1. About this report

This statistical bulletin provides information on enrolments of Northern Ireland (NI) domiciled students at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and all students at NI HEIs. It is based on data supplied by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the official agency for the collection of information on UK universities, which is now part of Jisc, the Designated Data Body for HE in England.

The bulletin is divided into two main sections:

  1. Northern Ireland Domiciled students enrolled at UK HEIs.
  2. Enrolments at Northern Ireland HEIs.

As we recognise that users may also be interested in NI students enrolled at NI HEIs, additional information on this group can be obtained through the Interactive Tables section.

Detailed Excel/Open Data tables detailing figures quoted in these sections are available from Enrolments at UK Higher Education Institutions: Northern Ireland Analysis 2021/22 | Department for the Economy (economy-ni.gov.uk)

New Publication Format and Interactive tables

This publication marks the first release of the Enrolments Bulletin in HTML format, as well as the introduction of Interactive Tables. We welcome feedback from users on the new format and tables.

2. Key Points - 2021/22

Northern Ireland Domiciled students enrolled at UK HEIs

  • Enrolments of NI students at UK HEIs have increased by a net 3% over the past decade, with an increase of 1% over the last year.
  • Most NI students study full-time, with more females than males progressing into higher education.
  • Compared with 2020/21, fewer NI students were enrolled on First degree and Postgraduate courses at UK HEIs, but more were enrolled on ‘Other undergraduate’ courses.
  • Three-quarters of NI students were at NI HEIs.
  • Outside of Northern Ireland, the North West of England and Scotland are the most popular regions for NI students.
  • The highest proportion of enrolments were from Northern Ireland’s least deprived areas.
  • More than half of NI students were enrolled on Broad STEM courses at UK HEIs and over a quarter on Narrow STEM courses.

Enrolments at Northern Ireland HEIs

  • Enrolments at NI HEIs have increased by a net 24% over the past decade and by a net 5% over the previous year.
  • Most students enrolled at NI HEIs were studying full-time, with more females than males enrolling.
  • The number of students on courses at all levels of study has increased over the last year.
  • A quarter of students at NI HEIs were domiciled outside NI, with a record high of one-fifth of students coming from Non-EU countries.
  • More than half of students at NI HEIs were enrolled on Broad STEM related subjects at NI HEIs and almost a quarter of students were studying Narrow STEM related subjects.

3. Northern Ireland domiciled students enrolled at UK Higher Education Institutions

10 Year Trend

Enrolments of NI students at UK HEIs increased by a net 3% over the past decade, with an increase of 1% over the last year.

Over the decade between 2012/13 and 2021/22, there has been a net 3% (1,955) increase in NI domiciled enrolments at UK HEIs. In 2021/22, 66,100 NI students were enrolled at UK HEIs, representing a net 1% (555) increase from 2020/21. This is a much smaller year-on-year increase than between 2019/20 and 2020/21, which saw a 5% rise, the sharpest increase of the last 10 years.

Figure 1: 3% increase in NI domiciled enrolments over the decade and a 1% increase since the previous year

NI domiciled students enrolled at UK HEIs - 2012/13 to 2021/22

Some of the sharp increase in 2020/21 enrolments relates to the change in how A level grades were awarded in 2020 in light of the pandemic, leading to an increase in candidates meeting their offer conditions. Alongside this, there was an increase in the number of available undergraduate places offered by NI HEIs. In addition, uncertainty regarding employment prospects in the early months of the pandemic may also have contributed to an increase in postgraduate study.

Mode of Study and Sex

Most NI students study full-time and more females than males have been progressing into higher education.

In 2021/22, 71% of NI domiciled enrolments were full-time. In comparison with 2020/21, however, full-time enrolments have decreased by 2% (from 48,395 to 47,255), whereas part-time enrolments have increased by 10% (from 17,150 to 18,845).

Females accounted for 58% of NI students enrolled at UK HEIs in 2021/22; with similar proportions of females (71%) and males (73%) studying full-time. This gap between the sexes does not begin at the point of entry to HE, but can be observed earlier in the educational system. In NI, females are more likely than males to stay on in full-time education at school after age 16.

