Higher Education in Scotland: Second Update Report · Higher Education in Scotland: Second Update...

Higher Education in Scotland:

Second Update Report December 2005

Further information: Dr. André Reibig, Policy Officer, Strategy (+44 131 313 6695, [email protected]) Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council Donaldson House 97 Haymarket Terrace Edinburgh EH12 5HD Scotland This publication is available electronically from our website www.sfc.ac.uk

Baseline Report Second Update December 2005

Content

Introduction Key points at a glance: What has changed? 1. Students in higher education 2. Subject groups and provision 3. Participation in higher education 4. Entry qualifications to higher education 5. Access and progression 6. The student experience 7. Research and knowledge transfer 8. Graduates – first destinations 9. International students and student mobility 10. Resources available to higher education providers

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Introduction

This is the second update to Higher Education in Scotland: A Baseline Report which we published in 2004. We committed ourselves to produce regular updates on changes in the statistics in the report as well as more major analyses of change every three or four years. This update mainly consists of data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Funding Council for academic year 2003-04, which have become available since we published the first update report in March 2005. In order to provide a coherent picture covering all the themes we addressed in the first update of Higher Education in Scotland: a Baseline Report, we have also reprinted tables published in that update where no new data is available. We provide a note to that effect for the tables concerned. Again, as stated in the first update report, although the information we present here may give some indication about the direction that higher education in Scotland is taking, we would caution against reading too much into variations from one year to the next. The more significant trends emerge over longer periods. Since the last update, we have published a report on graduate perception of higher education experience entitled ‘On Track’ and the report of the joint Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Councils’ review of Widening Participation, Learning for All. These reports include updated information on themes we felt we needed to know more about when we published Higher Education in Scotland: A Baseline Report. We have included the key findings from these new publications and references to further information on these topics in this update. Finally, the context in which Higher Education in Scotland: A Baseline Report was set has changed, most notably with the creation of one funding body for both higher and further education. We are preparing a Baseline Report about further education provision in Scotland which, as a sister publication to the Higher Education in Scotland: a Baseline Report, will be similar in scope and style. We plan in future, however, to produce one document capturing the whole of tertiary education in Scotland.

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Key points at a glance: What has changed?

• Between 2002-03 and 2003-04 the numbers of higher education (HE)

students studying in Scotland grew by 1.5 per cent. This reverses the 1.6 per cent decrease in numbers between 2001-02 and 2002-03 but masks a continuing fall in the number of students studying for HE qualifications in colleges. Between 2001-02 and 2003-04 the numbers of students enrolled on HE courses at colleges fell by 13.2 per cent. The decline is particularly marked in part-time study.

• The numbers of Scottish-domiciled students increased by 6 per cent between 2002-03 and 2003-04 while the numbers of students from the rest of the UK fell by 1 per cent. International student numbers increased again between 2002-03 and 2003-04. This group accounted for 13.4 per cent of all students at HEIs in 2003-04 compared to 12.5 per cent in 2001-02.

• The number of students studying at sub-degree level declined further between 2002-03 and 2003-04 by 5 per cent at HEIs and by 7 per cent at colleges.

• The biggest growth in student numbers continues to be at postgraduate level. Numbers enrolled on postgraduate certificates and diplomas in colleges and HEIs increased by about 11 per cent between 2002-03 and 2003-04. The number of students on first-degree courses dropped by 5 per cent between 2001-02 and 2002-03 but increased again by 2 per cent between 2002-03 and 2003-04.

• The Age Participation Index (API) remained unchanged at 48.9 per cent in 2002-03 and 2003-04. The gap between the API for young women and the API for young men narrowed from 12.4 per cent in 2002-03 to 10.4 per cent.

• International recruitment remains buoyant. The numbers of students from China (the largest group of non-EU students) and India (the third largest group) continue to grow but at a slower rate than in the previous year. In the period 2002-03 to 2003-04 they grew by 30 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.

• International recruitment is also an important source of income for HEIs. Overseas tuition fees income as a proportion of the total fees income has increased from about 23 per cent in 1998-99 to 30 per cent in 2003-04.

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• Financial resources available to HEIs and colleges increased by 3.5 per cent and 4.1 per cent respectively between 2002-03 and 2003-04.

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1. Students in higher education

In 2003-04 there were 260,766 HE students in Scotland. Of these, 205,155 were enrolled in HEIs and 55,611 at colleges. The numbers of students enrolled on HE level courses grew slightly by 1.5 per cent between 2002-03 and 2003-04 but numbers enrolled on sub-degree level courses at both HEIs and colleges fell. Figure 1 shows the total number of HE students in Scotland between 1995-96 and 2003-04 by sector. While the overall number of students at HEIs increased by 4 per cent, the number of HE students at colleges, which are the main providers of HNC and HND courses, continued to fall. Between 2002-03 and 2003-04 student numbers fell by 7 per cent. Because of the fall in the numbers of HE students at colleges, the percentage of students enrolling at colleges as a percentage of all students enrolling in HE courses has fallen from 23 percent in 2002-03 to 21 per cent in 2003-04. In 2001-02 college enrolments made up 25 per cent of all HE enrolments. Figure 1: HE enrolments by sector (headcount), 1995-96 to 2003-04 (Source: HESA, SFC)

154,

423

163,

116

167,

829

172,

923

173,

530

180,

305

196,

980

197,

365

205,

155

59,9

07

66,1

45

69,0

81

71,1

10

72,0

07

72,9

49

64,1

32

59,5

66

55,6

11

-

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

1995

-96

1996

-97

1997

-98

1998

-99

1999

-00

2000

-01

2001

-02

2002

-03

2003

-04

Num

ber o

f enr

olm

ents

Colleges

HEIs

Notes: 1) Figures exclude the Open University in Scotland as the data was taken from HESA.

The Open University in Scotland has about 15,000 students attending at various flexible and distance learning modes of learning. 2) The changes in student numbers between 2000-01 and 2001-02 reflect the redesignation of Bell College and UHI Millennium Institute as HEIs. Until 2001-02 the students enrolled in courses at these two institutions were counted in college statistics (FES).

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3) Technically enrolments can multiply. However, multiple enrolments are relatively uncommon in HEIs and enrolments are regarded as the same as headcounts. Multiple enrolments are more common in the college sector, but relatively rare at HE-level.

Figures 2a and 2b break down the student numbers by sector and mode of attendance. Figure 2a shows that between 2002-03 and 2003-04 the decline in enrolments at colleges is mainly due to a fall in part-time student numbers. There has been a small drop in full-time student numbers at colleges as well, but part-time student numbers at colleges fell by 12 per cent between 2002-03 and 2003-04 while full-time student numbers fell by less than one per cent. While the proportion of students who are part-time increased between 1995-96 and 2001-02 from 32.8 per cent of all students (in headcount) to 36.4 per cent, by 2003-04 it had fallen back to 34.2 per cent – 0.1 per cent lower than in 2002-03. Figure 2a: HE students by sector and mode of study, 1995-96 to 2003-04 (Source: HESA) HEIs

full-time HEIs part-time

Colleges full-time

Colleges part-time Total

1995-96 118,570 35,853 25,362 34,545 214,330 1996-97 125,455 37,661 28,005 38,140 229,261 1997-98 128,337 39,492 29,783 39,298 236,910 1998-99 128,351 44,572 30,343 40,767 244,033 1999-00 128,550 44,980 29,841 42,166 245,537 2000-01 130,280 50,025 31,362 41,587 253,254 2001-02 138,545 58,435 27,620 36,512 261,112 2002-03 141,945 55,420 26,985 32,581 256,931 2003-04 144,605 60,550 26,943 28,668 260,766

Figure 2b shows the data in Figure 2a graphically.

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Figure 2b: HE students by sector and mode of study, 1995-96 to 2003-04 (Source: HESA)

-

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

1995

-96

1996

-97

1997

-98

1998

-99

1999

-00

2000

-01

2001

-02

2002

-03

2003

-04

Num

ber o

f stu

dent

s HEIs F-T

HEIs P-T

FECs F-T

FECs P-T

Figure 3 shows the number of students at HEIs between sessions 1995-96 and 2003-04 and their domicile (that is, where they lived before they became students). The number of Scottish-domiciled students increased by about four per cent between 2002-03 and 2003-04 and the number of students from elsewhere in the UK declined slightly by two per cent. The number of other-EU students increased by nine per cent to 9,630 and of non-EU students by 13 per cent to 17,850. This substantial increase in non-EU students reflects changes which occurred before enlargement of the EU in 2004.

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Figure 3: Domicile of students at Scottish HEIs, 1995-96 to 2003-04 (Source: HESA)

-

25,000

50,000

75,000

100,000

125,000

150,000

175,000

200,000

225,000

1995

-96

1996

-97

1997

-98

1998

-99

1999

-00

2000

-01

2001

-02

2002

-03

2003

-04

Stud

ents

at S

cotti

sh H

EIs

by

dom

icile

Scotland

Other UK

Other EU

Non-EU

Total

Note: Figures are taken from tables 5a, b and 6/6a of HESA reference volume Students in Higher Education Institutions. Note: The figures for Scotland include some UK students whose specific country of domicile is unknown. The 2003-04 figures for EU do not include the ten countries that joined the EU in 2004. Figure 4 shows that in 2003-04 international students, that is, other-EU and non-EU groups, outnumbered other-UK students for the first time.

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Figure 4: Domicile of students in Scottish HEIs as a percentage of all students, 1996-97, 2003-03 and 2003-04 (Source: HESA)

71%

74%

74%

17%

14%

13%

5% 7%

8%

9%5%

4%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

1996-97

2002-03

2003-04

Per cent of all students

ScotlandOther UKOther EUNon-EU

Figure 5 shows the percentage of HE students by level of study (sub-degree, first degree and postgraduate) at HEIs and colleges from 1996-97 to 2003-04. Total HE student numbers grew by 1.5 per cent between 2002-03 and 2003-04. Postgraduate numbers grew in that time by 6.7 per cent and first degree level and sub-degree student numbers by 4.1 per cent and 4.6 per cent respectively.

