In 2022/23 there were estimated to be over **** million students enrolled in higher education courses in the United Kingdom, which was the highest number of enrolled students during this provided time period. Although the number of students in the UK fell from *** million in 2011/12 to **** by 2014/15, this trend reversed in subsequent years, reaching the peak in the most recent year. Largest UK universities At ******* students, the mainly remote, Open University had the largest number of students enrolled among UK-based higher education institutions in 2022/23. University College London had the second-highest number of students at ******, followed by the University of Manchester at ******. At the UK's two oldest and most prestigious universities, Oxford and Cambridge, there were ******, and ****** students respectively. The university with the most students in Scotland was the University of Glasgow at *******students, with Wales' being Cardiff University at ****** students, and Northern Ireland's Ulster University having ****** students. Student Debt in the UK For students that graduated from English universities in 2024, the average student loan debt incurred over the course of their studies was over ****** British pounds. Although students graduated with less debt from universities in Wales, Northern Ireland, and especially Scotland, this too has been growing recently. In 2024, students from Scottish Universities graduated with an average of ****** pounds of debt, compared with ****** in Wales, and ****** in Northern Ireland. The overall outstanding student loan debt in the UK reached over *** billion pounds in 2023/24, with the vast majority of this debt from students who studied in England.

There were 140,215 students enrolled at the UK-based Open University for the 2022/23 academic year, compared with 151,840 in the 2021/22 academic year, which was by far the highest number of students enrolled during this provided time period and a reflection of the move towards distant learning after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022/23, the Open University, which focuses on remote learning, had approximately ******* students enrolled on courses, the highest in the UK during that academic year. After the Open University, University College London had the highest number of students in the UK, at ******, while the University of Manchester had the second-highest, at ******. The UK's oldest university, The University of Oxford, had approximately ****** students studying there.

In the 2022/23 academic year, there were ******* enrollments for courses involving business and management studies, making it the most popular subject group in that year. Subjects allied to medicine had ******* enrollments, making it the second-most popular course in that year.

Over the five years through 2024-25, the Universities industry's revenue is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 2.1% to £56.5 billion. The increase in tuition fees to £9,250 in 2017-18 has been an important driver of revenue growth. However, with tuition fees frozen since then, inflation and particularly high inflation in the two years through 2023-24 has meant their real value has plummeted. The cap on undergraduate student numbers in the UK was lifted in 2020-21, leading to a rise in student enrolments, which has helped prop up universities’ income. Universities have struggled in the face of cuts to the level of research funding received from the government and disruption caused by the pandemic. Teaching went online in the final term of 2019-20 and remained there for most of the 2020-21 academic year due to restrictions imposed following the COVID-19 outbreak, pushing down revenue. However, despite fears of a fall in demand, student applications for 2020-21 rose and continued to climb in the following year. Universities are benefiting from the UK rejoining Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research programme – they’ve been able to access funding since January 2024. However, there are big concerns over ailing international student numbers since they currently prop up univeristy finances and help to subsidise domestic students' places. The introduction of the dependant ban in January 2024 on overseas students bringing family with them on their student visa for taught masters has seen applications from several countries fall. Revenue is still set to grow 1.9% in 2024-25 as funding levels rise and student numbers remain high. From April 2025, the DfE has confirmed tuition fees are due to increase in line with inflation to £9,535, which should lift revenue for universities. Over the five years through 2029-30, university revenue is forecast to climb at a compound annual rate of 1.2% to reach £60 billion. Strong demand from domestic students will further support revenue growth, with rising tuition fees boosting revenue post 2025. Commitment to the graduate visa route could be a positive signal for international student applicants, but the industry will need more funding intervention to prevent closures and budget cuts.

Students from the Chinese ethnic group had the highest entry rate into higher education in every year from 2006 to 2024.

In the academic year of 2022/32, more than ******* Chinese students were studying in the United Kingdom. The number of Chinese students studying in British higher education institutions increased by more than ** percent in the last decade. An attractive destination for Chinese students In recent years, the United Kingdom has overtaken the United States as the top choice among the destination countries for Chinese prospective students. The more affordable tuition fees in the country compared to destinations such as the United States and Australia, the shorter duration of the postgraduate programs, and the reputation of British universities as seen in international rankings have all contributed to the high popularity of the United Kingdom among Chinese students and employers. The diversification of international study destinations At the same time, destinations for Chinese students have become more diverse. The high academic and research performance of the United States in many sectors continues to make it a desirable destination for affluent Chinese students. For students from middle-class or less well-off backgrounds, studying in places such as Japan, Germany, and France are more practical options as these countries offer more affordable programs.

36.1% of white undergraduate students got a first class degree in the 2021 to 2022 academic year, compared with 17.3% of black students.

In 2024, there were ******* applications for University made in the United Kingdom, of which ******* were accepted. Compared with 1994, when there were ******* applications, there has been a net increase of approximately ******* applications, with applications peaking in the 2022 reporting year.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The USR consists of records of undergraduate students on courses of one academic year or more; postgraduate students on courses of one academic year or more; academic and related staff holding regular salaried appointments, and finance data for all UK universities. Main Topics: University; subject; organising department; aim of course; occupational background of students; overseas provision; principal source of finance; awards (if any); mode of attendance; type, structure and length of course (in contact hours); number of students; student hours per course. No information recorded Annual returns from each university.

