South West Regional Skills Enterprise and Employment Analysis 2007/2008

Final Report

4.13 Participation and provision

4.13.8 Higher Education

There are 13 HEIs in the South West: eight universities and five HE colleges.

In addition, there are 33 FE colleges (FEs) teaching HE students. The largest concentration of HE is in the Bristol and Bath area, with four universities, one HE college campus and three FEs teaching HE courses.

The total number of applications to HE courses made can be used as an indicator of demand for HE provision. UCAS received a total of 186,194 applications to HEIs (or FE colleges) in the South West in 2005, an increase of 14.3% since 2001. UCAS applications in 2006 to South West institutions (HE and FE) were 165,439. There were a total of 82,122 HE student FTEs at South West HEIs and FEs in 2005.

Figure 13: Total HE Applications in the South West, 2001-2005 (click image to open in new window)

Source: UCAS

Funding has been allocated for additional student numbers (ASNs) to support institutions’ growth, and strategic projects in the region. Around 3,500 ASNs were allocated for 2006-07 and 2007-08.

In terms of strategic and vulnerable subjects(67), the overall picture is positive, with an increase of 9% in applications. However, while biological and physical sciences, engineering and technology and languages have all seen a substantial increase, there has been a 30% drop in the number of applications in mathematical sciences and informatics. The number of combined sciences applications has fallen by 10.8%, while agriculture and related subjects has stayed fairly constant.

As would be expected, the most applications come from 18 year olds, but proportionally the biggest increases have come from applicants between the ages of 22 and 29, which bodes well for the region’s progress towards the Treasury Public Service Agreement (PSA) target:

By 2010, increase participation in HE towards 50% of those aged between 18 & 30.

HEIs in the South West accepted a total of 32,231 applications in 2005, an increase of 15.9% since 2001. Figure 12 below shows that there has been year on year growth in the number of accepted applications, but that growth has been strongest between 2004 and 2005, in line with the total number of applications made (see section 2.1).

Figure 14: Accepted HE Applications in the South West, 2001-2005 (click image to open in new window)

Source: UCAS

The trend in accepted applications is similar to the total number of applications made, with the majority of HEIs seeing a significant increase in numbers. Proportionally, the biggest increases were in the smaller institutions, but numerically the biggest increases were in the biggest institutions, particularly the University of the West of England.

An analysis of the subject breakdown by accepted applications (see Figure 15 below) shows that, as with total applications, the biggest proportional increase has been in Medicine/Dentistry, in line with the national expansion of student numbers in this area.

Strategic subjects show a similar trend, with increases in biological and physical sciences, engineering and technology and languages, particularly in biological sciences, where the number of accepted applications has almost doubled.

There has been a 28% drop in the number of accepted applications in mathematical sciences and informatics. The number of combined sciences applications has fallen - albeit slightly - while agriculture and related subjects has stayed fairly constant.

Figure 15: Accepted HE Applications in the South West by Subject, 2001-2005 (click image to open in new window)

Source: UCAS

Aimhigher is a joint national programme between the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the LSC which aims to widen participation in HE by raising the aspirations and developing the abilities of people from under-represented groups.

Widening participation is a key aim for HEFCE and participation has indeed widened. Two measures have been used for this:

• Participation from low participation neighbourhoods;
• Participation from Socio-Economic Groups 4, 5, 6 and 7.

A total of 1,855 young people from low participation neighbourhoods were in full-time HE during 2004/05, 9.6% of the total number of young HE students. This is significantly below the national average of 13.6%, and according to HEFCE’s profile of HE in the region, ‘the South West has the lowest proportion of young full-time first degree entrants from low participation neighbourhoods’.

Although this number has grown by 9.1% since the 2002/03 academic year, the overall increase in the number of young people going into HE means that the percentage of students from low participation neighbourhoods has remained fairly static, currently at 9.6% of all young HE students.

For mature students, the short-term trend is similar to that of young people. The proportion of mature undergraduates from low-participation neighbourhoods is well below the national average, at 11% compared to 15.9%. There has been a slight increase in the proportion of mature students that are from low participation areas (up from 10.6% in 2002/03), although the regional rate of increase has been slower than nationally.

As with low participation neighbourhoods, the proportion of students from socio-economic groups 4-7 is lower in the South West compared to the national average in 2004/05. Although the 4,095 students in this group is an increase of 12% from 2002/03 (3,655 students), this has not significantly increased when expressed as a proportion of the total number of young HE students, which has grown by a similar amount.

The number of qualifications achieved has increased by 2.1% in the last year. Although not as high as the growth in student numbers, many of these students will still be in HE, and it might be expected that the number of achievements will rise in coming years to reflect the increase in the overall number of students.

By subject, the biggest increases in qualifications achieved were in biological sciences, veterinary science and creative arts and design. In subjects deemed to be strategically important, there was a mixed picture with slight increases in some subjects, but a decline in others i.e. agriculture and related subjects, physical, mathematical and computer sciences.

Around two-thirds of the region’s graduates entered employment after completing their studies, while a quarter went on to further study.

The South West retains around 58% of its graduates i.e. those who remain in the region for employment after their studies. 42% leave the region after graduating. There may well be intra-regional disparities in where graduates go to work, but no analysis is possible with the data currently available.

For further information on HE, see the Working Paper on Higher Education.

Conclusions

Graduate retention continues to be an issue for the region.

There has been a 30 per cent drop in the number of applications in mathematical sciences and informatics, together with a fall of 10.8 per cent in the number of combined sciences applications which is of concern.

These are skills which are critical to raising productivity and improving innovation in business.

(67) In response to a letter from the Secretary of State for Education & Skills, HEFCE’s Strategic and vulnerable subjects advisory group identified the following subjects as nationally strategically important:
science, technology, engineering and mathematics; area studies and related minority languages; modern foreign languages; land-based studies; quantitative social science; vocationally-oriented courses of particular interest to employers in industries that are of growing importance to the UK economy.