Level of Study

Fewer NI students are enrolling on First degree and Postgraduate courses at UK HEIs, but more are enrolling on Other undergraduate courses.

First degree enrolments decreased in number by 1%, from 49,490 in 2020/21 to 49,175 in 2021/22, postgraduate enrolments decreased by 2%, from 13,505 to 13,250, while ‘other undergraduate’ enrolments increased by 44%, from 2,550 to 3,675. The increase in ‘other undergraduate’ enrolments compared with last year can be largely attributed to Institutional Credit courses at the Open University. Enrolments on these courses at ‘other undergraduate’ level increased from 365 in 2020/21 to 1,365 this year.

Location of Study

Three quarters of NI students were at NI HEIs.

Of the 66,100 NI students enrolled at UK HEIs in 2021/22, 75% (49,310) were enrolled at NI HEIs (including 11% (7,360) studying at the OU) and 25% (16,785) at HEIs in GB.

As highlighted in the Northern Ireland Skills Barometer 2021, after Scotland, NI has the second-highest indigenous student retention rate of all UK regions.

The most popular regions for NI students studying in GB were the North West of England and Scotland, with 5,525 and 3,670 NI students enrolled at HEIs in these regions respectively. Other popular regions were the North East of England, with 1,445 NI students, and London, with 1,120.

Similar proportions of NI domiciled males (25%) and females (25%) were studying at GB HEIs in 2021/22.

Multiple Deprivation Measure

The highest proportion of enrolments were from Northern Ireland’s least deprived areas.

Of the 65,855 NI domiciled students enrolled at UK HEIs in 2021/22 whose postcodes were known, the highest proportion (24%) were from the least deprived Multiple Deprivation Measure (MDM) areas in NI (Quintile 5), while the lowest proportion (14%) were from the most deprived quintile (Quintile 1).

Figure 2: The highest proportion of enrolments were from Northern Ireland’s least deprived areas and the lowest from the most deprived areas

NI domiciled students enrolled at UK HEIs by mode of study and multiple deprivation measure quintile - 2021/22

Subject of Study

More than half of NI students were enrolled on Broad STEM courses at UK HEIs and over a quarter on Narrow STEM courses.

In 2021/22, the most popular subject areas for NI students studying at UK HEIs were: ‘Subjects allied to medicine’ (which includes subjects such as nursing, pharmacy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy), with 11,705 (18%) enrolments; ‘Business and management’ (which includes subjects such as business studies, management studies, accounting, marketing and finance), with 7,375 (11%) enrolments; and ‘Social sciences’ with 6,470 (10%) enrolments.

Figure 4: Proportion of NI domiciled students enrolled at UK HEIs in Broad and Narrow STEM subjects by sex – 2021/22

STEM Enrolments Male Female Total
(Broad) STEM 54% 50% 52%
Narrow STEM 39% 17% 26%

4. Enrolments at Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions

10 Year trend

Enrolments at NI HEIs have increased by a net 24% over the past decade and by a net 5% over the previous year.

Over the decade since 2012/13 (55,895), enrolments at NI HEIs have increased by a net 24% (13,670). In 2021/22, 69,565 students were enrolled at NI HEIs, representing a net 5% increase from 2020/21 (66,245). This continues a trend of year-on-year increases that began in 2018/19.

Figure 5: 24% increase in enrolments at NI HEIs over the decade and 5% increase since the previous year

Enrolments at NI HEIs - 2012/13 to 2021/22

The increase in enrolments over the last three years can partially be explained by a new part-time module introduced by Ulster University for students undertaking the Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) of the NMC Test of Competence (ToC) in 2019/20. The ToC is for overseas nurses and midwives seeking registration as a nurse and/or midwife in the UK. However, enrolments on this course have decreased slightly between 2020/21 (5,080) and 2021/22 (4,890). More information can be found in the notes and definitions section.

The continued increase in enrolments this year can also be partially attributed to Institutional Credit courses at the Open University. These saw an increase in enrolments at the ‘other undergraduate’ level from 365 in 2020/21 to 1,365 in 2021/22 and, over the same period, ‘other postgraduate’ enrolments on these courses increased from 300 to 1,175. Overall, enrolments on these courses increased by 1,875 over the last year.

