Statistics

Headline statistics: 2,266,075 HE students at HE providers, plus 189,635 HE students at FE colleges and 50,245 on designated courses at Alternative Providers; 56% of HE students are female; 45% of students studied science subjects. The most popular subject area was business & administrative studies which was studied by 14% of students.

76% of all survey respondents were in employment. Of these employed leavers 59% were on permanent or open-ended contracts while 25% were on fixed-term contracts. 4% of employed leavers were self-employed, 3% were on zero-hours contracts, 2% on internships, and 1% were starting up their own business.

The statistics are based on the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey which asked leavers from higher education in 2014/15 what they were doing six months after graduation.

Overall, 93.9% of UK domicile full-time first degree leavers were in employment and/or further study six months after graduating.

Finances of Higher Education Providers 2014/15 shows that UK HE providers had a total expenditure of £31.2 billion in 2014/15. £11.8bn (38.0% of the total) was spent through academic departments. Medicine, dentistry and health departments accounted for 8.7% of total expenditure.

The survey results show the number of new and on-going spin-off companies associated with UK HE providers. 129 spin-offs were started with some provider ownership in 2014/15. 4,160 graduate start-up companies and 138 social enterprises were formed

The full tables show the national non-continuation rates and indicators for every publicly funded HE provider in the UK alongside their benchmark.

Further tables show the statistics for entrants to part-time and other undergraduate courses.

HE Finance Plus 2014/15 shows that the total income of higher education providers in 2014/15 was £33.2 billion.² Tuition fees and education contracts contributed £15.6 billion or 47% of this total. The total expenditure of UK HE providers was £31.2 billion, of which £17.1 billion (55%) was spent on staff costs.

Data published today show that there were 198,335 academic staff employed at UK HE providers in 2014/15. When analysed by cost centre (a proxy for academic departments) nearly a quarter of these staff (24%) were working in the areas of medicine, dentistry and health.

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.