Key Statistics 2003
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The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) is responsible for the framework for the recognition of Access to HE. This brief overview is based on work undertaken by QAA, the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and Education and Learning Wales (ELWa). QAA is grateful for the cooperation of these organisations in this joint project to develop the information available about Access to HE provision and students.
Access to HE programmes
QAA-recognised Access to HE programmes available:
| 2001-02: | 1,281 |
| 2000-01: | 1,182 |
| 1999-2000: | 1,238 |
Access to HE registrations
Students registered on QAA-recognised Access to HE programmes:
| 2001-02: | 40,484 |
| 2000-01: | 38,684 |
| 1999-2000: | 37,729 |
Access to HE certificates awarded
Students awarded Access certificates:
| 2001-02: | 17,085 |
| 2000-01: | 16,404 |
| 1999-2000: | 17,706 |
UCAS applications/acceptances
Access students applying through UCAS:
| Applicants | Acceptances | |
| 2001-02: | 18,292 | 13,030 |
| 2000-01: | 16,139 | 11,070 |
| 1999-2000: | 18,755 | 11,402 |
NMAS applications/acceptances
Access students applying through NMAS:
| Applicants | Acceptances | |
| 2001-02: | 3,235 | 2,082 |
| 2000-01: | 2,198 | 1,970 |
HE entrants with access qualification
Access students registering on HE courses:
| 2001: | 13,670 |
| 2000: | 13,420 |
| 1999: | 12,330 |
Section 1: Access to HE students and programmes
This information relates to students on QAA-recognised Access to HE programmes during 2001-02. It is derived from data provided to QAA by the authorised validating agencies, which operate in England and Wales. Further details.
How many Access to HE students were there in 2001-02?
40,484 students were registered on QAA-recognised Access to HE programmes.
- 38,072 were registered in England
- 2,412 were registered in Wales
What were the characteristics of Access to HE students?
Gender
- 29,784 were women (74%); 10,448 were men (26%)
Age
Ethnicity
| Asian | 1,826 | 3% |
| Black | 4,442 | 11% |
| Chinese | 200 | 0% |
| Mixed White | 148 | 0% |
| White | 26,766 | 66% |
| Any Other | 787 | 2% |
| Not known | 6,315 | 16% |
Disability
- 1,553 (4%) of Access students declared themselves to have a disability.
Where were Access to HE programmes delivered?
- 79% of programmes were delivered in FE colleges; 6% in adult or community centres; 5% in sixth form colleges; 4% in HE institutions; and 5% in other centres.
What did Access students achieve at the end of their programmes?
Section
2: Access students' progression to higher education 
This
information is derived from data provided by UCAS, and by HESA. It
refers to different data sets, from different years,
and these are not directly comparable. Further
details.
UCAS data coverage includes applicants and accepted applicants to full-time degree, DipHE or HND/C courses through the UCAS scheme for 2002 entry to HE. The data is filtered for UK domiciled applicants only.
HESA statistics presented here include students registered on HE programmes at HE institutions in England and Wales for 2001 entry.
How many Access to HE students progressed to higher education?
| Applicants (UCAS - 2002 entry): | 18,292 applied to HE through UCAS (4.6% of all applicants) |
| 3,235 applied to HE through NMAS (8.7% of all applicants) | |
| Acceptances (UCAS - 2002 entry): | 13,030 were accepted through UCAS (3.9% of all acceptances) |
| 2,082 were accepted through NMAS (13.4% of all acceptances) | |
| Registrations (HESA - 2001 entry): | 13,670 were registered on first year undergraduate programmes (2% of all registrations) |
What were the characteristics of former Access to HE students?
Ethnicity
(HESA - 2001 entry)
Of undergraduate entrants with an access qualification, 25% were from ethnic minority groups. Of all other entrants, 14% were from ethnic minority groups.
Socio-demographic indicators
(UCAS - 2002 entry)
It is difficult to provide reliable data about social class as defined
in relation to occupation,
as 37.8% of Access students applying to HE through UCAS did not provide this
information.
An alternative indicator - presented here - is based on the MOSAIC lifestyle
analysis. This is a means of classifying postcode areas into distinct social
types, using a combination of census, electoral roll, housing and financial
data to classify households. Further details available on www.experianintact.com/support/client/filespec.asp
Section 3: Former Access students in HE
This information is derived from data provided by HESA and HEFCE. Further details are given overleaf.
What were the main areas of study in HE for former Access students?
