Qualifications

Data published today show that 745,005 higher education qualifications were awarded by UK HE providers in 2014/15. This is 4% fewer than were awarded in 2013/14. While 6% fewer first degrees were awarded than in the previous year, the number of postgraduate qualifications rose by 1%. The number of other undergraduate qualifications awarded, such as diplomas and certificates of HE fell by 10%, continuing a four year downward trend. 

The HESA publication Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom 2012/13 is released today. This National Statistics publication gives a statistical overview of higher education (HE) in the 2012/13 academic year including data from HESA and other statistics producers. Commentary, summary tables and charts are provided in the free online introduction.

Students in Higher Education Institutions 2011/12 shows that 787,205 higher education qualifications were awarded by UK higher education institutions (HEIs) in 2011/12. Approximately half of these qualifications were first degrees, one third were postgraduate qualifications and one sixth were other undergraduate qualifications (such as foundation degrees, credits and diplomas of higher education). 

The HESA publication Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom 2010/11 is released today. The National Statistics publication provides the official overview of the UK’s higher education sector in 2010/11 and is available as a paper volume or downloadable publication. The publication contains data from HESA, the Student Loans Company, OECD, UCAS and the Labour Force Survey. Commentary, summary tables and charts are provided in a free online introduction.

The newly released Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom 2007/08 publication from the Higher Education Statistics Agency provides the official overview of the UK's higher education sector. The publication contains data from HESA, the Student Loans Company, OECD, UCAS, the Learning and Skills Council and the HE funding bodies. It has been released according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

The annual publication gives a clear picture of the subject choices of students. Comparing data from the last five years shows that, while the number of students at higher education institutions has increased by nearly five percent, different subject areas have seen varying levels of growth.

The newly released Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom 2006/07 publication from the Higher Education Statistics Agency provides an official overview of the UK's higher education sector. The publication contains data from HESA, along with information from a wide range of other bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Student Loans Company and UCAS. It has been released according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

Key findings from the volume include a widening gender gap in students gaining teaching qualifications from Higher Education Institutions. Between 2005/06 and 2006/07 the number of female students gaining teaching qualifications at UK Higher Education Institutions rose by 2.0% from 23,865 to 24,335, while the number of male qualifiers fell from 8,065 to 7,610, a fall of 5.7%.

HESA's Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2005/06, published this week, reveals that levels of unemployment vary by degree classification. Graduates obtaining the lowest degree classifications are around two and a half times more likely to be unemployed six months after graduating than those obtaining firsts.

The publication, produced from the annual Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Survey, reveals that 4.4% and 5.7% of students obtaining, through full-time study, first and upper second class honours respectively are "assumed to be unemployed"; that is those not in full-time study who reported themselves as unemployed and looking for employment, further study or training, or those due to start a job in the next month. In comparison, 8.1% of students were assumed to be unemployed when qualifying with a lower second, this rose to 11.3% for a third - a little over two and a half times the rate of those with a first and nearly twice the overall rate of 6.4%.

Students in Higher Education Institutions 1998/99 is published today by HESA. The volume contains detailed statistical information about the student body of the UK higher education sector..

Figures from this latest HESA publication show 1,845,757 students following HE programmes at 169 UK HE institutions in the academic year 1998/99. 78.1% of these were studying at undergraduate level, with 908,332 full-time first degree students making up 49.2% of the total student population. There were a further 93,651 part-time students making up a first-degree total of 1,001,983. 53.9% (994,051) of all students were women, and 11.9 % (219,285) were from overseas.

This Press Notice has been produced by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in collaboration with Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) statisticians. It provides provisional details of qualifications obtained by and examination results of higher education (HE) students at HE institutions (HEIs) in the United Kingdom for the academic year 1997/98.