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Figure 5: All HE students by level of study in both HEIs and colleges, 1996-97 to 2003-04 (Source: HESA)

-

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

1996

-97

1997

-98

1998

-99

1999

-00

2000

-01

2001

-02

2002

-03

2003

-04

Num

bers

of s

tude

nts

PostgraduateFirst degreeSub-degree

Figure 6 shows the percentage of UCAS-accepted applicants as a proportion of Scottish-domiciled applicants who indicated a preference for one particular subject group. Figure 6 relates however to the situation before clearing. Some of the applicants may therefore subsequently have obtained a place through clearing even if it was not at their preferred HEI or in their preferred subject group.

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Figure 6: Scottish-domiciled applicants by subject group (SG) in 2004 (Source: UCAS, SFC)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Medicine and dentistry*Subjects allied to medicine

Biological sciencesVeterinary sciences, agriculture and related

Physical sciencesMathematical and computer sciences

EngineeringTechnologies

Architecture, building and planningSocial Studies

LawBusiness and administrative studies

Mass communications and documentationLinguistics, Classics and related studies

European languages, literature and related studiesNon-European languages and related studies

Historical and philosophical studiesCreative arts and design

Education*Combined sciences

Combined social sciencesCombined arts

Sciences combined with social sciences or artsSocial sciences combined with arts

General, other combined and unknownNo preferred subject group

Total

Percentage of applicants

Entry topreferred SGScotlandEntry topreferred SGin RUKEntry to adifferent SG inScotlandEntry to adifferent SG inRUKNo admission

Notes: 1) This figure is repeated from the first update report published in March 2005. The

UCAS figures for 2005 are not yet available. 2) * The number of places in these subjects is controlled by the Scottish Executive

Figure 7 shows the number and percentages of Scottish-domiciled applicants accepted onto courses at UK HEIs in 2003 and in 2004. It shows that between 2003 and 2004 there has been little change in applicant success rates. Given that the clearing process accounts for about 11 per cent of admissions, over 85 per cent of all applicants got a place.

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Figure 7: Scottish-domiciled applications through UCAS in 2003 and 2004: entry to Subject Group (Source: UCAS, SFC) Year for which application is made

Entry to preferred SG Scotland

Entry to preferred SG in Rest UK

Entry to a different SG in Scotland

Entry to a different SG Rest UK

No admission

Scottish applicants

15,927 1,439 10,272 640 8,642 36,9202003 43.1% 3.9% 27.8% 1.7% 23.4% 100.0%16,305 1,344 10,038 538 8,706 36,9312004 44.1% 3.6% 27.2% 1.5% 23.6% 100.0%

Note: The information in this figure is also given in our first update report published online in March 2005. UCAS figures for 2005 are not yet available.

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2. Subject groups and provision

Qualification aim Figure 8 shows the numbers of HE students studying for particular qualifications in 1996-97, 2002-03 and 2003-04 at HEIs and colleges. Falls in numbers of students aiming for HNDs and other HE qualifications below first degree level are largely offset by growth in other groups. In absolute terms, the growth in first degree student numbers is significant (an increase of 2,096 between 2002-03 and 2003-04). Growth is particularly buoyant however in the other postgraduate qualifications group, that is, students enrolled on certificates and diplomas. This group grew by 10.8 per cent. Figure 8: Numbers of students in colleges and HEIs by HE qualification aim, 1996-97, 2002-03 and 2003-04 (Source: SFC)

Qualification aim 1996-97 2002-03 2003-04 Net change 2002-03 and 2003-04

% change 2002-03 and 2003-04

Doctorate 8,931 10,159 10,378 219 2.2%Masters 14,480 19,416 20,487 1,071 5.5%Other postgraduate 13,846 15,275 16,920 1,645 10.8%First degree 108,631 111,312 113,408 2,096 1.9%Other HE qualification 24,678 22,197 19,873 -2,324 -10.5%HND/Diploma of HE 24,260 26,521 23,478 -3,043 -11.5%HNC/Certificate of HE 28,627 25,997 26,079 82 0.3%Institutional credit (UG/PG) 5,284 8,761 8,619 -142 -1.6%Total 228,737 239,638 239,242 -396 -0.2%

Note: The total number of students given in Figure 2 does not match the totals listed in Figure 8 because not all students in Figure 2 are studying for HE qualifications. Some are enrolled as not pursuing a formal HE qualification. In 2002-03, this amounted to over 17,000 students most of whom were enrolled on short courses. Since Figure 2 and Figure 8 are derived from different data sets, it is not possible to add a row in Figure 8 showing ‘unclassified’ student numbers. Figure 9 shows some of the information shown in figure 8 graphically. The number of students aiming for each type of HE qualification in 1996-97, 2002-03 and 2003-04. The proportion of students enrolling for a postgraduate qualification continues to increase: in 2003-04 it was 20.0 per cent of all HE students, up from 18.7 per cent in 2002-03; and in 1996-97 it was 16.3 per cent. Among postgraduate students, the numbers aiming for a Masters qualification have increased most significantly by 41.5 per cent between 1996-97 and 2003-04. In contrast, HNC/D qualifications are sought by a smaller proportion of all

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students than the previous year: in 2003-04 it was 20.7 per cent; in 2002-03 21.9 per cent; and in 2001-02, 23.7 per cent. Figure 9: Students on HE courses at HEIs and colleges by HE qualification aim, 1996-97 and 2003-04 (Source: HESA, SFC)

3.9%

4.2%

4.3%

6.3%

8.1%

8.6%

6.1%

6.4%

7.1%

47.5%

46.5%

47.4%

10.8%

9.3%

8.3%

10.6%

11.1%

9.8%

12.5%

10.8%

10.9%

2.3%

3.7%

3.6%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

1996-97

2002-03

2003-04

Per cent of all students

Doctorate Masters Other postgraduateFirst degree Other HE qualification HND/Diploma of HEHNC/Certificate of HE Institutional credit (UG/PG)

In the college sector, 41 per cent of students aiming for an HE qualification in 2003-04 were HNC students, 32 per cent were HND students and 11 per cent enrolled on HN units. Although the total number of HE students at colleges has declined slightly in the last few years and funded activity expressed as SUMs has also fallen slightly, the decline is spread across all HE qualifications offered by colleges fairly evenly. The numbers enrolling for each type of HE qualification have therefore declined by no more than the average fall in student numbers. Higher education institutions

Figure 10 shows the changes in numbers of students by broad subject group at undergraduate level (first degree and sub-degree level) at HEIs up to 2003-04. It takes account of the effects of Bell College and UHIMI being added to the HE statistics in 2001-02. Figure 11 shows the changes in numbers of students by broad subject group at postgraduate level. Figure 10 shows large increases in Mathematical Sciences (+260, 12.1%), Social, Economic & Political Studies (+765, 6.4%), Creative Arts & Design (+375, 5.3%) and Law (+225, 5.1%). The 2002-03 numbers in Veterinary Science were under-reported but were reported correctly in 2003-04 and are now back in line with

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2001-02. Numbers are down in three subject groups only: Business & Administrative Studies (-115, -0.6%), Languages (-100, -1.3%) and Librarianship & Information Science (-125, -4.4%). As noted above, postgraduate student numbers remain buoyant, especially at taught postgraduate level. Figure 11 shows that only two subject groups recorded falling numbers between 2002-03 and 2003-04: Business & Administrative Studies (-305, -3.3%) and Computer Science (-170, -5.7%). The significant increase in the number of students in Education reflects the Scottish Executive’s policy to make additional places available to train more teachers.

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Figure 10: Undergraduate student numbers at HEIs between 1996-97 and 2003-04 (Source: HESA), data sorted by ‘Net change between 2002-03 and 2003-04’

Subject group

1996

-97

1997

-98

1998

-99

1999

-00

2000

-01

2001

-02

2002

-03

2003

-04

Net change 2002-03 to 2003-04

Net change 2002-03 to 2003-04 in %

% of all students in 2003-04

Subjects allied to Medicine 13,918 15,975 16,634 17,300 19,490 22,830 24,360 25,280 920 3.8% 16.2% Combined 20,525 22,120 23,795 24,410 24,945 25,990 6,870 7,750 880 12.8% 5.0% Social, Economic & Political Studies 7,662 8,539 8,093 8,250 8,315 9,325 11,865 12,630 765 6.4% 8.1% Biological Sciences 8,837 8,928 8,953 9,100 9,755 10,145 12,405 12,820 415 3.3% 8.2% Creative Arts & Design 4,667 4,866 4,959 5,190 5,235 5,745 7,110 7,485 375 5.3% 4.8% Veterinary Science 839 854 910 910 935 975 750** 1,030 280 37.3% 0.7% Mathematical Sciences 1,408 1,659 1,470 1,510 1,725 2,485 2,155 2,415 260 12.1% 1.5% Computer Science 3,662 3,548 4,082 4,560 5,110 6,025 7,220 7,460 240 3.3% 4.8% Education* 4,960 5,068 4,980 5,200 5,570 6,085 9,745 9,985 240 2.5% 6.4% Medicine & Dentistry* 4,742 4,958 4,996 5,010 4,995 5,080 5,195 5,425 230 4.4% 3.5% Law 3,379 3,454 3,518 3,500 3,500 3,645 4,445 4,670 225 5.1% 3.0% Physical Sciences 5,674 5,529 5,603 5,460 5,170 4,935 5,750 5,930 180 3.1% 3.8% Engineering & Technology 11,184 10,884 10,421 9,800 9,625 11,380 10,915 10,930 15 0.1% 7.0% Architecture, Building & Planning 4,599 4,451 4,537 4,480 4,460 4,425 4,490 4,500 10 0.2% 2.9% Humanities 4,153 4,138 4,306 4,170 4,395 4,480 6,245 6,255 10 0.2% 4.0% Agriculture & related subjects 1,402 1,379 1,340 1,180 1,140 1,130 1,025 1,025 0 0.0% 0.7% Languages 5,316 5,552 5,564 5,620 6,070 6,125 7,840 7,740 -100 -1.3% 4.9% Business & Administrative Studies 17,080 17,282 17,990 17,340 17,275 19,370 20,465 20,350 -115 -0.6% 13.0% Librarianship & Information Science 1,615 1,771 1,891 2,030 1,835 2,235 2,845 2,720 -125 -4.4% 1.7% Total 125,622 130,955 134,042 135,020 139,545 152,410 151,700 156,405 4,705 3.1% 100.0%

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Notes: * Student numbers controlled by the Scottish Executive. ** Student numbers for Veterinary Sciences are also controlled and in 2002-03 were in fact at the same level as 2001-02. The lower figure

for 2002-03 reported here reflects the fact that one HEI wrongly reported numbers in its statistical return to HESA for that year. *** The smaller numbers of ‘combined’ students since 2002-03 reflect changes in the classification system. The majority of students

previously reported under the category ‘combined’ are now allocated to specific subject groups. It is not therefore meaningful to compare data for years up to 2001-02 with data for later years.

