HIGHER EDUCATION IN

FACTS AND FIGURES2015

2

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gure 20

15

18-year-olds from the areas with lowest participation in higher education in England are 61% more likely to start

university now, than in 2006.

In the first quarter of 2015, the median salary for

graduates was 41% higher than for non-graduates amongst

those aged 16–64.

27% of all academic staff employed at UK universities

are from outside the UK.

17% of research and development funding received by UK universities comes from overseas sources, the majority

(68%) from within the EU.

Over three quarters of research activity at UK universities was rated

as world-leading or internationally excellent.

For further information: Tel: +44 (0)20 7419 4111

Visit: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk Email: info@universitiesuk.ac.uk

HIGHLIGHTS

3

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15

STUDENTS

18-year-old application rates to full-time first degree study in the UK, 2006–15 5

Application rates to full-time first degree study for the most disadvantaged 18-year-olds, 2006–15 6

Entry rates to full-time first degree study for the most disadvantaged 18-year-olds, 2006–14 7

Young entry rates to full-time first degree study by UK country, 2006–13 8

Students at higher education providers in the UK by country of provider, 2012–13 to 2013–14 9

Full-time and part-time higher education students by level of study at UK higher education providers, 2013–14 10

Students by subject area at UK higher education providers 2013–14 11

Higher education provider students by domicile and level of study, 2013–14 12

Home country of international students at UK higher education providers, 2013–14 13

Home country of European Economic Area students at UK higher education providers, 2013–14 14

Top five countries of origin for UK students, 2013–14 15

Provider income from non-EU domiciled students and non-EU domiciled student numbers, 2003–04 to 2013–14 16

Student satisfaction, 2015 17

First degree qualifiers by sex, mode of study and degree class, 2013–14 18

Qualifications awarded at UK higher education providers, 2013–14 19

Destinations of leavers by level of qualification 2013–14 20

Unemployment rates and median salaries in the UK by group (2015, quarter 1) 21

4

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gure 20

15

FINANCE AND STAFF

Expenditure on higher education as a percentage of GDP (2011) 22

Income and size of UK higher education providers, 2012–13 and 2013–14 23

Income of and expenditure by UK higher education providers, 2013–14 24

Academic staff by nationality and subject area, 2013–14 25

Academic staff in UK higher education providers by nationality and sex, 2013–14 26

Staff salaries at UK higher education providers, 2013–14 27

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Research and development funding received by UK higher education providers, 2013–14 28

Government-financed gross domestic expenditure on research and development as a proportion of GDP, 2007–13 29

UK government-funded expenditure on research and development, 2003–13 30

Research Excellence Framework research quality profiles, 2014 31

Sources 32

Glossary 33

Universities UK 36

5

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18-YEAR-OLD APPLICATION RATES TO FULL-TIME FIRST DEGREE STUDY IN THE UK, 2006–15

18-year-olds are more likely than ever to apply for university in all UK countries. This shows the proportion of 18-year-olds living in the different UK nations who apply to university.

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Northern Ireland England Scotland Wales

Year

App

lica

tion

rat

e (%

) 48%

35%

32%

31%

7

Stu

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ts

ENTRY RATES TO FULL-TIME FIRST DEGREE STUDY FOR THE MOST DISADVANTAGED 18-YEAR-OLDS, 2006–14

18-year-olds from the areas with lowest higher education participation (POLAR3 quintile 1) are more likely than ever to go to university, with those in England 61% more likely to start university now than in 2006. The gap between those from the most and least advantaged areas fell by 12% during the period.

5

10

15

20

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Northern Ireland England Scotland Wales

Year

Ent

ry r

ate

(%)

17%

18%

9%

17%

8

Stu

den

ts

YOUNG ENTRY RATES TO FULL-TIME FIRST DEGREE STUDY BY UK COUNTRY, 2006–13

Entry rates show the proportion of the population accepted into higher education through UCAS. People aged 18 and 19 are now more likely to enter higher education than ever before in three of the four nations of the UK.

20

30

40

50

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Northern Ireland England Scotland Wales

Year

Ent

ry r

ate

(%)

44%

41%

30%

35%

10

Stu

den

ts

FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS BY LEVEL OF STUDY AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2013–14

Part-time students make up about a quarter of postgraduate research students, a fifth of all undergraduate students, and half of postgraduate taught students.

Postgraduate research

111,495

Postgraduate taught427,945

Undergraduate1,759,920

Full time Part time

52.0%

48.0%

26.5%

73.5%

26.2%

73.8%

20.9%

79.1%

Total 2,299,360

11

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STUDENTS BY SUBJECT AREA AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS 2013–14

There is still a strong male/female split in subject choice, with 84% of those studying engineering male and 79% of those studying subjects allied to health, female.

