What is happening to Higher Education in the UK?

Traditionally, students moved away from their parents’ home to attend a higher education. However, the widening of access to higher education in recent years has resulted in an increased number of students studying from home. Migration of students within the UK has been widely discussed, especially because of the ‘studentification of cities’ (this refers to the process by which parts of university towns undergo major change because of the high concentration of students). In particular, many areas that previously had concentrations of low cost housing have become dominated by a large number of rented properties occupied largely or exclusively by full-time students. However, there is only little evidence of students displacing low skilled people (who traditionally occupied this low cost housing) from opportunities in the local labour market. Young adults are drawn from across the whole country to attend university where they gain skills and qualifications. Crucially, they then tend to select London and the South East as migration destinations to work when leaving university.

Click here for the UCAS interactive map of universities and colleges in the UK.

Listen to Kate’s podcast to hear about changes in UK Higher Education

Professor Kate Purcell, from the Institute for Employment Research at the University of Warwick, debates the social consequences of education and training policy aimed at the expansion of higher education and widening access. Kate has conducted a series of longitudinal studies of graduate transitions from higher education to employment and case study investigations of both graduates and employers. In the podcast, Kate talks about the Futuretrack study, which is exploring the relationship between higher education, career decision-making and labour market opportunities. To find out more about Kate and her work at IER go to her webpage.

Are student enrolments to higher education up or down?

The total number of Higher Education enrolments at UK Higher Education Institutions stood at 2,501,295 in 2010/11. Key facts:

  • Enrolments have not increased from 2009/10
  • In 2010/1, 45% of full-time postgraduates were Non-EU domiciled and 95% of part-time undergraduates were UK domiciled
  • Undergraduate enrolments showed a slight decrease between 2009/10 and 2010/11
  • For undergraduate enrolments the greatest increase was observed in Agriculture and related subjects
  • Undergraduate enrolments in Architecture, building and planning have decreased
  • Postgraduate enrolments increased by 2% between 2009/10 and 2010/11
  • Postgraduate student enrolments have increased in Mathematical sciences
  • A decrease in postgraduate numbers have been noted in Computer science

For more information on the number of enrolments have a look the HESA data online.

What universities are there in Thames Valley?

The Thames Valley region, defined as the three counties Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, is host to some high status Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Thames Valley is also home to one of two private universities in Britain, the University of Buckingham. The Open University in Milton Keynes is one of the world’s largest HEI in terms of student enrolment, but the vast majority of students study part-time and at a distance.

The following HEIs are situated within Thames Valley:

What is happening to Higher Education in the South East and the Thames Valley?

Next, we look at where students studying in the South East and the Thames Valley region come from.
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Source: HESA students (2008/09 – 2010/11)

39% of all students from the South East also study in the South East, 16% study in London and 13% in the South West.

Students living in the Thames Valley were more mobile than students in the South East as a whole; the most frequently chosen Higher Education Institutions were located in:

  • the South East (29%)
  • London (16%)
  • South West (14%)
  • East Midlands (10%)

The South East draws its students mainly from the South East itself, or neighbouring regions, such as London and the South West. The proportion of students coming from Northern regions of the UK to the South East is relatively small. Of all full-time undergraduate UK students studying in the South East, 47% come from the South East. The second highest percentage of students who were studying in the South East were from London (19%). Students studying in the Thames Valley mainly come from:

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Source: HESA students (2008/09 – 2010/11)

In 2010/11, there were more than 1.3 million full-time undergraduate students in the UK, and 11.4% of these studied in HEIs the South East of England. Nearly 40,000 students were enrolled in higher education in Thames Valley; this represents around a quarter of all students in the South East. Of these, the majority studied in Oxford (23,000 students), University of Reading (8,600 students) and Buckinghamshire New University (5,000 students).

 

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Source: HESA students (2008/09 – 2010/11)