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Figure 11: Postgraduate student numbers at HEIs between 1996-97 and 2003-04 (Source: HESA) sorted by ‘Net change between 2002-03 and 2003-04’

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Subject group

1996

-97

1997

-98

1998

-99

1999

-00

2000

-01

2001

-02

2002

-03

2003

-04

Net change between 2002-03 and 2003-04

Net change between 2002-03 and 2003-04 in %


Education* 7,040 6,482 7,160 7,070 7,410 8,460 9,075 10,840 1,765 19.4% 22.2% Social, Economic & Political Studies 2,266 2,600 2,606 2,630 2,755 2,750 2,345 2,685 340 14.5% 5.5% Subjects allied to Medicine 2,115 2,438 2,623 2,900 3,430 3,930 3,675 3,960 285 7.8% 8.1% Biological Sciences 1,900 1,838 1,814 1,940 2,125 2,370 2,510 2,760 250 10.0% 5.7% Law 1,175 1,238 1,250 1,170 1,460 1,690 1,955 2,110 155 7.9% 4.3% Engineering & Technology 2,996 2,742 2,931 2,710 3,245 3,540 3,605 3,755 150 4.2% 7.7% Medicine & Dentistry 997 1,090 1,101 840 1,220 1,240 1,360 1,485 125 9.2% 3.0% Librarianship & Information Science 405 464 531 570 645 710 680 805 125 18.4% 1.7% Mathematical Sciences 375 391 387 440 435 430 650 770 120 18.5% 1.6% Languages 1,079 1,039 976 940 1,035 1,040 1,125 1,195 70 6.2% 2.5% Creative Arts & Design 345 390 406 560 570 615 785 845 60 7.6% 1.7% Veterinary Science 282 234 243 200 255 250 190** 235 45 23.7% 0.5% Architecture, Building & Planning 1,482 1,416 1,308 1,320 1,305 1,445 1,580 1,620 40 2.5% 3.3% Physical Sciences 1,931 1,907 1,891 1,730 1,800 1,785 1,850 1,865 15 0.8% 3.8% Agriculture & related subjects 642 569 502 460 385 320 370 380 10 2.7% 0.8% Humanities 1,289 1,187 1,217 1,130 1,255 1,225 1,420 1,420 - 0.0% 2.9% Combined *** 1,218 1,028 1,328 1,190 1,010 1,180 135 135 - 0.0% 0.3% Computer Science 1,771 1,957 2,174 2,480 2,645 2,945 3,000 2,830 -170 -5.7% 5.8% Business & Administrative Studies 8,186 7,864 8,433 8,280 7,780 8,640 9,355 9,050 -305 -3.3% 18.6% Total 37,494 36,874 38,881 38,560 40,765 44,565 45,665 48,745 3,080 6.7% 100.0%


Notes: * Student numbers controlled by the Scottish Executive. ** Student numbers for Veterinary Sciences are also controlled and in 2002-03 were in fact at the same level as 2001-02. The lower figure

for 2002-03 reported here reflects the fact that one HEI wrongly reported numbers in its statistical return to HESA for that year. *** The smaller numbers of ‘combined’ students since 2002-03 reflect changes in the classification system. The majority of students

previously reported under the category ‘combined’ are now allocated to specific subject groups. It is not therefore meaningful to compare data for years up to 2001-02 with data for later years.

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Figure 12 shows the number of graduates from Scottish HEIs by subject group. It includes undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. In 2003-04 there were 42,869 graduates from Scottish HEIs, 6 per cent more than in 2002-03 (40,531). If we disregard Education because it is a controlled subject, numbers of graduates fell in only three subject groups: Architecture, Building & Planning; Languages; and Humanities. Figure 12: Graduates from Scottish HEIs in 2002-03 and 2003-04 for all levels of study by subject group sorted by % change (Source: HESA)

Subject group 2002-03 2003-04Net change 2002-03 and 2003-04

% change


Creative Arts and Design 1,482 1,991 509 34% 4.6%Librarianship and Information Science 738 915 177 24% 2.1%Mathematical Sciences 552 636 84 15% 1.5%Computer Science 2,304 2,641 337 15% 6.2%Law 1,649 1,855 206 12% 4.3%Social, Economic & Political Studies 2,408 2,705 297 12% 6.3%Veterinary Science** 213 235 22 10% 0.5%Combined and General Subjects 2,865 3,102 237 8% 7.2%Total 40,531 42,869 2,338 6% 100.0%

Medicine & Dentistry* 1,263 1,334 71 6% 3.1%Biological Sciences 3,079 3,205 126 4% 7.5%Business and Administrative Studies 6,756 7,012 256 4% 16.4%Engineering and Technology 2,917 3,010 93 3% 7.0%Agriculture & related subjects 280 288 8 3% 0.7%Subjects allied to Medicine 3,996 4,049 53 1% 9.4%Physical Sciences 1,632 1,646 14 1% 3.8%Architecture, Building and Planning 1,407 1,393 -14 -1% 3.2%Education* 4,072 4,018 -54 -1% 9.4%Languages 1,462 1,399 -63 -4% 3.3%Humanities 1,536 1,435 -101 -7% 3.3%

Notes: * Student numbers controlled by the Scottish Executive.

** We are aware of errors in reporting in this subject area. See notes ** in tables 10 and 11 above.

The Scottish Funding Council is carrying out a wide range of projects which investigate how well the needs of Scotland’s employers and Scottish society are being met by the output of colleges and HEIs in particular subject areas.

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The college sector

Figure 13 shows the numbers of students enrolled on HE level courses at colleges by broad subject area. This information should be seen in the broader context of the fall in overall numbers studying at this level between 2002-03 and 2003-04 noted above. The data shows that the four largest subject groups account for 58 per cent of the students studying at this level at colleges. It also shows that the largest net changes have been in IT and Information, which is down by 1,713 or 18.9 per cent but remains the second largest subject area with 13 per cent of students studying at this level. Student numbers have also fallen in other subject groups with 1,000 students or more (Catering, Food & Leisure Services; Engineering; Education/Training/Teaching; and Business/Management/Office Studies) but have grown moderately in others (Performing Arts and Health Care /Medicine /Health and Safety). Marked year-to-year fluctuations in numbers studying particular subjects are however a feature of college data and these shifts should not be seen as indicative of emerging trends.

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Figure 13: Changes in HE level student numbers at colleges between 1998-99 and 2003-04) by subject superclass summary sorted by ‘Net change between 2002-03 and 2003-04 (Source: SFC)

Subject superclass summary

1998

-99

1999

-00

2000

-01

2001

-02

2002

-03

2003

-04

Net change between 2002-03 and 2003-4


students in subject group as % all students 2003-04

Performing Arts 816 915 1,195 1,284 1,199 1,583 384 32.0% 2.8% Health Care/Medicine/Health and Safety 6,370 7,555 7,692 6,492 6,705 6,957 252 3.8% 12.5% Transport Services 462 504 667 931 769 970 201 26.1% 1.7% Family Care/Personal Development/Personal Care and Appearance 1,804 1,994 2,491 2,623 2,507 2,578 71 2.8% 4.6% Sports, Games and Recreation 1,441 1,440 1,687 1,525 1,438 1,508 70 4.9% 2.7% Authorship/Photography/Publishing/Media 2,759 2,707 3,031 2,790 2,775 2,839 64 2.3% 5.1% Humanities (History/Archaeology/Religious Studies/Philosophy) 76 53 39 69 4* 49 45 1125.0% 0.1% Construction and Property (Built Environment) 2,502 2,433 3,048 2,816 2,715 2,759 44 1.6% 5.0% Sciences and Mathematics 936 822 899 581 571 584 13 2.3% 1.1% Sales, Marketing and Distribution 749 819 730 643 576 583 7 1.2% 1.0% Politics/Economics/Law/Social Sciences 2,273 2,490 2,850 2,328 2,154 2,159 5 0.2% 3.9% Environment Protection/ Energy/ Cleansing /Security 535 381 297 134 102 104 2 2.0% 0.2% Oil/Mining/Plastics/Chemicals 130 151 163 137 191 189 -2 -1.0% 0.3% Arts and Crafts 1,812 1,835 1,776 1,812 1,728 1,712 -16 -0.9% 3.1% Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care 904 888 768 782 715 690 -25 -3.5% 1.2% Manufacturing/Production Work 650 662 547 347 439 404 -35 -8.0% 0.7% Area Studies/Cultural Studies / Languages/ Literature 984 1,254 1,058 788 651 575 -76 -11.7% 1.0% Catering/Food/Leisure Services/Tourism 3,433 2,918 3,282 2,669 2,237 1,998 -239 -10.7% 3.6% Services to Industry 1,320 1,123 1,084 749 862 542 -320 -37.1% 1.0% Engineering 8,273 7,516 7,375 6,255 6,294 5,505 -789 -12.5% 9.9% Education/Training/Teaching 2,124 2,747 2,212 2,564 2,224 1,295 -929 -41.8% 2.3% Business/Man/Office Studies 20,526 18,680 17,801 15,301 13,655 12,686 -969 -7.1% 22.8% Information Technology and Information 10,231 12,120 12,257 10,512 9,055 7,342 -1,713 -18.9% 13.2% Total 71,097 72,007 72,949 64,132 59,566 55,611 -3,955 -6.6% 100.0%

23

Baseline Report Second Update November 2005

Figure 14 shows student numbers in each subject area and the net percentage change in 2002-03 and 2003-04 for all HE students at colleges. The subjects are ranked by growth rate. Figure 14: Students on HE courses in colleges by subject group, 2002-03 and 2003-04 sorted by ‘Net change between 2002-03 and 2003-04 in %’ (Source: SFC)