Another contributing factor to this increase was a rise in the number of students studying at Ulster University’s London and Birmingham campuses. Enrolments at these campuses rose by a net 2,715, from 2,255 in 2020/21 to 4,970 in 2021/22.

Mode of Study and Sex

Most students enrolled at NI HEIs were studying full-time, with more females than males enrolling.

Two-thirds (66%) of enrolments at NI HEIs were full-time. In comparison with 2020/21, full-time and part-time enrolments have increased by 5% (from 44,020 to 46,165 and 22,225 to 23,405 respectively).

Females accounted for 59% of students enrolled at NI HEIs in 2021/22. A higher proportion of males (72%) than females (63%) were studying full-time. Over the past ten years, the female share of the student population at NI HEIs has increased slightly, with 57% in 2012/13, compared with 59% in 2020/21.

Level of Study

The number of students on courses at all levels of study has increased over the last year.

Between 2020/21 and 2021/22, postgraduate enrolments increased by 12% (from 17,890 to 20,085) and ‘other undergraduates’ increased similarly by 12% (from 7,740 to 8,640). Over the same period, first degree enrolments increased by 1% (from 40,615 to 40,845).

Figure 6: The proportion of students enrolled on ‘Other Undergraduate’ and ‘Postgraduate’ courses is higher in older age groups

Figure 6: Enrolments at NI HEIs by age group, mode and level of study - 2021/22

Country of Domicile

A quarter of students at NI HEIs were domiciled outside NI, with a record high of one-fifth of students coming from non-EU countries.

Of the 69,565 students enrolled at NI HEIs in 2021/22, 71% were from NI, 4% from GB, 3% from the Republic of Ireland, less than 1% from other EU countries and a record one-fifth (21%) from Non-EU countries.

HE Enrolments at campuses in NI by country of domicile - 2021/22

In 2021/22, students from 135 different countries throughout the world were enrolled at NI HEIs. The countries outside NI, GB and the RoI with the most students enrolled at NI campuses (not including those registered to Ulster University but based in Birmingham or London) were India (3,185), China (1,725), Philippines (1,305), Nigeria (915) and Malaysia (355).

Around half of students at NI HEIs from GB, other EU and Non-EU countries and around two-fifths of RoI students were enrolled on ‘postgraduate’ courses, whereas 73% of students from NI were enrolled on ‘first degree’ courses.

Figure 7: 73% of NI domiciled enrolments at NI HEIs were on ‘first degree’ courses

Enrolments at NI HEIs by domicile and level of study - 2021/22

Subject of Study

More than half of students at NI HEIs were enrolled on Broad STEM related subjects and almost a quarter of students were studying Narrow STEM related subjects.

In 2021/22, the most popular subject areas students were studying at NI HEIs were: ‘Subjects allied to medicine’, with 15,790 (23%) enrolments; ‘Business and management’, with 12,610 (18%) enrolments; and ‘Social sciences’, with 5,955 (9%) enrolments.

Females accounted for 83% of 2021/22 enrolments at NI HEIs in ‘Subjects allied to medicine’, 80% of those studying ‘Psychology’, 74% of those studying ‘Agriculture, food and related studies’ and 74% of those studying ‘Education and teaching’. In contrast, males accounted for 77% of those studying ‘Engineering and technology’, 76% of ‘Computing’ enrolments and 69% of ‘Architecture, building and planning’ enrolments.

Figure 9: Proportion of students enrolled at NI HEIs in Broad and Narrow STEM subjects by sex – 2021/22

STEM Enrolments Male Female Total
(Broad) STEM 51% 53% 52%
Narrow STEM 34% 15% 23%

Institutional breakdown

Half of enrolments at NI HEIs were at Ulster University and over a third at Queen’s University.

Of all students enrolled at NI HEIs in 2021/22, half (50%) were enrolled at Ulster University, 36% at Queen’s University Belfast, 2% at Stranmillis University College, 1% at St Mary’s University College and 11% at the Open University.

