p.24 HESA Finance Record [2014–15]*
p.25 HESA HE-BCI Record [2014–15]*
p.26 HESA Finance Record [2014–15]*
p.27 OECD (2016) Main Science and Technology Indicators
*Copyright Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited
All data and further information on sources can be found on our website:www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/facts-and-figures
Neither the Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited nor HESA Services Limited can accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from data or other information obtained from Heidi Plus.
UNIVERSITIES UK
Universities UK is the representative organisation for the UK’s universities. Founded in 1918, our mission is to be the voice of universities in the UK, providing high quality leadership and support to our members to promote a successful and diverse higher education sector. With 135 members and offices in London, Cardiff (Universities Wales) and Edinburgh (Universities Scotland), we promote the strength and success of UK universities nationally and internationally.
Woburn House, 20 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9HQ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7419 4111 Email: [email protected] Web: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk Twitter: @UniversitiesUK
ISBN 978-1-84036-364-7 August 2016