Subject group classification 2002-03 2003-04


Humanities (History/Archaeology/Religious Studies/Philosophy) 4* 49 1125.0%Performing Arts 1,199 1,583 32.0%Transport Services 769 970 26.1%Sports, Games and Recreation 1,438 1,508 4.9%Health Care / Medicine /Health and Safety 6,705 6,957 3.8%Family Care / Personal Development / Personal Care and Appearance 2,507 2,578 2.8%

Authorship / Photography / Publishing / Media 2,775 2,839 2.3%Sciences and Mathematics 571 584 2.3%Environment Protection/ Energy/Cleansing/Security 102 104 2.0%Construction and Property (Built Environment) 2,715 2,759 1.6%Sales, Marketing and Distribution 576 583 1.2%Politics / Economics / Law / Social Sciences 2,154 2,159 0.2%Arts and Crafts 1,728 1,712 -0.9%Oil / Mining / Plastics / Chemicals 191 189 -1.0%Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care 715 690 -3.5%Total 59,566 55,611 -6.6%

Business/Man/Office Studies 13,655 12,686 -7.1%Manufacturing / Production Work 439 404 -8.0%Catering / Food / Leisure Services / Tourism 2,237 1,998 -10.7%Area Studies/ Cultural Studies / Languages/Literature 651 575 -11.7%Engineering 6,294 5,505 -12.5%Information Technology and Information 9,055 7,342 -18.9%Services to Industry 862 542 -37.1%Education / Training / Teaching 2,224 1,295 -41.8%

Note: * The fall in student numbers in Humanities etc. down to 4 in 2002-03 is mainly due to

reclassification of provision from HE to Fe at one particular college. In 2003-04 numbers have risen again. We are still investigating why this is the case. Indications are that it is merely a technical problem.

24


3. Participation in higher education

The Scottish Executive uses the Age Participation Index (API) to measure the number of young Scots who entered full-time HE anywhere in the UK for the first time in a particular year. It is calculated as the percentage of all young Scots aged under 21 who enter full-time HE in a given year. Figure 15 therefore shows the growth in participation in the past 23 years, as measured by the API. The index exceeded 50 per cent between 2000 and 2002 but then dropped to 48.9 per cent in 2002-03. The fall was mainly due to fewer students participating at sub-degree level. In 2003-04, the API remained unchanged from 2002-03 at 48.9 per cent. Figure 15: API in HE in Scotland (Source: Scottish Executive)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1980

-8119

81-82

1982

-8319

83-84

1984

-8519

85-86

1986

-8719

87-88

1988

-8919

89-90

1990

-9119

91-92

1992

-9319

93-94

1994

-9519

95-96

1996

-9719

97-98

1998

-9919

99-00

2000

-0120

01-02

2002

-0320

03-04

API

in p

er c

ent

HEIs RUKCollegesHEIsAll

Note: Estimates for the period before 1994-95 are based on surveys which were significantly revised in 1994-95. Figure 16 shows API by gender. Since the mid 1990’s the API for women has been around 10 percentage points higher than for men; in 2003-04 the API for women was 54.2 per cent while the figure for men was 43.8 per cent. The gap between the genders narrowed slightly between 2002-03 and 2003-04 from 12.4 to 10.4 percentage points.

25


Figure 16: API for Scotland by gender, 1983-84 to 2003-04 (Source: Scottish Executive)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1983

-84

1984

-85

1985

-86

1986

-87

1987

-88

1988

-89

1989

-90

1990

-91

1991

-92

1992

-93

1993

-94

1994

-95

1995

-96

1996

-97

1997

-98

1998

-99

1999

-00

2000

-01

2001

-02

2002

-03

2003

-04

API

in p

er c

ent

MenWomen

We have been investigating whether there are any specific factors that can help to explain why women are more likely to enter higher education than men and will publish a separate report on this in the near future. Our statistical investigations so far seem to indicate that the shift in the gender balance at HEIs is predominantly due to the growth in subjects allied to medicine and in Education but is also linked to some social class issues as well as current labour market conditions. In 2004-05 there were 55,952 school leavers from Scottish publicly funded schools (50.3 per cent young men and 49.7 young women). Figure 17 shows the destination of publicly funded school leavers between 1992-93 and 2004-05. It shows that the percentage entering full-time higher education has increased by two percentage points between 2003-04 and 2004-05 to 31 per cent (back to the level of 2002-03). School leavers from independent schools remain far more likely to enter full-time higher education with 85 per cent doing so in 2004-05. Here too however, there has been an increase from 78 per cent in 2003-04. At present, we are not certain as to the reasons for these increases.

26


Figure 17: Destination of leavers of publicly funded schools, 1992-93 to 2004-05 (Source: Scottish Executive)

25% 27% 27% 28% 29% 30% 31% 32% 32% 32% 31% 29% 31%

15% 15% 16% 17% 18% 19% 18% 19% 20% 20% 21% 21% 21%19% 18% 16% 14% 11% 10% 8% 7% 6% 6% 5% 5% 5%

21% 22% 24% 23% 25% 26% 26% 26% 24% 23% 23% 25% 27%

12% 13% 10%4% 3% 3%

13% 14% 14% 14% 13% 13% 14% 13% 14% 16%6% 4% 3% 4% 3% 3% 3% 3% 4% 3% 3%4%4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1992-9

3

1993-9

4

1994-9

5

1995-9

6

1996-9

7

1997-9

8

1998-9

9

1999-0

0

2000-0

1

2001-0

2

2002-0

3

2003-0

4

2003-0

4

Perc

enta

ge o

f sch

ool l

eave

rs

Not knownUnemployed (other known) 1992-93 to 2001-02Unemployed not seeking work or training, 2002-03 and 2003-04Unemployed seeking training or work, 2002-03 and 2003-04EmploymentTrainingFull-time FEFull-time HE

Note: 1) These figures relate to full time student only and should not be confused with the

API which measures entry by the age of 21 rather than straight from school. The destinations for young men and women are also different. Twenty-seven per cent of young men and 35 per cent of young women leaving publicly funded schools entered full-time HE in 2004-05 (the equivalent figures for 2003-04 were 26 per cent and 33 per cent). The gender difference continues to be smaller for independent school leavers. About 85 per cent of young men and about 84 per cent of young women from independent schools go into full-time HE (the equivalent figures for 2002-03 were 76 and 80 per cent). It is also important to note that there is significant regional variation within this national picture and we gave further information about this in Figure 59 of the first Baseline Report. In brief, however, in 2004-05 the highest destination rates into full-time HE from learners in publicly funded schools are from East Renfrewshire (54%), East Dunbartonshire (44%), Aberdeenshire (40%) and South Ayrshire (38%). Progression into full-time

27


HE from publicly funded schools at the lower end of the spectrum are in Moray, Clackmannanshire and Midlothian (all at 25%) and Glasgow City (21%). Resource: for more detail see Destination of Leavers from Scottish Schools 2004/05, Scottish Executive, December 2005 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/47121/0020468.xls

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http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/47121/0020468.xls


4. Entry qualifications to higher education

HEIs and colleges set their own entry requirements. Undergraduate course entry requirements are based mainly on grades obtained in school-level qualifications. They may or may not, depending on the course, specify particular subjects. For some courses prospective student aptitude and skill levels may also be tested by interview, portfolio or audition. Mature students may also be admitted through access courses and school leavers who meet widening participation target group criteria through dedicated summer schools. Although applications to the vast majority of courses offered by HEIs are made through the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS), HEIs make their own decisions about who will be offered a place. Figure 18 covers students in HEIs only. There is no centralised applications system for colleges. It shows that:

• students entering HEIs with Highers, A-levels or equivalent continue to be the largest group of entrants. The percentage of entrants they account for is almost unchanged for 2003-04 compared to the previous academic year;

• there was a small decrease in the proportion of students entering with HNC/Ds in 2003-04 compared to 2002-03 (down 1.8 per cent). This is related to drops in the numbers of students doing HNC/D (see Figure 11); and

• the number of students who enter through alternative access programmes, including SWAP in 2003-04 is 1,182, which accounts for 3.6 per cent of all entrants (0.7 less then in 2002-03).

29


Figure 18: UK-domiciled full-time and sandwich (excluding short full-time) students on their first year of study on a first degree course at an HEI, 1995-96 to 2003-04 by highest qualification held on entry and number of students who entered HE via an access programme (Source: HESA)

Highest qualification on entry Number of entrants via access

programmes

1 Degree or similar

2 HNC, HND or similar

3 Other advanced or HE qualification

4 Highers, A Levels and equivalents

5 Other qualification

6 No formal qualificationor not known

7 Total

8 Scottish Wider Access Programme(SWAP)

9 Another access programme

10 Total access programmes (Sum 8+9 and as % of 7)

745 3,792 548 24,781 1,067 2,142 33,075 980 202 1182 2003-04 2.3% 11.5% 1.7% 74.9% 3.2% 6.5% 100.0% 3.0% 0.6% 3.6% 591 4,297 568 24,193 1,035 1,657 32,341 1,014 385 1,399 2002-03 1.8% 13.3% 1.8% 74.8% 3.2% 5.1% 100.0% 3.1% 1.2% 4.3% 620 3,769 499 23,988 1,064 1,715 31,655 149 482 631 2001-02 2.0% 11.9% 1.6% 75.8% 3.4% 5.4% 100.0% 0.5% 1.5% 2.0% 561 3,175 561 21,704 1,023 2,645 29,669 218 627 845 2000-01 1.9% 10.7% 1.9% 73.2% 3.4% 8.9% 100.0% 0.7% 2.1% 2.8% 428 3,703 483 21,189 1,157 2,366 29,326 170 543 713 1999-00 1.5% 12.6% 1.6% 72.3% 3.9% 8.1% 100.0% 0.6% 1.9% 2.4% 281 3,493 481 20,806 1,419 2,439 28,919 330 484 814 1998-99 1.0% 12.1% 1.7% 71.9% 4.9% 8.4% 100.0% 1.1% 1.7% 2.8% 340 2,924 785 21,750 1,664 2,734 30,197 261 476 737 1997-98 1.1% 9.7% 2.6% 72.0% 5.5% 9.1% 100.0% 0.9% 1.6% 2.4% 358 3,218 526 21,566 1,872 70 27,610 344 586 930 1996-97 1.3% 11.7% 1.9% 78.1% 6.8% 0.3% 100.0% 1.2% 2.1% 3.4% 360 3,171 411 20,319 1,926 2,957 29,144 388 421 809 1995-96 1.2% 10.9% 1.4% 69.7% 6.6% 10.1% 100.0% 1.3% 1.4% 2.8%

Note: Following publication of the Baseline Report, we became aware that the HESA data used for column 8 understates the numbers of entrants.