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

Socia

l stu

dies

Biolo

gical

scien

ces

Educ

ation

Arts and

des

ign

Engin

eerin

g

Lang

uage

s

Phys

ical s

cienc

es

Compu

ting

Histor

yLa

w

Medici

ne &

den

tistry

Combin

ed su

bjects

Mass c

ommun

icatio

n

Arch

itectu

re

Mathe

matics

Agric

ultur

e

Vete

rinar

y scie

nce

Busin

ess

12

Stu

den

ts

HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDER STUDENTS BY DOMICILE AND LEVEL OF STUDY, 2013–14

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

87%9%

63%

58%7%

4%

29%

13%

29%

Note: All percentages have been calculated using the raw �guresand rounded, therefore percentages may not sum precisely

13

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HOME COUNTRY OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2013–14

The number of international students in the UK increased between 2012–13 and 2013–14 by 2%. Students from China made up 20% of all international students and those from India made up 5% in 2013–14. The number of students from China increased by 4,100 whilst those from India decreased again, this time by 2,600.

3.0%2,580

4.3%

1.6%27,340

2.7%35,095

0.0%125,300

-11.8%19,750

4.9%19,525

22.2%5,310

North America

South America

EU

Other Europe

Australasia

5.6%84,895

Rest ofAsia

4.9%87,895

China

India

Africa Middle East

% of total non-UK domiciled students at UK HEPs% change from last yearTotal students 2013–14

4.5%

6.3%

1.2%

8.1%

6.3%

4.5%

20.2%19.5%

0.6%

up to 1%1–5%5–10%10–20%20–30%

27,520

28.8%

4.5%

14

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HOME COUNTRY OF EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA STUDENTS AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2013–14

There were 133,845 students from the EEA and Switzerland studying in UK universities in 2013–14.

up to 1%1–2%2–4%4–6%6–8%8%+

% of total EEA/Swiss domiciledstudents at UK HEPs in 2013–14

0.2%210

3.9%5,220

1.9%2,530

8.6%11,500

2.3%3,100

2.2%2,900

10.5%14,060

0.8%1,070

0.7%980

8.0%10,670

0.2%255

0.3%360

7.7%10,295

7.1%9,550

4.9%6,585

1.4%1,885 0.9%

1,175

1.4%1,840

3.6%4,865

3.9%5,2001.0%

1,315

1.3%1,785

1.1%1,465

1.0%1,405

4.7%6,355

4.9%6,515

2.4%3,230

Austria

0.0%15

Liechtenstein

Czech Rep

Hungary

SlovakiaAustria

Czech Rep

Slovakia

LatviaLatvia

FinlandFinlandNorway

SwedenSweden1.1%1,425

Denmark

Iceland

8.6%11,490

Ireland

Switzerland

Italy

Romania

Malta

Belgium

Luxembourg

Germany

PolandPoland

2.5%3,340

Netherlands

Portugal

France

Spain

CyprusBulgariaBulgaria

Slovenia

Croatia

Greece

Estonia

Romania

LithuaniaLithuania

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TOP FIVE COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN FOR UK STUDENTS, 2013–14

Students coming from China have risen by 54% over the past four years but those from India have fallen by 49% in the same period.

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

50,000

10,000

0

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14

China (shown against right-hand axis) India Nigeria Malaysia United States

Year

Stu

den

ts fr

om M

ala

ysi

a, U

SA

, Nig

eria

an

d I

nd

ia

Stu

den

ts fr

om C

hin

a

16

Stu

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PROVIDER INCOME FROM NON-EU DOMICILED STUDENTS AND NON-EU DOMICILED STUDENT NUMBERS, 2003–04 TO 2013–14

Universities received £3.9 billion in tuition fees from the 310,000 international student registered at them in 2013–14.

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

2004–05

2003–04

2005–06

2006–07

2007–08

2008–09

2009–10

2010–11

2011–12

2012–13

2013–14

Real tuition fee income from non-EU students (£ billion)

Rea

l tu

itio

n fe

e in

com

e fr

om n

on-E

U s

tud

ents

(£

bn)

Total non-EU domiciled students

Tot

al n

on-E

U d

omic

iled

stu

den

ts

Year

17

Stu

den

ts

STUDENT SATISFACTION, 2015

Student satisfaction remains high, with 86% of students satisfied with their course.

Satis�ed Not satis�ed

14% 86%

The National Student Survey of final year undergraduate students

found the overwhelming majority were satisfied with the quality

of their course.

18

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FIRST DEGREE QUALIFIERS BY SEX, MODE OF STUDY AND DEGREE CLASS, 2013–14

70% of full-time female students and 65% of full-time male students got first and upper-second (2.1) degrees. Full-time female students are 53% more likely to get a first or 2.1 than their part-time equivalents. Male full-time students are 36% more likely to get a first or 2.1 than their part-time equivalents.

