Student Alternative 2021/22 - HESA unique student identifier
Student Alternative 2021/22Fields required from institutions in EnglandHESA unique student identifier | return to field list |
Type | field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Short name | HUSID | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Description |
This field records the student identifier which is to be unique to each student. It is intended that the identifier is to be transferred with the student to each provider of higher education he or she may attend. The objective is that the use of this number will facilitate the accurate tracking of students throughout their experience within the sector for which HESA collects data. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Applicable to | England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coverage | All students. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes |
Students included on a previous year's return must retain the previously used HUSID. Students entering a course of study should be asked whether they have a previous HESA unique student identifier, and if so this identifier should be used. This will commonly be the situation for new postgraduates moving on from undergraduate study. If students are unable to recall their student identifier, the HUSID look-up service should be used to determine any previously allocated HUSID. Students whose details have previously been returned to HESA by the reporting provider MUST keep the same unique student identifier in future returns. For students whose details have previously been returned to HESA by another provider, the same unique student identifier should be used if this is known. This is to facilitate the possibility of backward tracking within previous data sets. Where the previous number is not known, or there is any doubt about its accuracy, providers are NOT expected to seek student identifiers from previous providers but should use the HUSID look-up service. Once a number has been allocated it should never be re-used, even in the case of students who leave the provider without completing their studies. Students who move from one provider to another should keep their original student identifier. Where the previous HE student identifier is in direct entry format, the number must NOT be changed to reflect the current provider's identifier. This is to ensure that the student identifier remains unique and to allow tracking of the student through the use of the same unique student identifier. Linkage between different years of a student instance will be through the 'UHN'. The UHN is a combination of three main identifier fields, the Provider.UKPRN (provider), the Student.HUSID (person), and Instance.NUMHUS (instance), which uniquely identify a student on a course leading to a course aim. The structure of the HESA student identifier is created as follows:
HESA Provider identifier (INSTID) This is a four-digit identifier number assigned to providers by HESA. A list of all providers who have submitted to HESA across all time (since HESA's creation) can be downloaded in a CSV file from the "All HESA Providers" web page. This includes provider name, INSTID and UKPRN. Calculation of Check Digit The check digit is calculated using the first 12 digits and provides a means of detecting errors of transcription. To calculate the check digit, each of the first 12 digits is multiplied by a weight which depends on its position in the number, and the resulting products added. The check digit is then obtained by subtracting the final digit of the resulting sum from ten. If the final digit of the sum of the products is 0, the check digit would be the final digit after the subtraction i.e. 10 - 0 = 10, check digit is 0. The weights used are :
For example, in October 2007 a student enters Poppleton University and is allocated the internal number 123456. The check digit calculation for the student's reference number, 071064123456, would be calculated as :
The sum of the products is 175, the final digit being 5, so the check digit is 10 - 5, or 5. The full identifier is therefore 0710641234565. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Examples |
An entrant to Leeds Metropolitan University in 2007 might have a HUSID of 0710641234565 A student who entered through UCAS in 1997 might have a HUSID of 0000971234561 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Quality rules |
Quality rules to follow
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Reason required | The most significant key into the set of records for file management and record linkage. Required to ensure that students are only counted once when there is a chance of double counting. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Field length | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minimum occurrences | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Maximum occurrences | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schema components |
Element: HUSID
Data type: HUSIDType | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owner | HESA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Version | 1.1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date modified | 2022-02-09 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Change management notes | Guidance added to provide information around the HESA Provider identifier (INSTID). Additionally a link has been added to enable the download of the CSV file that contains all HESA providers. |
Contact Liaison by email or on +44 (0)1242 388 531.