We report SWAP data, which we believe to be more accurate than HESA data for 2002-03 and 2003-04. This accounts for the noticeable jump in column 8 numbers between 2001-02 and 2002-03.

30


5. Access and progression

Widening participation

The Council has recently carried out a review of its widening participation policies to assess the impact they have had to date. The main conclusions are summarised below. The full report, Learning for All, and the recommendations for future action can be found on our website. Resource: Learning for All: The Report of the SFEFC/SHEFC Widening Participation Review Group, www.sfc.ac.uk Learning for All found that:

• participation at HE level by people from the most deprived areas has grown but very gradually. Figure 19 shows that although there has been an increase in the proportion of people entering HE from the more deprived areas since 1996-97, in 2003-04 people from the least deprived areas were still about twice as likely to be participating in higher education as people from the most deprived areas;

Figure 19: Comparison of Scottish-domiciled student numbers in HE by Carstairs deprivation group, 1996-97 and 2003-04

Percentage of students in each deprivation category

Year 1st quintile From 20%

least deprived

2nd quintile

3rd quintile

4th quintile

5th quintile From 20%

most deprived 1996-97 28.8% 22.3% 19.9% 16.2% 12.8% 2003-04 27.8% 21.7% 19.6% 16.7% 14.2%

Source: Raab & Small, Widening access to higher education in Scotland; evidence for change from

1996/97 to 2000/01, updated by SFC to include 2003-04 data.

• participation of students from the most deprived areas continues to vary significantly by different groups of higher education providers. Figure 20 shows that people from the most deprived areas studying for an HE qualification are more likely to do so at colleges and at new HEIs. From 1996-97 to 2000-01 only the newer universities and the Open University in Scotland increased the proportion of their students from the areas containing the most deprived 40 per cent of the population. Since 2001-02 all institutional types have increased the proportion of Scottish-domiciled HE students from the most deprived 40 per cent of the population. In ancient

31

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/


universities the figure has gone from 20.9 per cent in 2001-02 to 22.1 per cent in 2003-04. In old universities it has gone from 26.4 per cent to 28.0 per cent;

Figure 20: Scottish-domiciled undergraduate students at UK HEIs and Scottish colleges, 2003-04 by deprivation group

27.8%

38.8%

29.9%

27.0%

19.3%

26.1%

39.5%

20.0%

21.7%

22.3%

21.8%

20.8%

29.5%

24.4%

25.3%

17.9%

19.6%

16.7%

20.2%

18.8%

21.2%

21.3%

17.1%

21.3%

16.7%

13.1%

14.9%

17.5%

18.3%

16.4%

11.2%

20.5%

14.2%

13.1%

15.9%

11.7%

11.7%

20.3%

9.0%

6.8%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Total

Ancient universities

Old universities

New universities

Other HEIs

Open University

HEIs in RUK

Colleges

<----- least deprived -----------Quintiles------------ most deprived ------>1st quintile: 20% least deprived2nd quintile3rd quintile4th quintile5th quintile: 20% most deprived

Source: Raab & Small, Widening access to higher education in Scotland; evidence for change from

1996/97 to 2000/01, updated by SFC to include 2003-04 data.

• there are also considerable variations in participation rates at HE level by area with the North East and Dunbartonshire having particularly high rates, and South and Central Scotland having particularly low rates; and

• whilst there are problems in the reporting of data on ethnicity and intrinsic difficulties in analysing small populations, it seems to be the case that, overall, ethnic minority participation in further or higher education at a higher level is above the average. Participation levels vary significantly however between different ethnic groups and some ethnic minorities are relatively unlikely to have or to seek formal educational qualifications.

Disability

Students with disabilities participate broadly in proportion to their numbers in the general population. Figure 21 shows that 12,089 of the 228,461 students at Scottish HEIs in 2003-04 declared a disability. This equates to 5.3 per cent

32


of students. By comparison, 7,690 of the 199,578 students at Scottish HEIs in 2000-01 or 3.8 per cent declared a disability. The increase in numbers and proportions of students declaring a disability is partly influenced by the fact that the numbers and proportions of students who do not state whether they do or do not have a disability has fallen, from 10,102 (or 5.1 per cent of all students) in 2000-01 to 6,489 (or 2.8 per cent of all students) in 2003-04. Figure 21 shows the number and percentages of students who have disclosed a disability by types of disabilities. Figure 21: Disclosed disabilities at HEIs in 2003-04 by number and percentage of students (Source: SFC)

4,708, 39%

364, 3%

599, 5%

2,561, 21%

1,198, 10%

24, 0%

23, 0% 409, 3%

1,524, 13%

688, 6%

Dyslexia

Blind / partially sighted

Deaf / hearing impairment

Wheelchair user / mobilitydifficultiesIn need of personal caresupportMental health difficulties

An unseen disability, e.g.diabetes, epilepsy, asthmaMultiple disabilities

A disability not listed above

Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Note: The chart reads clockwise. At colleges in 2003-04 there were 24,915 students disclosing a disability of some sort (6.6 per cent of all students). The proportion of disabled learners enrolled on HE courses disclosing a disability in HEIs was 4.4 per cent and at colleges 6.9 per cent. Figure 22 compares the pattern of disclosed disabilities for students declaring a disability enrolled on HE level courses at HEIs and colleges. The pattern is broadly similar although a higher proportion of students disclosing a disability cite dyslexia and multiple disabilities in HEIs than at colleges and a higher proportion of college students than HEI students cite an unseen disability.

33


Figure 22: Disclosed disabilities by enrolments in colleges and candidates at HEIs, 2003-04 (Source: SFC) HEIs Colleges Level of study HE HE FE Dyslexia 39% 29% 12%Blind / partially sighted 3% 4% 3%Deaf / hearing impairment 5% 6% 6%Wheelchair user / mobility difficulties 3% 6% 7%Personal care support 0% 0% 1%Mental health difficulties 6% 7% 10%An unseen disability, e.g. diabetes, epilepsy, asthma 21% 29% 20%Multiple disabilities 10% 3% 11%A disability not listed above 13% 15% 31%Autistic Spectrum Disorder 0% not listed

Note: The usefulness of the existing disability categories are currently under review. We anticipate that revised categories will be included in the Disability Rights Commission’s (DRC’s) guidance on the new Disability Equality Duty and the DDA 2005. These are likely to focus on effects rather than conditions. Retention and achievement

The percentages of first degree entrants in Scottish HEIs who either continue into the next year or gain a qualification are shown in Figure 23. These retention rates (also known as first-year survival rates) have, on the back of the further expansion of the HE sector, declined slightly in the period from 1997-98 to 2002-03 as shown in figure 23.

34


Figure 23: Full-time first-degree entrants to Scottish HEIs who continued into the next year or obtained a qualification (Source: HESA)

50%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100%

1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04

% o

f firs

t deg

ree

entra

nts

Young

Mature

All

Trendline for All

Notes: 1) This figure excludes data on HE courses undertaken through Open University

and colleges. 2) Young students are those under 21 years old at 30 September of the academic

year in which they are recorded as entering the institution. Mature students are those who are 21 or over.

3) The periods on the x-axis refer not to the year the student entered, which is the previous year, but to the period that the performance indicators (PIs) cover

Figure 23 shows that the downward trend in overall retention since 1998-99 continued in 2003-04 with a further drop of one percentage point to 85%. Young entrants, who make up 80 per cent of all entrants, continue to have a higher retention rate than mature students. Resource: HESA Performance Indicators 2005 http://www.hesa.ac.uk/pi/home.htm Figure 24 shows student retention data for HE activity in colleges in 2003-04. The data only goes back to 2001-02 when the PIs for colleges were published for the first time. It shows that the overall student retention rate for HE activity in colleges in 2003-04 remained unchanged at 84 per cent with a small decrease of one per cent in full-time and a one per cent increase in part-time activity.

35

http://www.hesa.ac.uk/pi/home.htm


Figure 24: Student retention for students undertaking HE activity in the college sector in Scotland, 2003-04 (Source: SFC)

Full-time HE activity in colleges

Part-time HE activity in colleges

Total HE activity in colleges

2001-02 83% 94% 86% 2002-03 82% 92% 84% 2003-04 81% 93% 84%

Note: The data reported here excludes enrolments not meeting the funding qualifying

date, enrolments spanning into 2002-03 and programmes funded by bodies other than SFEFC or New Deal.

Resource: Further data and information about student satisfaction, student retention and

outcome are published in Student and Staff Performance Indicators for Further Education Colleges in Scotland 2003-04, www.sfc.ac.uk

Figure 25 shows the projected outcomes for full-time first degree students in HEIs. This gives an indication of the percentage of students, based on current progression patterns, who are likely to progress to a degree or other outcome. The rates have remained fairly constant from 1997-98 to 2003-04 with a slight decline of one per cent in the period 2002-03 to 2003-04 from 73 per cent to 72 per cent and an increase in students who leave without an award or an immediate transfer from 16 to 18 per cent over the same period. The main weakness of these figures is that because they relate to projected rather than actual outcomes, they are based on the assumption that the context in which students currently continue on course or leave will continue.