Figure 10: Students enrolled at NI HEIS by institution and level of study – 2020/21 to 2021/22

Level of Study Academic Year Queen’s University Belfast Ulster University Stranmillis University College St Mary’s University College The Open University
First Degree 2020/2021 16,560 18,085 1,125 885 3,960
First Degree 2021/2022 16,960 17,865 1,125 885 4,005
Other Undergraduate 2020/2021 965 5,870 0 0 905
Other Undergraduate 2021/2022 1,010 5,720 0 0 1,910
Postgraduate 2020/2021 7,840 9,090 185 200 575
Postgraduate 2021/2022 7,325 10,965 200 150 1,440
Total 2020/2021 25,365 33,045 1,310 1,085 5,440
Total 2021/2022 25,295 34,550 1,325 1,040 7,355

5. Interactive Tables

6. Further Information

New Publication Format and Interactive tables

This publication marks the first release of the Qualifications Bulletin in HTML format, as well as the introduction of Interactive Tables.These have been developed by Clare Kennedy, a statistician within Statistics and Research Branch (Tertiary Education). The developments use a RAP (Reproducible Analytical Pipeline) Strategy to produce higher quality, more efficient and transparent analysis.

Data Quality and Methodology

Statistics and Research Branch (Tertiary Education)

Statistics and Research Branch (Tertiary Education) is responsible for the collection, quality assurance, analysis and publication of timely and accurate information derived from a wide range of statistical information returns supplied by the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Further Education (FE) colleges across Northern Ireland (NI) and the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the latter focused on NI HEIs and NI domiciled students in attendance at any UK HEI. The Head of the Branch is the Principal Statistician, Brian French. Information is disseminated through a number of key statistical publications, including: HE enrolments; HE qualifications; FE Sector activity; and Essential Skills enrolments and outcomes.

A detailed list of these publications is available from: Higher and Further Education and Training Statistics

Data Collection

The information presented in this statistical bulletin is based on data supplied by HESA, now part of Jisc, the Designated Data Body for HE in England. HESA collects information from all publicly funded universities throughout Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and HE providers in England registered with the Office for Students (OfS) in the Approved (fee cap) or Approved categories. These are collectively called Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the context of this bulletin. The HESA statistics presented in this bulletin relate to students at UK HEIs and, therefore, do not include HE enrolments at FE colleges in NI or GB, or at institutions in the Republic of Ireland (ROI).

Coverage

This statistical bulletin has been produced by the Department for the Economy (DfE) and presents information on HE enrolments of NI domiciled students at UK HEIs in the 2021/22 academic year, and of all students at NI HEIs in the same time period. Alternative Provider (AP) data from the HESA Student Alternative record is combined HESA Student Record data submitted by HEI providers. An AP is any provider of higher education courses: not in direct receipt of recurrent funding from UK funding bodies; not a Further Education college; and not registered as ‘approved (fee cap)’ on the OfS register.

Rounding Strategy

To prevent the identification of individuals, figures throughout the report are rounded to the nearest 5, with 0, 1, and 2 rounded to 0. Due to rounding, the sum of numbers in each row or column may not match the total shown. Percentages are calculated on unrounded data and are rounded to the nearest integer. This means percentages may not sum exactly to 100%. More information on the rounding strategy can be found in Annex C: Notes and Definitions.

Covid-19 Impact

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was declared by the World Health Organisation in March 2020, just over half way through the 2019/20 academic year. The 2020/21 HESA student data cover the first full academic year since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

HESA notes a large increase in UK enrolments (over 8%) between 2019/20 and 2020/21; however, it attributes this to a range of factors not all of which are related to the pandemic. It notes that on the demographic level, the number of 18-year-olds in the UK started to rise in 2020 after years of steady decline, leading to an increase in the number of potential 18-year-old higher education applicants. In addition, the young higher education participation rate has been rising steadily across the UK, which leads to an increased demand for HE places. Compounding this, summer 2020 saw a change in how A level grades were awarded in light of the pandemic. After the cancellation of A level exams in spring 2020, the move to centre assessed grades led to an increase in candidates meeting their offer conditions.

HESA also noted an increase in taught postgraduate enrolments in 2020/21. Uncertainty regarding employment prospects in the early months of the pandemic may have contributed to this increase.

