Access
to HE courses are designed for people who would like to study at university but
who left school without the usual qualifications, such as A levels.
Key Statistics 2006
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has prepared this overview of Access to HE statistics in collaboration with:
- the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
- the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)
- the Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
- Education and Learning Wales (ELWa).
QAA is grateful to these agencies for their involvement and willling contributions to this project.
Information about significant differences in the data sets used here is provided overleaf.
Access to HE students and programmes
This information relates to students on QAA-recognised Access to HE programmes during 2004-05. Data on numbers and characteristics of Access to HE students is derived from data provided to the LSC and ELWa by providers in England and Wales.
This year's data is comparable with 2003-04 data but not with earlier years', which was provided to QAA by authorised validation agencies in England and Wales.
How many Access to HE students were there in 2004-05?
(LSC/ELWa - 2004-05)
32,055 students were registered on QAA-recognised Access to HE programmes in 2004-05 and were expected to finish by August 2005. Of these 29,255 were registered in England by the LSC; 1,740 were registered in Wales by ELWa. In addition, 1,060 students undertook Access to HE programmes in higher education institutions (HEIs) (not included in the LSC and ELWa data).
A total of 41,600 students were registered on QAA-recognised Access to HE programmes, with 9,545 students expected to finish after August 2005.
What were the characteristics of Access to HE students?
(LSC/ELWa - 2004-05)
This information relates to the LSC and ELWa learner registrations, excluding the 1,060 learners in HEIs. Percentages are based on totals excluding 'not known/not provided' figures.
Gender
- 76% women
- 24% men
Ethnicity
- 72% White
- 16% Black or Black British
- 5% Asian or Asian British
- 1% Chinese
- 6% Mixed and Any other
[1,210 Not known/not provided]
Disability
- 5.2% stated that they had a disability
- 94.8% stated that they had no disability
[3,932 Not known/not provided]
What are the main areas of study for students on Access to HE programmes?
(QAA - 2004-05)
* 'Other general and combined studies' includes programmes with multiple subject-specific pathways
What did Access to HE students achieve at the end of their programmes?
(QAA - 2004-05)
Learner completions and achievement are based on data provided to QAA by the authorised validating agencies in England and Wales and is not directly comparable to the LSC and ELWa data provided for learner registrations owing to differences in the data sets.
The number of Access to HE certificates awarded in 2004-05 was 20,690. The number of students receiving partial accreditation during the same period was 7,080.
Access to HE students' progression to higher education
UCAS data in this report is based on the 2005-06 entry cycle and is restricted to applicants who were known to have an access qualification and who were domiciled in England and Wales. UCAS data includes applicants to full-time degree, Foundation, DipHE or HND/HNC courses through the UCAS scheme.
How many Access to HE students applied to higher education?
(UCAS/NMAS - 2005-06 entry)
Applicants:
20,555 applied to HE through UCAS
(3.8% of all applicants)
2,000 applied to HE through NMAS
Accepted applicants:
13,885 were accepted through UCAS
(3.4% of all acceptances)
1,175 were accepted through NMAS
What were the characteristics of Access to HE students applying to HE?
Socio-demographic indicators
(UCAS - 2005-06 entry)
The chart below provides the breakdown of accepted Access to HE applicants by MOSAIC Lifestyle category. MOSAIC Lifestyle employs a method of classifying postcode areas into distinct social types, using a combination of census, electoral roll, housing and financial data to classify households. Further information can be found at http://www.business-strategies.co.uk/Content.asp?ArticleID=566
How many former Access to HE students registered in HEIs?
(HESA - 2004-05 entry)
HESA statistics presented here include students registered on HE programmes at HEIs in England and Wales in 2004-05 who entered their programme with a QAA-recognised Access to HE certificate. HESA data includes full and part-time students.
Registrations:
10,725 (9,515 full-time, 1,210 part-time) entered undergraduate programmes in HEIs with a QAA-recognised Access to HE certificate (1.8% of all entrants)
(The number of Access to HE students studying in FECs is unknown)
What were the characteristics of former Access to HE students in HEIs?
Ethnicity
(HESA - 2004-05 entry)
Of undergraduate entrants with a QAA-recognised Access to HE certificate, 30% were from ethnic minority groups. Of all other entrants, 17.5% were from ethnic minority groups.
What were the main areas of study in
HE for former Access to HE students?
(HESA - 2004-05 entry)
The subject areas in which students with an Access to HE qualification were registered in greatest numbers were:
| FT | PT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects allied to medicine | 4,360 | 265 | 4,625 |
| Social studies | 1,060 | 150 | 1,210 |
| Biological sciences | 640 | 65 | 705 |
| Education | 585 | 190 | 775 |
| Business & administrative studies | 540 | 100 | 640 |
What happened to former Access to HE students in HE?