36

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/


Figure 25: Projected learning outcomes and efficiencies of full-time students starting first degree courses at Scottish HEIs (Source: PIs 2005 HESA)

40%

47%

42%

27%

48%

40%

41%

6%

7%

8%

10%

4%

8%

7%

6%

5%

7%

7%

6%

15%

9%

13%

19%

15%

13%

6%

4% 5%

3%

4%

1%

2%

3%

3%

4% 29%

27%

28%

35%

36%

27%

29%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Ancient HEIs

Old HEIs

New HEIs

Other HEIs

Postgraduate

Undergraduate

Total

Percentage of respondents

Full-time paid work only Part-time paid/voluntary/unpaid work onlyWork and further study Further study onlyNot available for employment Other

Across the UK however, Scotland has the highest non-continuation rate as shown in Figure 26. Figure 26: Projected learning outcomes: Full-time students starting first degree courses 2003-04 (Source HESA)

Projected outcome

Number of starters

Percentage who are mature Degree

Neither award nor transfer

Other award Transfer Not

known

England 254,535 22.9% 78.1% 13.9% 1.6% 6.0% 0.4%Wales 18,710 23.8% 75.2% 16.2% 1.0% 6.9% 0.7%Scotland 31,550 21.8% 72.1% 17.6% 2.8% 7.2% 0.2%Northern Ireland 8,580 16.0% 80.8% 14.5% 0.1% 4.4% 0.1%Total UK 313,375 22.7% 77.4% 14.4% 1.7% 6.1% 0.4%

Figure 27 shows information on the student outcome for HE enrolments on programmes with a national qualification aim in colleges from 2002-03 to 2003-04. Between these two academic sessions the percentage of students being successful or progressing to the next year of study has gone down by 3 percentage points.

37


Figure 27: Student outcome for students undertaking HE activity in Scottish colleges (Source: SFC)

2002-03 2003-04 Completed programme 84% 84%

Successful or progressing to the next year 83% 80%

Not gaining award but may have achieved partial success 16% 17%

Of those completing the programme:

Not assessed 1% 3% Note: Due to rounding errors columns do not all add up to 100 per cent. Participation Because the categorisation of social class was revised for the last set of HESA Performance Indicators, the figures for 2002 are not strictly comparable with those for earlier years. Figure 28 suggests however that Scottish HEIs take a marginally higher proportion of their students from socio-economic groups 4 to 7 than England, and Wales, but a lower proportion than Northern Ireland. Figure 28: Percentage of young full-time undergraduate entrants to HEIs from social classes IIIM, IV and V, 1998 to 2001-02 and NS-SEC classes 4-7 2002-03 and 2003-04 (Source HESA)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03* 2003-04

% o

f you

ng fi

rst d

egre

e en

trant

s fro

m N

S-SE

C cla

sses

4-7

UK

England

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

38


Figure 29a shows that, compared to the other three UK nations, Scottish HEIs took the highest percentage of young entrants from low participation neighbourhoods (LPNs) in 2003-04. Figure 29a: Percentage of full-time young entrants to first degree courses at HEIs from low participation neighbourhoods (Source: HESA)

0

5

10

15

20

25

1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04

% o

f you

ng e

ntra

nts

UK

England

Scotland

Wales

Nothern Ireland

Figure 29b shows that 14.4 per cent of Scotland’s mature student population are from low participation neighbourhoods. This is close to the UK average.

39


Figure 29b: Percentage of full-time mature entrants to first degree courses at HEIs from low participation neighbourhoods (Source: HESA)

0

5

10

15

20

25

1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04

% o

f you

ng e

ntra

nts

UK

England

Scotland

Wales

Nothern Ireland

Figure 30 shows that Scottish HEIs in 2003-04 took a lower percentage of students from state schools or colleges than they did in 2002-03. Compared to HEIs elsewhere in the UK, Scottish HEIs took the lowest percentage of students from state schools and colleges in 2003-04 – though the difference small. Figure 30: Percentage of young entrants to full-time first degree courses from state schools or colleges (Source: HESA) 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 UK 85.0% 84.9% 85.7% 86.0% 87.2% 86.8% England 84.4% 84.1% 85.0% 85.2% 86.4% 86.1% Scotland 83.2% 84.1% 84.0% 85.0% 87.5% 85.9%

Wales 90.5% 90.8% 90.8% 90.9% 91.9% 91.5% Northern Ireland 99.8% 99.8% 99.9% 99.7% 99.9% 99.8%

40


6. The student experience

Student views on how their experience of higher education has made a difference to their lives are an important indicator of the extent to which colleges and HEIs are meeting the needs of their students. In 2005 the Scottish Funding Councils published the first results of a longitudinal study of student experience and levels of satisfaction. Over 27,000 students were surveyed with about 6,900 students responding to the questionnaire. A follow up survey will be carried out in the next five years. The key findings of this survey are:

• four-fifths would recommend their course to someone else;

• three in five regard their studies as a good investment;

• the majority obtaining employment consider their job to be appropriate to someone of their level of skills and qualifications; and

• almost all believe that studying has developed and influenced their lives positively.

Resource: The Class of 2004: on Track, SFC 2005 http://www.sfc.ac.uk/publications/pubs_other_sfefcarchive/on_track.pdf

41

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/publications/pubs_other_sfefcarchive/on_track.pdf


7. Research and Knowledge Transfer

The richest source of data on the standard of research in Scottish HE is the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). As the next RAE will not take place until 2008 we cannot update the information in the Baseline Report at the moment. The update below therefore contains only a limited range of information. For a better understanding of research in Scottish HE, please consult the Baseline Report. As noted in the Baseline Report, research funding from sources other than the Scottish Funding Council currently accounts for almost 75 per cent of all research funding in Scottish HEIs. The main sources of this income for 1996-97 and 2003-04 by category of funders are given in Figure 31. It shows that the changes in the period between 2002-03 and 2003-04 have been small. Figure 31: Income from research grants and contracts, 1996-97 and 2003-04 (Source HESA)

Per cent of research income from sources other than the SFC 1996-97

Per cent of research income from sources other than the SFC 2003-04

Research councils 33% 29% UK-based charities 21% 26% UK Government bodies, health and hospital authorities 19% 20%

UK industry, commerce and public corporations 12% 9%

EU Sources (Government and other) 9% 9%

Other overseas sources 6% 4% Investment in research and development (R&D) in Scotland by business is not high in comparison with the rest of the UK. Figures 32 and 33 show that the amount spent on business R&D in Scotland in 2003 has actually fallen as has the percentage of UK business R&D accounted for by Scotland.

42


Figure 32: Gross expenditure on Research and Development (R&D) in Scotland in £ million current prices and percentage of the total UK expenditure, 2000 and 2003 (Source: Scottish Executive 2005) 2000 2001 2002 2003 R&D performed within businesses 400 3.5% 512 4.2% 640 4.9% 521 3.9%

R&D performed in government establishments

238 11.2% 226 12.4% 238 13.6% 271 13.5%

R&D performed in HEIs 440 12.1% 510 12.6% 581 13.2% 575 12.9%

Total 1,078 6.2% 1,248 6.7% 1,459 7.6% 1,367 6.8% Figure 33: Value of business R&D in £million, current prices, 1995 to 2003 (Source: Scottish Executive 2005)

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Scotland 269 302 291 358 393 400 512 640 521

UK 9,116 9,297 9,556 10,133 11,302 11,510 12,336 13,110 13,687Scotland as % of UK 2.9 3.2 3 3.5 3.5 3.5 4.2 4.9 3.8Expenditure per employee (Scotland) 180 190 191 225 250 245 305 390 319

43


8. Graduates – first destinations

In 2003-04 there were 65,720 HE graduates, 45,565 (69%) from HEIs and 20,160 (31%) from the college sector - 2,050 more than in 2002-03, who completed successfully a higher education course in Scotland. Source: Higher education graduates and graduate destinations, Scottish Executive publication, December 2005 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/47121/0020466.pdf The information on graduate destinations is collected from graduates six months after graduation. The data should be handled with a degree of caution, as many graduates will not have settled into their main career by this point. As shown graphically in figure 34a key findings of the graduate destination survey are:

• about 40 per cent went into full-time paid employment (42% in 2002-03);

• seventeen per cent went into part-time paid or voluntary work (16% in 2002-03);

• twenty nine per cent went into work and further study (25% in 2002-03);

• two per cent went into oversees employment (3% in 2002-03);

• six per cent are believed to be unemployed (7% in 2002-03);

• seven per cent named other destinations (7% in 2002-03);

• among postgraduate leavers, the largest changes are among those in permanent employment 30 per cent in 2003-04 down 8 percentage points from 2002-03 and among those in temporary employment, 48 per cent in 2003-04 compared to 41 per cent in 2002-03;

• at subdegree level leavers, the largest changes are among those in further study or training 55 per cent in 2003-04, up 10 percentage points from 2002-03 and among those in permanent UK employment, 34 per cent in 2003-04 down 5 percentage points from 2002-03.

44


Figure 34a: First destinations of full-time students who obtained a qualification, 2003-04 (Source: Scottish Executive December 2005) - read legend left to right

31%

27%

8%

20%

55%

29%

38%

42%

30%

46%

34%

40%

14%

19%

48%

18%

17%

3%

2%

3%

3%

2%

5%

6%

8%

3%

7%

5%

6%

5%

6%

6%

4%

2%

6%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Men

Women

Postgraduate

First degree

Subdegree

Total

Per cent of graduatesFurther study or training Permanent UK employmentTemporary UK employment Oversees employmentBelieved unemployed Other

Notes: 1) The figures in each row do not all add up to 100 per cent due to rounding errors.

2) ‘Other’ destinations include those who are unable to work, looking after the home or family, taking time out in order to travel, etc.

Figure 34b shows graduate destinations by type of HE provider. Graduates from colleges are far more likely to enter further study or training (61 per cent), which reflects part of their role to help students progress to further levels of learning. There is little difference between types of providers in relation to the proportions of graduates not securing employment with the proportion remaining at relatively low levels (between 4 to 7 per cent).