(HESA - 2001 entry)
The subject areas in which students with an access qualification were registered in greatest numbers were:
| FT | PT | % of total accepts | |
| Subjects allied to medicine | 4,170 | 200 | 32% |
| Social, economic & political studies | 1,515 | 210 | 13% |
| Combined | 1,040 | 400 | 11% |
| Education | 885 | 85 | 7% |
| Computer science | 860 | 90 | 7% |
What happened to former Access students in HE?
(HEFCE - 1999-2000 entry)
The
data shows the percentage of mature full-time first degree students not
continuing in HE after their first year in an institution. The data is
based on table B10 from Annex B in the PI publication HEFCE 2002/52,
published December 2002. It refers to entrants to higher education institutions
in 1999-2000, and whether or not they continued in HE in 2000-01. The
number in each category is rounded to the nearest 10. Note that A-level
includes Scottish Highers.
Of mature students entering full-time first degree programmes in 1999-2000, the numbers not continuing in HE in 2000-01, split by entry qualification, were as follows:
| Entry qualifications | No of entrants | Non-continuation |
| rates (%) | ||
| Access | 8,530 | 16 |
| Foundation course | 2,170 | 13 |
| BTEC | 2,870 | 17 |
| A-levels or Highers with no more than 12 points | 5,770 | 13 |
| A-levels or Highers with between 13 & 22 points | 3,490 | 15 |
| A-levels or Highers with over 22 points | 1,340 | 10 |
| HE | 15,200 | 15 |
| Others/not known | 21,020 | 18 |
| All entry qualifications | 60,390 | 16 |
Where can I find out more?
More detailed statistics on Access provision and students, and students' progression in HE is provided in the Joint Agency Report (Access to HE) 2003.
Making sense of the figures
Please bear the following in mind when reading Key Statistics 2003.
QAA:
figures relate to recognised Access courses and the students on them
during 2001-02. There is currently no distinction made between part-time
and full-time students or between those intending to complete their courses
in one year and those intending to complete over a longer period. While
most of these courses are funded by the LSC or ELWa, information relating
to some other courses may also be included here. All data presented by
QAA has been gathered from the 26 authorised validating agencies in England
and Wales.
For further information:
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
Southgate House,
Southgate Street,
Gloucester
GL1 1UB
Tel: 01452 557000
Fax: 01452 557070
Web: www.qaa.ac.uk
UCAS: figures relate to applicants to HE from QAA-recognised Access
courses only during 2001-02. While these will mostly be students who
were on Access courses during 2001-02, they will also include some students
who chose to delay their applications. They do not include Access students
who apply to part-time HE courses or to those who apply directly to HE
institutions, but they do include some applicants to HE courses in FE
(except where these are made directly to
the institution).
For further information:
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service
Rosehill,
New Barn Lane,
Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire,
GL52 3LZ
Tel: 01242 222444
Fax: 01242 544960
Web: www.ucas.ac.uk
HESA: figures for 2001-02 relate to students registering on HE courses
during that year. This is therefore not the same cohort of students as
reported by QAA and UCAS for students on Access courses and applying
to HE during that year. HESA figures include all students (full and part-time)
registered in the first year of undergraduate courses, whatever their
application route, but they do not include students who progress to HE
courses in FE institutions. HESA figures do not currently distinguish
between those on recognised Access courses and those from other courses
which may also describe themselves as 'access'. All HESA figures are
rounded to the nearest 5.
For further information:
Higher Education Statistics Agency
95 Promenade,
Cheltenham,
GL50 1HZ
Tel: 01242 255 577
Fax: 01242 211 122
Web: www.hesa.ac.uk
HEFCE: figures are derived from the performance indicators (PI) tables,
published in December 2002 as HEFCE 2002/52. They relate to full-time
mature entrants to first degree programmes in 1999-2000. As the data
all come from HESA, they do not distinguish between students from recognised
Access courses and from other courses described as access.
Further information about the PIs can be obtained from the web site: www.hefce.ac.uk/pi.
ELWa and LSC: ELWa and the LSC collect statistics about students on Access courses in Wales and England, respectively. Data from ELWa and the LSC has not been included in this year's Key Statistics because of continuing work to upgrade the LSC's qualifications database during 2001-02. Both organisations have advised on, and contributed to, the development of this document.
For further information:
Learning & Skills Council
Cheylesmore House,
Quinton Road,
Coventry,
CV1 2WT
Tel: 0845 019 4170
Fax: 024 76 49 3600
Web: www.lsc.gov.uk
Education & Learning Wales
Linden Court,
The Orchards,
Ilex Close,
Llanishen,
Cardiff,
CF14 5DZ
Tel: 0845 608 8066
Web: www.elwa.ac.uk