0 20 40 60 80 100

Full-time female

Part-time female

Full-time male

Part-time male

First Upper second Lower second Third/pass Unclassi�ed

19.3% 20.7% 3.5% 5.6%

13.6% 32.3% 26.3% 13.4% 14.3%

19.2% 24.5% 5.4% 5.4%

16.3% 27.2% 11.2%14.2%

45.6%

50.9%

31.2%

19

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QUALIFICATIONS AWARDED AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2013–14

56% of all qualifications awarded in 2013–14 were for undergraduate first degrees. The number of degrees awarded was 10,000 lower than in 2012–13.

Undergraduate Postgraduate

First degree Other undergraduate

Foundation degree

Other higher degree

PGCE Other postgraduate quali�cation

Doctorate

Full-time

Modeof study

Part-time

Total

% oftotal

421,850

38,220

383,630

79,090

35,650

43,440

18,935

8,500

10,435

167,425

38,075

129,350

22,360

1,055

21,305

46,915

14,570

32,345 3,695

17,545

21,240

54.2% 10.2% 2.4% 21.5% 2.9% 6.0% 2.7%

20

Stu

den

ts

DESTINATIONS OF LEAVERS BY LEVEL OF QUALIFICATION 2013–14

Six months after graduation, 92% of postgraduates and other undergraduates, and 89% of first degree students are 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

81.2% 4.9% 6.2% 4.3%

4.9%6.3%13.1%5.5%70.2%

4.6%3.7%19.5%14.0%58.2%

3.5%

21

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UNEMPLOYMENT RATES AND MEDIAN SALARIES IN THE UK BY GROUP (2015, QUARTER 1)

In the first quarter of 2015 the median salary for graduates was 31% higher than for non-graduates amongst those aged 21–30, and 41% higher for those aged 16–64.

Young unemployment rate (21–30 year olds) Unemployment rate (16–64 year olds)

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

8%

9%

10%

GraduatePostgraduate Non-graduate

Median salary (16–64 year olds) Young median salary (21–30 year old)

Un

emp

loy

men

t ra

tes

(%)

Med

ian

sa

lary

(£

)

22

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an

ce an

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taff

EXPENDITURE ON HIGHER EDUCATION AS A PERCENTAGE OF GDP (2011)

In 2011 the UK spent 1.2% of GDP on higher education: a lower proportion than many countries, including the USA, the Russian Federation, and Chile.

Country Total expenditure in %

Canada 2.8 United States 2.7Republic of Korea 2.6Chile 2.4Colombia 2.0Denmark 1.9Finland 1.9Netherlands 1.8Estonia 1.7Israel 1.7Norway 1.7Sweden 1.7Argentina 1.6Australia 1.6Japan 1.6Austria 1.5France 1.5Ireland 1.5Latvia 1.5

Country Total expenditure in %

New Zealand 1.5Belgium 1.4Czech Republic 1.4Portugal 1.4Russian Federation 1.4Germany 1.3Mexico 1.3Poland 1.3Slovenia 1.3Spain 1.3Switzerland 1.3Turkey 1.3Iceland 1.2United Kingdom 1.2Hungary 1.0Italy 1.0Slovakia 1.0Brazil 0.9

23

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taff

INCOME AND SIZE OF UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2012–13 AND 2013–14

Nearly half of all UK higher education providers have an annual income of between £50 and £200 million. Less than a third had an annual income higher than £200 million.

Inco

me

(£)

Nu

mbe

r of

stu

den

ts

Total income 2012–13

Total income 2013–14

Number of students 2012–13

Number of students 2013–14

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

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 an

d S

taff

INCOME OF AND EXPENDITURE BY UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2013–14

In 2013–14, the highest proportion of providers’ income came from full-time UK and EU students. In total, tuition fees made up 42% of provider income.

20%

6% 1%

55%37%

27%

3%13%

3%

17%

18%

1%

Funding council grants Full-time UK and EU HE fees

Part-time UK and EU fees

Staff costs Other operating expenses

Depreciation Interest and other�nance costs

Non-EU domicile HE fees

Other fees and support grants Research grants and contracts

Other income Endowment and investment income

Total expenditure £29.3 billionTotal income £30.7 billion

‘Income’ and ‘Expenditure’ and add the total income and total expenditure above the relevant chart

Total income £30.7 billion Total expenditure £29.3 billion

25

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taff

ACADEMIC STAFF BY NATIONALITY AND SUBJECT AREA, 2013–14

EU and international staff make up 37% of all academics employed in engineering and technology, and 35% of those employed in science and maths.

UK staffNon-EU staff EU staff

Medici

ne and

hea

lthca

re

Agric

ultur

e an

d ve

t scie

nce

Scien

ce and

mat

hs

Engin

eerin

g and

tech

nolog

y

Arch

itech

ture

Busin

ess s

tudie

s

Socia

l Scie

nces

Human

ities a

nd la

ngua

ges

Crea

tive an

d pe

rform

ing arts

Educ

ation

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

Universities employed

academicsin 2013–14.