45


Figure 34b: First destination of graduates from higher education by type of HE provider, 2003-04 (Source: Scottish Executive) - read legend left to right

22%

14%

18%

34%

61%

29%

36%

46%

51%

45%

29%

40%

24%

27%

15%

10%

17%

4%

3%

3%

1%

2%

7%

9%

5%

2%

6%

4%

5%

6%

6%

6%

6%

1%

6%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Ancient universities

Old universities

New universities

Other HEIs

Colleges

Total

Per cent of graduatesFurther study or training Permanent UK employmentTemporary UK employment Oversees employmentBelieved unemployed Other



Figure 34c shows the graduate destinations of all HE graduates (college and HEI sector by broad subject group. It shows that those leaving with a degree in Medicine and Dentistry (53%) as well as Allied Medicine HE qualifications (64%) are most likely to be in permanent employment, while those graduating with an HE qualification in Physical Sciences or Mass Communications are more likely to be unemployed (10% for both). Eighty four per cent of graduates in Education find themselves to 84 per cent in temporary employment because they are on a one-year probationary placemat. Ten per cent of language graduates are in oversees employment as compared to 2 per cent of all graduates.

46


Figure 34c: First destination of graduates from higher education by subject area, 2003-04 (Source: Scottish Executive) - read legend left to right

29%31%

17%28%

32%32%

40%3%

31%24%25%28%

43%10%

33%32%

28%

40%49%

64%48%

36%44%

37%9%

43%38%

32%40%

32%53%

39%42%

39%

17%6%

11%11%

16%11%8%

84%8%

17%16%

14%9%

34%10%

13%14%

2%2%

1%4%

2%3%

1%1%

4%4%

10%1%

2%1%

3%2%

5%

6%6%

4%7%

5%8%

1%9%

6%6%10%

10%1%

7%5%

6%

6%7%

5%8%5%5%

5%12%11%

7%

8%7%

9%

3%

4%

4%

2%

2%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

All subjectsAgriculture

Allied MedcineArchitecture

Biological SciencesBusiness Administration

Creative ArtsEducation*

Engineering and TechnologyHumanitiesLanguages

Mass CommunicationMathematical Sciences

Medicine and Dentistry*Physical Sciences

Social StudiesMulti-Disciplinary Studies

Further study or training Permanent UK employment Temporary UK employmentOversees employment Believed unemployed Other



Futureskills Scotland’s Skills in Scotland 2004, shows that about four out of five employers thought that recruits from colleges and HEIs were well prepared for work, a small increase in this figure compared to the previous year. The results of the survey are shown in more detail in Figure 35. The figures cover those who studied at non-advanced FE-level as well as those who took HE–level courses at a college and show that the increase is greatest for both technical and core skills for those who attended courses in the college sector.

47


Figure 35: Employers’ opinions on how well prepared for work recruits from educational institutions were, in 2003 and 2004 (Source and classifications: Scottish Enterprise) Secondary

school Colleges Universities

very well prepared 7% 16% 30%well prepared 48% 66% 53%poorly prepared 31% 13% 11%

Soft and core skills

very poorly prepared 8% 2% 1%very well prepared 7% 13% 25%well prepared 48% 66% 58%poorly prepared 32% 12% 11%

2004

Technical skills

very poorly prepared 5% 2% 1%well prepared 48% 74% 82%Soft and core

skills poorly prepared 43% 20% 10%well prepared 54% 77% 77%

2003 Technical skills poorly prepared 35% 16% 13%

48


9. International students and student mobility

In 2003-04 there were 27,480 international students at Scottish HEIs, a rise of 11 per cent compared to 2002-03. Non-EU enrolments have increased by 12 per cent and other-EU enrolments by 10 per cent. The more research-intensive, ancient and old HEIs attract the majority of international students. However, other HEIs, such as small specialist institutions, have also increased their international recruitment. The percentage of oversees tuition fees income as a proportion of the total fees income of HEIs has increased from about 23 per cent in 1998-99 to 30 per cent in 2003-04. Students from Greece, the Republic of Ireland, France and Germany make up the largest numbers of other-EU students, with students from China, the USA, India and Malaysia making up the largest numbers of non-EU students. Postgraduate degrees continue to be most popular followed by first degrees. There is however less demand for HNC/Ds from international students. Student numbers

Figure 36 shows changes in the proportions of international students in the student population of Scottish HEIs compared to HEIs in other parts of the UK. The data shows that Scottish HEIs have increased their intake of international students to similar levels to English HEIs as a percentage of all students.

49


Figure 36: Changes in international student numbers (headcount) in per cent as a proportion of all students within each UK country (Source: HESA, SFC) 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04England 11.5% 11.5% 11.7% 11.2% 11.2% 12.9% 13.6%Scotland 12.2% 12.3% 12.6% 10.9% 11.0% 12.5% 13.4%

Northern Ireland 13.9% 13.2% 11.8% 11.0% 10.6% 10.8% 10.8%Wales 10.9% 10.6% 10.2% 8.6% 8.7% 10.0% 10.2%

We gave information on the numbers and proportions of students in Scottish HEIs by domicile (that is, where they lived before they became students) for 1995-96 to 2003-04 in Figures 3 and 4 above. Figures 37a and 37b show in more detail how recruitment patterns changed between 1995-96 and 2003-04. The proportion of non-EU international students has increased over the last nine years as have Scottish-domiciled students. The proportion from the rest of the UK has slightly declined. Figures 37a and 37b: Percentage of students by domicile in 1995-06 and 2003-04 at Scottish HEIs (Source: SFC)

107,280 , 70%

12,577 , 8%

7,650 , 5%

26,916 , 17%


1995-96

26,265 , 13%

9,630 , 5%

17,850 , 9%

151,415 , 73%


2003-04

50


Scotland’s steady increase in international student numbers takes place in the context of significant competition from other countries. Student mobility has increased and the number of countries and providers has also increased significantly. For example, the opening of the Eastern European market has had a significant impact on German HEIs in particular, where international recruitment has risen from four per cent to 12 per cent over the past ten years. What type of HEIs do international students attend?

Figure 38 shows the total number of students in the system by type of HEI and domicile in 2003-04. As in 2002-03 it shows that students from outwith Scotland are more likely to attend ancient or old universities. We have included figures for Scottish and other-UK students to illustrate how the pattern for incoming students differs between these different groups of students. While reputation and subject choice may be factors that influence this pattern, it is also the case that ancient HEIs have more postgraduate provision and students from outside Scotland are more likely to be postgraduates. The pattern has remained almost unchanged since 2002-03, except for a small shift among non-EU students: two per cent less at old HEIs and other HEIs and two per cent more at ancient and new HEIs in 2003-04 compared to 2002-03. Figure 38: Students by domicile and type of Scottish HEI in 2003-04 (Source: HESA, SFC)

44%

41%

57%

37%

61%

26%

31%

30%

23%

23%

34%

22%

25%

25%

21%

31%

13%

21%

10%

27%

25%

5%

6%

7%

7%

7%

21%

18%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Non-EU

Other EU

Wales

Northern Ireland

England

Scotland

All

% of students in type of HEI

Ancient

Old

New

Other HEIs

51


Countries of origin

Figures 39a and 39b show the number of students and domicile of international students in 2002-03 and 2003-04. Figure 39a shows that students from the Republic of Ireland, Greece, France and Germany make up the largest numbers of other-EU students. The largest percentage changes between 2002-03 and 2003-04 are among students from The Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland. Figures 39a: Other-EU students at Scottish HEIs by domicile (headcounts) between 2002-03 and 2003-04 (Source: SFC)

2002-03 2003-04

% change 2002-03 to 2003-04

Republic of Ireland 1,778 2,158 21.4%Greece 1,893 2,037 7.6%France 1,281 1,421 10.9%Germany 1,161 1,306 12.5%Spain 531 504 -5.1%Sweden 357 379 6.2%Italy 345 327 -5.2%Finland 258 278 7.8%The Netherlands 210 269 28.1%Belgium 211 214 1.4%Denmark 195 204 4.6%Portugal 166 184 10.8%Austria 129 146 13.2%Luxembourg 117 128 9.4%Gibraltar* 36 33 -8.3%All other EU students 8,953 9,846 10.0%

Notes: Gibraltar is not an individual member state of the EU. Figure 39b shows that students from China, the USA, India and Malaysia make up the largest groups of non-EU students. The largest percentage increases between 2002-03 and 2003-04 were in students coming from Pakistan, Thailand, Switzerland and China. The largest decreases are from Libya, Singapore and Malaysia. Student numbers from individual countries can however fluctuate year on year depending not only on student choice but also on funding arrangements and other strategic priorities of the home

52


countries. For non-EU students it can also depend on the economic and political changes in the home countries. Figure 39b: Non-EU student numbers in Scottish HEIS (headcounts) by domicile (headcounts) between 2002-03 and 2003-04 (Source: SFC)

2002-03 2003-04

% change 2002-03 to 2003-04

China 2,666 3,461 29.8%United States 2,193 2,402 9.5%India 1,172 1,364 16.4%Malaysia 1,163 955 -17.9%Norway 742 688 -7.3%Canada 638 727 13.9%Hong Kong 436 538 23.4%Taiwan 416 410 -1.4%Singapore 357 299 -16.2%Japan 320 322 0.6%Nigeria 305 391 28.2%Kenya 248 275 10.9%Oman 248 231 -6.9%Tanzania 192 194 1.0%Saudi Arabia 185 234 26.5%Libya 175 136 -22.3%South Korea 173 214 23.7%Zimbabwe 139 175 25.9%Pakistan 137 198 44.5%Switzerland 136 177 30.1%United Arab Emirates 134 141 5.2%Russia 132 142 7.6%Thailand 128 167 30.5%Australia 126 130 3.2%Other Countries 3,148 3,609 14.6%All non-EU students 15,709 17,580 11.9%

Level of study and subjects chosen

Figure 40 shows that about 57 per cent of non-EU students enrol on postgraduate courses (up two per cent from 2002-03), compared to 17 per cent of Scottish-domiciled students (unchanged from 2002-03).

53


Figure 40: Students at Scottish HEIs by origin and level of study in 2003-04 (Source: HESA, SFC)

3,438

3,963

8,542

10,066

4,667

4,648

166

160

463

467

26,786

28,477

44,062

47,781

4,939

5,294

5,462

6,200

15,208

15,040

425

454

4,906

4,850

90,229

106,141

121,169

137,979

576

589

1,705

1,314

43

30

47,646

39,868

50,975

42,508

159

123

846584

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

2002/03

2003/04

2002/03

2003/04

2002/03

2003/04

2002/03

2003/04

2002/03

2003/04

2002/03

2003/04

2002/03

2003/04

Oth

erE

UN

on-

EU

Eng

land

Wale

sN

orth

ern

Irela

ndSc

otlan

dA

ll

PostgraduateFirst degreeOther undergraduate

Figure 41 shows the changes in numbers of non-EU and other-EU students by level of study in greater detail.