At NI HEIs a cap (known as the Maximum Student Number (MaSN)) is placed on the number of full time undergraduate students that can be enrolled. This cap was increased in 2020 to help accommodate some of the increase in candidates meeting their offer conditions.

Annex A: Data Quality and Uses of Statistics

National Statistics

The United Kingdom Statistics Authority (the Authority) has designated these statistics as National Statistics, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

National Statistics status means that Official Statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value.

All Official Statistics should comply with all aspects of the Code of Practice. They are awarded National Statistics status following an assessment by the Authority’s regulatory arm. The Authority considers whether the statistics meet the highest standards of Code compliance, including the value they add to public decisions and debate. Designation can be broadly interpreted to mean that the statistics: meet identified user needs; are well explained and readily accessible; are produced according to sound methods; and are managed impartially and objectively in the public interest.

Once statistics have been designated as National Statistics, it is a statutory requirement that the Code of Practice shall continue to be observed. It is DfE’s responsibility to maintain compliance with the standards expected of National Statistics. If we become concerned about whether these statistics are still meeting the appropriate standards, we will discuss any concerns with the Authority promptly. National Statistics status can be removed at any point when the highest standards are not maintained and reinstated when standards are restored.

Data Quality

All information presented in this bulletin is based on data validated and quality assured by HEIs prior to submission to HESA. HEIs are given a set period of time to submit the information to HESA. Following submission, both HESA and DfE perform a series of validation checks to ensure that information is consistent both within and across returns. Trend analyses are used to monitor annual variations and emerging trends. Queries arising from validation checks are presented to HEIs for clarification and, if required, returns may be amended and/or re-submitted. Finally, prior to publication, the data are presented to HEIs for a final sign-off.

More information on the methods for collecting and analysing HEI data, the quality of HEI statistics, and links to the quality guidance used in managing the production of HEI statistics can be accessed via the link Quality of Higher Education Statistics.

Who will be interested in this bulletin?

The information presented in this statistical bulletin will be of interest to a wide variety of people. For example, the statistics within and those derived from this bulletin are currently used by: DfE policy officials in their role of assisting and advising the Minister for the Economy to discharge his or her duties; by the NI Assembly and its Committee for the Economy to scrutinise the HE sector; by other government departments such as DoF as a key indicator in the education domain of the NI Multiple Deprivation Measure (MDM); by prospective students to inform their choices around HE; by local businesses to quantify the supply of graduates in their business area; and by researchers and academics to try and understand the underlying trends in HE. Further details about the uses made of HE statistics can be found in the notes and definitions section.

Main Uses of HEI statistics

The main uses of these statistics are to monitor HE enrolments and the characteristics of students enrolling both from NI and to NI HEIs. This helps in assessing HEI performance, corporate monitoring, informing and monitoring related policy, and responding to parliamentary/assembly questions and ad hoc queries from the public.

DfE is responsible for the policy, strategic development and financing of the statutory HE sector. Analysis of data trends against key strategic priorities remains a crucial component of data development within DfE.

The bulletin and further analysis of the data provide an evidence base that is used in a number of DfE policies, strategies and reviews. Some of the most recent examples are: -

Further details on these strategies are available from the DfE website: Higher Education Strategies Northern Ireland

In addition, HEI statistics are used within other NI departments and their agencies. Some of the most recent examples are: -

  • NISRA – as a key indicator in the Education Domain of the Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure (NI MDM).
  • Department of Education (DE) – teacher demand model
  • Invest NI – to quantify the supply of graduates for potential inward investment to NI

Around 50 HEI statistical enquiries per year are received by the Department from various sources. These include requests for further breakdowns of enrolments, qualifications and destinations data.

ANNEX B: Policy and Operational Context

There continues to be a lot of media interest in the HE sector and HE statistics. With changes in fee regimes throughout the UK, fluctuations in the strength of the economy and the potential impact of EU exit, the demand for HE is often in the spotlight. DfE is responsible for formulating policy and administering funding to support education, research and related activities in the Northern Ireland HE sector. This bulletin forms part of the evidence base used to shape and evaluate DfE strategies and policies.