Last update: April 2013 Was added to StatsWales: April 2013 Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Contact: post16ed.stats@wales.gsi.gov.uk The information in this table is taken from Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK available on the HESA web-site at www.hesa.ac.uk/pi. A Guide to Performance Indicators in Higher Education is also available at this web-site. The indicators are designed to provide reliable information on the nature and performance of the higher education sector in the UK. The performance indicators broadly cover access to higher education, non-continuation rates and outcomes. Indicators relate to higher education institutions in the individual countries of the UK. The Performance Indicators Steering Group (PISG) has led the development of these indicators. Members are drawn from the four higher education funding bodies for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (HEFCE, SHEFC, HEFCW, DEL); the Department for Education and Skills and other government departments, the Higher Education Statistics Agency, and universities and colleges through their representative bodies (Universities UK and SCOP) Since 2002/03 HESA has published the Performance Indicators on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) who published them previously. A number of changes were introduced for the 2002/03 publication; further details can be found at www.hesa.ac.uk/pi . The access indicators relate to students starting in 2004/05; the indicators of non-continuation (students who do not continue after their first year) and of non-completion (students who drop out and do not resume later or transfer elsewhere) relate to the cohort starting in 2003/04. The disability indicator covers all students, not just entrants, on undergraduate programmes in 2004/05. WIDENING ACCESS: PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG FIRST DEGREE ENTRANTS FROM STATE SCHOOLS OR COLLEGES. School type is taken from previous institution attended. All schools or colleges that are not denoted ‘independent’ are assumed to be state schools. This means that students from sixth-form or further education colleges, for example, are included as being from state schools.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. This study is comprised by the data collected for a wider project exploring the historical relationship between higher education and the UK economy. The project sought to provide a long-term explanation of the relationships between funding, widening access and socio-economic aspects of higher education. Three main areas were considered: -The provision of an in-depth historical account and analysis of the numbers and extent of students and staff for the purposes of evaluating the main characteristics of UK higher education development back the 1920s. -The provision of an in-depth historical account and evaluation of levels and structures of income and expenditure in higher education -The interpretation of these data with reference to major socio-economic indicators. Main Topics: This study is a collation and analysis of statistics on UK higher education which refers to pre-1992 universities and includes all institutions delivering degrees afterwards. The dataset, which gathers historical series on funding and development of universities from the early 1920s, is the result of research into primary and secondary governmental and institutional sources. Please note: this study does not include information on named individuals and would therefore not be useful for personal family history research. No sampling (total universe) Compilation or synthesis of existing material

Percentage of students, who entered an A Level or equivalent qualification, going to, or remaining in, an education destination or employment.

The percentage of students progressing to further learning in a school, Further Education or Sixth Form College, Apprenticeship, work based learning provider or Higher Education Institution. To be included in the Measure, young people have to show sustained participation in an education destination in all of the first two terms of the year after they completed KS4 or took A level or equivalent qualifications. The first two terms is defined as October to March.

The statistics are published as "Experimental Statistics" and do not display the National Statistics Logo. They are still being evaluated and remain subject to further testing to determine their reliability and ability to meet customer needs. The figures should be treated with caution as this is the first year for which such data have been produced. As improvements are made to the methodology, data quality will be assessed to establish whether the statistics meet the quality standards for National Statistics.

“x“ means the data has been suppressed as the school or college has fewer than 6 students in a particular denominator, or small numbers for the numerator (1’s and 2’s). Results are not shown because of the risk of an individual student being identified. All totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. Zeros are shown as zeros. See Technical Note from Department of Education for further detail.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-destinations

The information refers to NI domiciled students enrolled at higher education institutions in the UK. The dataset is collected annually and is based on enrolments in higher education institutions in the UK on 1st December each year. The dataset is collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency from higher education institutions throughout the UK and provided to the Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland, for analysis. For 2013/14, NI Domiciled enrolments and qualifications at Open University are available. In previous years, these figures were included in NI students studying in England, as the administrative centre of the Open University is located in England. The specification of the HESA Standard Registration Population has changed for 2007/08 enrolments onwards. Writing up and sabbatical students are now excluded from this population where they were previously included in published enrolment data and therefore 2007/08 data onwards cannot be directly compared to previous years.

The student sample for this research was selected from YouthSight’s Student Panel. Based on HESA statistics, the sample comprises national representation of gender, course year, and university type. The data is weighted on these factors. After fieldwork, the sample collected was checked for quality, and any ‘straight-liners’ were removed from the final total. The total student sample size is 2,153 respondents.Fieldwork was carried out between 29th July and 2nd August 2019.The survey instrument was developed by reviewing the limited number of studies and surveys on freedom of expression, consultations with colleagues and informed by our own experience. This resulted in the inclusion of seven comparative statements that are routinely used in surveys on freedom of expression in US universities, and a 15-item Moral Foundations Questionnaire, which enables the data to be interrogated by underlying moral profile. The definition of freedom of expression uses the framing adopted by King’s College London, which was developed through extensive consultation with the Students’ Union.

The USR consists of records of undergraduate students on courses of one academic year or more; postgraduate students on courses of one academic year or more; academic and related staff holding regular salaried appointments, and finance data for all UK universities.