54


Figure 41: Changes in the number of international students by level of study (Source: HESA SFC)

Total PG First Degree

Other UG

Total 1997-98 10,283 5,465 4,154 664 Total 2001-02 13,043 6,734 4,798 1,511 Total 2002-03 15,709 8,542 5,462 1,705 Total 2003-04 17,580 10,066 6,200 1,314 Net change 02-03/03-04 1,871 1,524 738 -391

Non EU

% change 02-03/03-04 11.9% 17.8% 13.5% -22.9%Total 1997-98 7,498 2,692 4,147 659 Total 2001-02 8,284 3,189 4,504 591 Total 2002-03 8,953 3,438 4,939 576 Total 2003-04 9,846 3,963 5,294 589 Net change 02-03/03-04 893 525 355 13

Other EU

% change 02-03/03-04 10.0% 15.3% 7.2% 2.3%Total 1997-98 17,781 8,157 8,301 1,323 Total 2001-02 21,327 9,923 9,302 2,102 Total 2002-03 24,662 11,980 10,401 2,281 Total 2003-04 27,426 14,029 11,494 1,903 Net change 02-03/03-04 2,764 2,049 1,093 -378

All international students

% change 02-03/03-04 11.2% 17.1% 10.5% -16.6%

Broad subject choice

Figure 42 shows the number of students by broad academic subject groups from the ten countries with the largest numbers of students in the Scottish HEI system. Significant changes between 2002-03 and 2003-04 are marked white and are explained below.

55


Figure 42: Numbers of international students at Scottish HEIs 2003-04 ranked by top ten countries and by broad subject group (Source: SFC)

1. C

hina

2. U

SA

3. Ir

eland

4. G

reec

e

5. F

ranc

e

6. In

dia

7. G

erm

any

8. M

alays

ia

9. C

anad

a

10. N

orw

ay

Business & administrative studies 1,532 116 98 399 326 418 216 128 58 209

Engineering & technology 208 31 315 306 309 267 82 162 15 44Subjects allied to medicine 49 272 628 88 19 100 82 42 92 28Combined & general subjects 175 637 81 97 112 75 203 76 41 81Languages 242 195 25 74 48 5 86 10 31 8Biological sciences 97 85 128 178 72 125 108 27 22 31Social, economic & political studies 124 253 92 97 56 17 108 14 54 53

Computer science 310 58 54 335 216 116 63 30 9 31Humanities 4 400 27 34 10 5 49 4 52 13Education* 95 48 124 57 18 75 31 19 211 7Architecture, building & planning 74 28 263 67 12 38 24 104 7 20

Law 231 43 37 44 31 15 89 15 14 1Medicine & dentistry* 17 24 50 55 11 21 40 247 29 24Mathematical sciences 135 7 34 60 13 30 22 38 8 2Physical sciences 56 39 52 45 106 30 36 16 26 10Creative arts & design 45 96 56 44 18 10 40 8 18 70Librarianship & information science 60 19 54 24 27 10 18 7 20 39

Veterinary science* 1 46 22 4 5 4 1 6 13 14Agriculture & related subjects 6 5 18 29 12 3 8 2 7 3Total 3,461 2,402 2,158 2,037 1,421 1,364 1,306 955 727 688

Note: * The number of places in these subjects is controlled by the Scottish Executive.

56


There are some notable changes compared to 2002-03. For example,

• the number of Chinese students on business & administrative studies courses has increased from 1,227 to 1,532 (the number for 2001-02 was 524). Also numbers of Chinese students enrolled in languages has fallen from 346 to 242 (the figure for 2001-02 was 482);

• the number of German students doing business & administration has increased from 169 to 216; and

• in computer sciences the numbers of students from Greece and from France have more than doubled from 144 to 335 and 104 to 216 respectively.

The pattern of subjects studied by students from the rest of the UK differs from the pattern for Scottish-domiciled students. Figure 43 shows student numbers from the rest of the UK at Scottish HEIs in 2003-04 by subject area and domicile.

57


Figure 43: Rest-of-UK students at Scottish HEIs by subject area and UK domicile, 2003-04 (Source: HESA, SFC)

Eng

land

Wale

s

Nor

ther

n Ir

eland

Rest

of U

K

Subj

ect a

s a p

ropo

rtion

of

all

rest

of

UK

do

mici

led st

uden

ts

Subj

ect a

s a p

ropo

rtion

of

all

Scot

tish-

dom

iciled

st

uden

ts

Medicine & dentistry* 1,479 43 536 2,088 7.8% 2.2%Subjects allied to medicine 1,590 63 554 2,235 8.4% 14.5%Biological sciences 2,196 63 462 2,755 10.3% 6.6%Veterinary science* 415 28 42 495 1.9% 0.3%Agriculture & related subjects 170 9 21 210 0.8% 0.3%Physical sciences 1,274 48 202 1,556 5.8% 2.9%Mathematical sciences 347 15 121 493 1.8% 1.3%Computer science 595 23 247 875 3.3% 4.9%Engineering & technology 758 28 284 1,080 4.0% 5.9%Architecture, building & planning 618 40 330 998 3.7% 2.3%Social, economic & political studies 1,387 42 304 1,759 6.6% 8.0%Law 261 16 174 461 1.7% 2.9%Business & administrative studies 1,828 40 840 2,784 10.4% 11.8%Librarianship & information science 243 10 93 356 1.3% 1.3%Languages 1,647 44 250 1,965 7.3% 2.5%Humanities 1,696 35 139 1,896 7.1% 2.5%Creative arts & design 1,084 26 164 1,298 4.9% 3.5%Education* 895 21 200 1,132 4.2% 11.4%Combined 1,789 50 477 2,346 8.8% 14.7%Total 20,272 644 5,440 26,742 100.0% 100.0%

Note: * The number of places in these subjects is controlled by the Scottish Executive. The overall proportion of student numbers by subject group as a percentage of all students varies between other UK and Scottish-domiciled students, most notably in Medicine & Dentistry, Languages, Humanities, Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences. The proportions of students in each subject group who are from Scotland, the rest of the UK and elsewhere are shown in Figure 44. The pattern between 2002-03 and 2003-04 has not changed significantly.

58


Figure 44: Scottish HEI student domicile by subject area, 2003-04 (Source: HESA, SFC)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Medicine & dentistry*Subjects allied to medicine

Biological sciencesVeterinary science*

Agriculture & related subjectsPhysical sciences

Mathematical sciencesComputer science

Engineering & technologyArchitecture, building & planning

Social, economic & political studiesLaw

Business & administrative studiesLibrarianship & information

LanguagesHumanities

Creative arts & designEducation*Combined

All Subjects MeanMedian

Total

Per cent of studentsScotland % England % Wales % N. Ireland % other-EU % non-EU %

Note: * The number of places in these subjects is controlled by the Scottish Executive. We have very limited information on Scottish-domiciled students studying abroad for more than a small proportion of their course. We do however have information on Scottish-domiciled students going to HEIs in the rest of the UK. Figure 45 shows the percentages and total numbers of Scottish-domiciled students who studied in other UK countries in 2003-04. Compared to 2002-03, the student numbers are almost unchanged. Overall, in 2003-04 there were 13,145 Scottish-domiciled students enrolled elsewhere in the UK as opposed to 13,200 students in 2002-03.

59


Figure 45: Scottish-domiciled students at rest of UK HEIs in 2003-04 (Source: HESA, SFC)

3,990

210

125

4,325

5,980

210

40

6,230

430

5

2,155

2,590

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

English HEIs

Welsh HEIs

Northern Irish HEIs

All Scottish at RUKHEIs

Per cent of students

Postgraduate Undergraduate Further education

With the increase in international recruitment (especially from non-EU countries), income from non-EU student tuition fees makes up an increasing proportion of the total fees income that institutions receive as shown in Figure 46. The proportion of overseas (non-EU) income from tuition fees has risen from 28.4 per cent in 2002-03 to 29.9 per cent in 2003-04. Figure 46: Proportion of fee income from non-EU students, 1998-99 to 2002-03 in £,000s (Source: SFC) 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 Tuition Fee Income from non-EU Students £57,682 £62,868 £68,502 £78,420 £95,443 £107,829

Total Income from Tuition Fees, Education contracts and Grants

£245,739 £257,922 £275,368 £309,199 £336,093 £359,514

Proportion from Overseas (non EU) Students

23.5% 24.4% 24.9% 25.4% 28.4% 29.9%

60


10. Resources available to higher education providers

Income

Figure 47 shows the sources of income of Scottish HEIs in 2003-04. Overall income has increased from £1,711million in 2002-03 to £1,772 million 2003-04, a rise of £60 million (3.5 per cent). The proportion of funding from each source has not changed significantly. Figure 47: Sources of income in 2003-04 in £million (rounded) and percentage of income from each source of SHEFC-funded HEIs (Source: HESA and SFC)

2002-03 2003-04 Funding Council grant £709 41% £741 42%Tuition fees & education grants & contracts £335 20% £358 20%

Research grants £333 19% £339 19%Endowment & investment income £23 1% £26 1%Other income £312 18% £308 17%Total £1,711 100% £1,772 100%

Figure 48 gives information about income sources for Scotland’s colleges in 2002-03 and 2003-04. The figures relate however to funding for all college activities and does not therefore relate directly to funding for HE provision. The income of colleges has risen from £518 million in 2002-03 to £539 million in 2003-04 (a 4.1 per cent rise). Here too there is no substantial change in the relative importance of income sources. Figure 48: Sources of income in 2002-03 and 2003-04 in £million (rounded) and percentage of income from each source against overall income of SFEFC-funded colleges (Source: SFC)

2002-03 2003-04 SFEFC grants £361 70% £378 70% Tuition fees and education grant £96 18% £95 18% Other income £58 11% £64 12% Endowments and investment income £3 1% £3 1%

Total £518 100% £539 100%

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Higher Education in Scotland: Second Update Report · Higher Education in Scotland: Second Update...

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