46,660

2,335

30,255

22,470

3,870

15,065

23,695

17,56016,240

13,040

191,000

26

Fin

an

ce an

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taff

ACADEMIC STAFF IN UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS BY NATIONALITY AND SEX, 2013–14

27% of academic staff at UK higher education providers are from outside the UK.

33%

40%

7%

8%

5%

7%

Female UK staff

Male UK staff

Female EU staff

Male EU staff

Female non-EU staff

Male non-EU staff

27

Fin

an

ce an

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taff

STAFF SALARIES AT UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2013–14

54% of the total higher education workforce are female. They make up 63% of those paid under £17,678. Men are 46% of the total higher education workforce. They make up 70% of those paid over £57,032.

Sta

ff

Percentage of employeesfrom total

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

Under

£17

,678

£17,

678

to £

23,5

85

£23,

586

to £

31,6

43

£31,

644

to £

42,4

75

£42,

476

to £

57, 0

31

£57,

032+

Male non-academic Male academic Female non-academic Female academic

32%27%

22%19%

28

Resea

rch a

nd

inn

ovation

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDING RECEIVED BY UK HIGHER EDUCATION PROVIDERS, 2013–14

17% of research and development funding received by UK universities comes from overseas sources, the majority (68%) from within the EU.

Research councils

Higher education funding councils

UK-based charities

UK central government

UK industry, commerce and public corporations

EU sources

International sources

Other

28%

24%14%

13%

4%

11%

1%5%Overall

research and development funding has

decreased by

Research funding from international

sources increased by

2.3%from 2012–13. in the same period.

9.3%

29

Resea

rch a

nd

inn

ovation

GOVERNMENT-FINANCED GROSS DOMESTIC EXPENDITURE ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AS A PROPORTION OF GDP, 2007–13

The Chinese government is now spending almost the same proportion of GDP on research and development as the UK government.

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

United Kingdom United States Germany France OECD

EU28 Japan Canada Italy China

Year

Gov

t-fi

na

nce

d G

ER

D a

s %

of G

DP

30

Resea

rch a

nd

inn

ovation

UK GOVERNMENT-FUNDED EXPENDITURE ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, 2003–13

UK government expenditure on research and development has been declining for the past three years and is now 12% lower than in 2010.

Government-funded GERD, £ million

£0

£1,000

£2,000

£3,000

£4,000

£5,000

£6,000

£7,000

£8,000

£9,000

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Year

31

Resea

rch a

nd

inn

ovation

RESEARCH EXCELLENCE FRAMEWORK RESEARCH QUALITY PROFILES, 2014

Over three quarters of research activity at UK universities was rated as world-leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*). Within disciplinary panels this ranged from 69% to 83%.

0 20 40 60 80 100

Panel A: Life sciences

Panel B: Engineering and the physical sciences

Panel C: Social sciences

Panel D: Arts and humanities

% at 4* % at 3* % at 2* % at 1* Unclassi�ed

32

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gure 20

15

SOURCES

P.5 UCAS, 2015P.6 UCAS, 2015P.7 UCAS, 2015P.8 UCAS, 2015P.9 HESA (multiple years) Students

in Higher EducationP.10 HESA (2015) Students in Higher EducationP.11 HESA (2015) Students in Higher EducationP.12 HESA (2015) Students in Higher EducationP.13 HESA (2015) Students in Higher EducationP.14 HESA (2015) Students in Higher EducationP.15 HESA (2015) Students in Higher EducationP.16 HESA (multiple years) HE Finance

Plus and Students in Higher Education, and BIS (2015) GDP deflators

P.17 HEFCE (2015) NSSP.18 HESA (2015) Students in Higher EducationP.19 HESA (2015) Students in Higher EducationP.20 HESA (2015) DLHE

P.21 BIS (2015) Q1 Graduate Labour StatisticsP.22 OECD Education at a Glance (2014)P.23 HESA (multiple years) HE Finance Plus

and Students in Higher EducationP.24 HESA (2015) HE Finance PlusP.25 HESA (2015) Staff in Higher EducationP.26 HESA (2015) Staff in Higher EducationP.27 HESA (2015) Staff in Higher EducationP.28 HESA (2015) HE Finance PlusP.29 OECD (2015) Main Science and

Technology IndicatorsP.30 OECD (2015) Science, Technology and

R&D StatisticsP.31 HEFCE (2014)

All data and further information on sources can be found on our website www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/highereducation

34

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OECDOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Other undergraduateUndergraduate degrees which are not first degrees: these include 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).

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

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 132 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: info@universitiesuk.ac.uk Web: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk Twitter: @UniversitiesUK

ISBN 978-1-84036-345-6 September 2015