20/01/2004

UK's student population rises by 4.3%

The number of students enrolled in UK universities rose by 4.3% in 2003, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

The HESA's first analysis of student data from the 2002/03 academic year revealed that there were 2,175,115 enrolments on higher education courses at HE institutions compared to 2,086,075 in 2001/02 – representing a 4.3% rise. In 2002/03 there were 977,010 first-year students compared with 938,350 in 2001/02.

Female students made up 58% of the first year student population, unchanged from 2001/02. The biggest gender gap for first years was at the other undergraduate level (for example HNDs and HNCs) where 65% were female and 35% were male.

Just under 60% (562,035) of first year students were studying full-time compared to 61% (1,318,065) of students from all years. This is an increase on 2001/02 when 56% and 60% were studying full-time respectively. Part-time modes of study were chosen by 42% (414,970) of first year students although this falls to 39% (857,050) when considering all enrolments. Overall this seems to indicate a swing from part-time study to full-time study when compared to 2001/02.

(gmcg)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

02 November 2011
Student Loan Company Recruits 'Lab Subjects'
Students from across the country are being recruited to take part in a unique experiment, which could shape how student finance products and services are run in the future. The Student Loans Company (SLC) has launched a nationwide search for 5,000 customers to take part in its online Student Finance Lab.
21 April 2005
Liberal Democrats to tackle student debt
The Liberal Democrats have promised to remove the fear of debt from university students by scrapping tuition and top-up fees and increase grants for poorer students. The party announced that a Liberal Democrat government would provide grants of up to £2,000 per year to poorer students.
14 June 2012
Life For 15-Year-Old Who Murdered Student In Conker Row
A 15-year-old boy has been given a life sentence for stabbing to death a student in an argument over conkers. The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, was detained for a minimum of 10½ years for murdering Stephen Grisales, 21, from Enfield.
27 March 2012
Student Visa System Could Have Been Exploited By Up To 50,000
The National Audit Office (NAO) has claimed, in a highly critical report, that up to 50,000 people may have entered Britain to work rather than study in the first year of the government's student migration controls.
07 December 2010
Student Visa Reform Proposals Set Out
Tougher entrance criteria, limits on work and an end to students staying in the UK to look for a job are just some of the changes proposed by Immigration Minister Damian Green today as part of a shake-up of the student visa system.