Draft Programme for Government (PfG) Framework 2016-2021

Draft Programme for Government (PfG) Framework 2016-2021 The work of the Department is shaped by the draft Programme for Government (2016-2021), which sets the strategic direction of travel for the work of the Executive, expressed in terms of wellbeing-focused outcomes. The document identifies innovation, research and development, and skills and employability as the key drivers of achieving a strong, competitive, regionally balanced economy. Higher education has a pivotal role in supporting this aspiration, especially with regard to increasing the skills levels of the Northern Ireland workforce and increasing the proportion of local graduates from local institutions in professional and management occupations, or indeed further study.

Maximum Student Number (MaSN)

Before higher education became a devolved matter, the UK Government introduced an annual cap on the number of students each UK HEI could enrol. Following devolution in 1998, the cap (known as the Maximum Student Number (MaSN)) was maintained in Northern Ireland and is still in use today.

The MaSN applies primarily to full-time home and EU domiciled undergraduates enrolled in Northern Ireland. It does not curtail the recruitment of part-time or postgraduate students (with the exception of PGCE students). Nor does it curtail the recruitment of GB or international (non-EU) students.

Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University, both approved to deliver full-time undergraduate provision, receive an annual MaSN allocation from the Department. St Mary’s University College and Stranmillis University College are not subject to MaSN as the DE sets the numbers required for initial teacher training. The OU is also not subject to MaSN given its wholly part-time offering.

The MaSN allocations for Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University were increased in 2020. This was due to the change in how A level grades were awarded in 2020 in light of the pandemic, leading to an increase in candidates meeting their offer conditions. More places were required to help accommodate some of the NI domiciled students that met their offer conditions.

Part-Time and Postgraduate Student Loans

From the beginning of the 2017/18 academic year, DfE extended its student support package, with tuition fee loans being made available for part-time undergraduate and full-time distance learning study students, and postgraduate students studying certain courses.

Northern Ireland students studying part-time undergraduate (or full time distance learning) courses in Northern Ireland, England, Wales or Scotland could apply for a tuition fee loan of up to £3,397.50 for the 2021/22 academic year. Those starting Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, or Taught or Research Master’s courses in Northern Ireland, England, Wales or Scotland could apply for a loan of up to £5,500 per course to help with fee costs. For both types of loans, the fees are paid direct to the university to cover tuition fees.

HEI Activity Elsewhere in the UK

Summary figures for the four UK administrations were published by HESA in their Higher Education Statistics 2021/22 on 19th January 2023.

HESA’s Higher Education Student Data 2021/22 open data release was published by HESA on 31st January 2023. This provides more detailed information about students in higher education across the UK.

ANNEX C: Notes and Definitions

NOTES

  1. The information presented in this statistical bulletin is based on data supplied by HESA, now part of Jisc, the Designated Data Body for HE in England. HESA collects information from all publicly funded universities throughout Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and Higher Education (HE) providers in England registered with the Office for Students (OfS) in the Approved (fee cap) or Approved categories. These are collectively called Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the context of this bulletin. The HESA data presented in this bulletin relate to students at UK HEIs and, therefore, do not include HE qualifications gained at FE colleges in NI or GB, the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) or at institutions in the Republic of Ireland. The Department for the Economy (DfE) also publishes information on HE enrolments gained at FE colleges in NI in its Further Education Sector Activity statistical bulletin.

  2. Information on enrolments on HE courses at NI and GB FE colleges, CAFRE and RoI institutions is available via a separate statistical fact sheet, which is published on the Department’s website: HE Statistical Fact Sheets

  3. Further statistics on the Northern Ireland HE sector, including qualifications gained, graduate destinations and various higher education fact sheets can be downloaded from the Department’s website:Higher Education Statistics and Research

  4. From 2019/20, Ulster University introduced a new part time module for those undertaking the Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) of the NMC Test of Competence (ToC). In 2019/20, enrolments on this course accounted for 2,760 of the 7,265 other undergraduate enrolments alone. The ToC is for overseas nurses and midwives seeking registration as a nurse and/or midwife in the UK. The NMC Competence Test Centre (CTC) at Magee campus of UU is one of three CTC test centres across the UK and has been open since 2018. However, 2019/20 was the first year this module has been offered alongside registration for the exam. This is a stand-alone, credit bearing course, which means that while students will receive credit for undertaking the module, no qualification will be awarded, and, hence, they will not appear in the qualification statistics.

