The Scottish Government

Next »

Listen

11th May 2005
A Scottish Executive National Statistics Publication

ISBN 0 7559 2556 4 (Web only publication)

This document is also available in pdf format (224k)

Statistics on Students in Higher Education in Scotland 2003-04 are published today on the Scottish Executive website. This release contains updates of the figures in the Students in Higher Education in Scotland, 2002-03 News Release, published on 20th May 2004, but some of the tables in this release differ from those in last year's release (see note 4 of notes to news editors). The release contains information on HE provision in higher education institutions ( HEIs) as well as further education colleges in Scotland. Distance learning students enrolled at Scottish institutions are included in the figures. Figures on students of the Open University in Scotland are contained in a separate table. For the first time, two tables on Scottish domiciled students at HEIs in the UK have been included in this release.

The main points are as follows:

• In 2003-04, there were 271,865 higher education students in Scotland, an increase of 1.8 per cent on the previous year. This number is 14.1 per cent higher than the corresponding number of higher education students in Scotland in 1996-97.
• In 2003-04, 80 per cent of higher education students studied in Higher Education Institutions while 20 per cent studied in Further Education Colleges.
• Between 1998-99 and 2003-04, the number of female higher education students increased by 10 per cent to 151,600. Over the same period the number of male higher education students increased by only 2 per cent to 120,265.
• In 2003/04, the number of higher education students aged 25+ as a proportion of all higher education students was 44 per cent; postgraduate and sub degree students tend to be older whereas 80% of first degree students are under 25.
• There were 138,520 entrants to HE in Scotland in 2003/04. This was an increase of 2.7 per cent on the previous year. The numbers of entrants to first degree courses have been steadily increasing since 1998-99 to 44,250 (an increase of 18%).
• The number of of Scottish domiciled entrants to Scottish HEIs increased by 8.4% between 2002/03 and 2003/04 whereas the number entrants from other parts of the UK remained fairly constant.
• While 13,290 Scots study in the rest of the UK, the number of students coming the other way is nearly twice as high, 26,305.
• Of foreign countries China uses Scottish higher education most, enrolling 3,665 students in 2003/04.
• Subjects allied to medicine and the veterinary medicine course are most popular with women (84% and 77% being female), whereas Engineering and Information Technology are most popular with men (90% and 76% respectively being male).
• Of the 13,125 students who stated that they had a disability 40% suffered from dyslexia; altogether 5% of all students stated that they had a disability.

The following tables and charts are available on the Scottish Executive Statistics Website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/17875/10430

Tables

Table 1: Students in higher education in Scotland by institution type and level of study: 1996-97 to 2003-04
Table 2: Students in higher education in Scotland by mode and gender: 1998-99 to 2003-04
Table 3: Students in higher education in Scotland by age and level: 1998-99 to 2003-04
Table 4: Students in higher education in Scotland by subject and level: 2003-04
Table 5: Entrants to higher education in Scotland by level: 1998-99 to 2003-04
Table 6: Entrants to higher education in Scotland by level, subject and gender: 2003-04
Table 7: Students in higher education in HEIs in Scotland by institution: 2001-02 to 2003-04
Table 8: Students in higher education in FECs in Scotland by institution: 2001-02 to 2003-04
Table 9: Students in Scotland studying at the Open University by year and level of study: 1998-99 to 2003-04
Table 10: Students in higher education in Scotland by receipt of disablement allowance/disability type: 2003-04
Table 11: Distance learning students in higher education in Scotland by age, gender and level: 2003-04
Table 12: Students in higher education at Scottish HEIs by domicile and location of study: 2003-04
Table 13: Students in higher education at Scottish FECs by domicile: 2003-04
Table 14: Entrants to higher education in Scottish HEIs by domicile and level: 1998-99 to 2003-04
Table 15: Entrants to higher education in Scottish FECs by domicile: 1998-99 to 2003-04
Table 16: Scottish domiciled students in higher education at HEIs in the UK by country of institution and level of study: 2003-04
Table 17: Scottish domiciled first degree entrants to HEIs in the UK by country of institution: 2003-04

Charts

Chart 1: Students in higher education: 1996-97 to 2003-04
Chart 2: Entrants, gender split by subject: 2003-04
Chart 3: Overseas domiciled entrants to Scottish HEIs: 2003-04

NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS

1. These statistics are collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency ( HESA) from Higher Education Institutions ( HEIs) and, for data prior to 1998-99, by the (former) Scottish Office Education and Industry Department ( SOEID) from Further Education Colleges ( FECs). The Scottish Further Education Funding Council ( SFEFC) has the responsibility to collect data from FECs - from the academic year 1998-99 onwards.
2. This news release contains information on students from both FECs and HEIs who are attending Higher Education courses in Scotland. Higher Education courses are defined as those at HND/ HNC level and above.
3. This release gives data for a number of years to allow trends to be identified more easily. In doing this, some data have been re-classified, and so may no longer agree with previously published data. Where this is the case, this news release should be assumed to supersede any previous publications.
4. This year's release contains a tables of a different format from previous years' releases and some new tables, following a review of customer needs. Updated data for the tables previously included in this release will be made available on the Scottish Executive website below as soon as possible
5. This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.

This news release, together with associated tables listed above, is published on the Scottish Executive website http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/17875/10430 those who do not have access to the Internet, please contact Karren Friel. See details below.

For media enquiries please contact:

Claire Delaney
Scottish Executive
Press Office
Tel. (0141) 242 5666

For further information, non-media enquiries and comments on this publication, please contact:

Karren Friel

(0141) 242 0270
Fax. (0141) 242 5579
E-mail.fhestatistics@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Next »