(HESA - 2002-03 entry)
The following table shows the percentage of mature full-time first degree students not continuing in HE after their first year in an institution. Note that A-level includes Scottish Highers. The table refers to entrants to HEIs in 2002-03, and whether or not they continued in HE in 2003-04.
| Entry qualifications | No of entrants |
Non-continuation rates (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Access to HE | 7,005 | 14.4 |
| Foundation courses or other access courses | 4,355 | 13.3 |
| BTEC or VCE or GNVQ | 3,390 | 15.7 |
| A-levels or Highers: | ||
|
12,890 | 16.0 |
|
3,835 | 12.8 |
|
1,015 | 12.8 |
|
550 | 10.2 |
|
1,245 | 9.4 |
|
1,710 | 10.6 |
| Higher education qualification | 21,070 | 13.6 |
| Other including unknown | 12,885 | 21.1 |
| All entry qualifications | 69,955 | 15.4 |
Access to HE trends
Access to HE programmes
QAA-recognised Access to HE programmes running:
2002-03:1,235
2003-04: 1,125
2004-05: 1,210
Access to HE registrations
Students registered on QAA-recognised Access to HE programmes, and expected to complete in same year:
2003-04: 31,335
2004-05: 32,055
Access to HE certificates awarded
Students awarded Access to HE certificates:
2002-03: 18,395
2003-04: 19,605
2004-05: 20,690
Applications and acceptances to HE
Access students applying through UCAS and NMAS:
| Applicants | Acceptances | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003-04: | 21,285 | 15,100 |
| 2004-05: | 22,240 | 15,365 |
| 2005-06: | 22,555 | 15,060 |
Figures include QAA-recognised and other access
Entrants to HEIs from QAA-recognised Access to HE programmes
QAA-recognised Access to HE students registering on HE courses:
2002-03: 11,295
2003-04: 11,830
2004-05: 10,725
The number of former Access to HE students studying in FECs is unknown.
Entrants to HEIs from other 'access' programmes
Other 'access' students registering on HE courses:
2002-03: 3,535
2003-04: 3,960
2004-05: 3,845
Where can I find out more?
More detailed statistics on Access to HE provision and students' progression in HE is provided in the Joint Agency Report (Access to HE) 2006, available on the QAA website (www.qaa.ac.uk/access)
Making sense of the figures
When reading Key Statistics 2006, please bear in mind that the data sets provided by the different agencies are not directly comparable for the reasons given below.
In line with QAA’s rounding policy, all numbers relating to students shown in this paper are rounded to the nearest figure.
QAA: figures relate to students on recognised Access to HE courses during 2004-05. Figures include full and part-time students on QAA-recognised courses in England and Wales. While most of these courses are funded by the LSC or ELWa, information relating to some other courses may also be included here. Data presented by QAA has been gathered from the 24 authorised validating agencies in England and Wales.
QAA:
Tel: 01452 557 000
Web: www.qaa.ac.uk/access
The LSC and ELWa (a former Assembly Sponsored Public Body whose functions are now part of the Department of Education and Lifelong Learning) collect statistics about students on Access to HE courses in England and Wales, respectively. The LSC and ELWa do not collect data about students on Access to HE courses in HEIs.
LSC:
Tel: 0845 019 4170
Web: www.lsc.gov.uk
Welsh Assembly Government Department for Education Lifelong Learning and Skills:
Tel: 02920 926 026
UCAS: figures relate to applicants and accepted applicants to HE in the 2005-06 entry cycle. Accepted applicant figures include some applicants who were accepted on to a course in the 2005-06 entry cycle, but chose to defer their entry until the subsequent academic year. UCAS data does not include applicants to part-time HE courses, but does include some applicants to HE courses at FE institutions. UCAS data does not distinguish between QAA-recognised Access to HE Courses and other 'access' courses.
UCAS:
Tel: 01242 222 444
Web: www.ucas.com
HESA: figures for 2004-05 relate to students entering undergraduate programmes during that year. This is therefore not the same cohort of students as reported by QAA and UCAS for students on Access to HE 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. For the 2004-05 year, HESA data distinguishes between students entering with QAA-recognised Access to HE certificates and other 'access' certificates. The figures presented here relate only to holders of QAA-recognised Access to HE certificates.
In 2004 HESA took over the calculation and publication of the performance indicators (PI) for HEIs, These PIs - published in previous years by HEFCE - include information about the progress of students at individual HEIs and their employment outcomes. The full PI publication can be found at www.hesa.ac.uk/pi.
HESA:
Tel: 01242 255 577
Web: www.hesa.ac.uk