  5. HESA releases separate publications providing information on HE Student Enrolments and Qualifications obtained at HEIs for the whole of the UK. A notable difference in the HESA publications and those released by DfE is that, from 2014/15, HESA uses revised data returns for the time series figures, whereas DfE does not. Consequently, historical figures for the number of enrolments and qualifications at UK HEIs published by DfE may differ from those in HESA’s publications. Further information on this can be found in the ‘Notes’ section of HESA’s Student Statistics bulletin 2018/19.

  6. Change to recording practice - To avoid a duplication of foundation year figures across HE institutions and Further Education Colleges, Queen’s University Belfast and Stranmillis University College changed their return to HESA during 2019/20 and no longer report on foundation degrees that are offered as part of a validated collaborative arrangement with Further Education Colleges. Historical figures in this bulletin have been backdated to reflect this change.

  7. Allocation of OU students – The Open University’s administrative centre is based in the south east of England. However, enrolments registered at one of the OU’s national centres in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland will contribute to the totals of those countries where statistics are shown by country of provider. Please note that all non-UK domicile OU students and those who study at postgraduate research level are registered to England.

  8. Subject coding - 2019/20 saw the introduction of a new subject coding system, the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS). This replaced the previous subject coding system, the Joint Academic Coding System (JACS) used in years prior to 2019/20. In addition to HECoS, a Common Aggregation Hierarchy (CAH) was introduced to provide a standardised hierarchical aggregation of HECoS codes suitable for the majority of users. The CAH was developed to provide standard groupings that could be applied to both HECoS and JACS allowing for consistent analysis across coding frames. It is important to remember though that these are two distinct coding frames.

CAH was subsequently updated from version 1.2 to version 1.3.4 in 2020/21, which has resulted in some minor changes to the categories. CAH v1.3.4 was introduced to increase the usefulness and intelligibility of detailed subject groupings, but at the highest level of aggregation it provides similar insights to CAH v1.2. For more information, please refer to HESA’s webpage on HECoS and CAH.

Where information on subject area is provided in this bulletin and associated interactive tables, it is based on CAH v1.3.4 level 1, comprising 21 groups; for the purposes of STEM analysis, Geography, earth and environmental studies has been split into natural sciences and social sciences.

  1. In 2020/21 there was a notable increase in the number of enrolments available to NI domiciled students at NI HEIs, there were two main reasons behind this increase; (i) at NI HEIs a cap (known as the Maximum Student Number (MaSN)) is placed on the number of full time undergraduate students that can be enrolled, this cap was increased in 2020 to help accommodate some of the increase in candidates meeting their offer conditions due to changes in how A level grades were awarded in light of the pandemic; and (ii) short upskilling courses were offered to those affected by the pandemic either through furlough, redundancy or those unable to gain employment in their field.

  2. Rounding Strategy – DfE conforms to the HESA rounding strategy. Due to the provisions of the Data Protection Act (2018) and the Human Rights Act (1998), HESA (and therefore DfE) implements a strategy, in published and released tabulations, designed to prevent the disclosure of personal information about any individual. This strategy involves rounding all numbers to the nearest 5, and suppressing percentages and averages based on small populations.

A full list of the rounding strategy includes:

  • 0, 1 and 2 are rounded to 0;
  • all other numbers are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5;
  • percentages based on fewer than 22.5 individuals are suppressed;
  • averages based on a small group of people (7 or fewer) are also suppressed;
  • percentages and averages are based on unrounded figures;
  • percentages are rounded to the nearest integer

Total figures are also subject to this rounding methodology; so the sum of numbers in each row or column may not match the total shown. Similarly, percentages may not sum to 100%.

DEFINITIONS

  1. Higher Education

For the purpose of HESA’s data collection, HE students for are those on courses for which the level of instruction is above that of Level 3 of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (for example, courses at the level of Certificate of HE and above).

  1. Count of Students

The HESA Student Record contains information about individual enrolments, which, because a student can be enrolled on more than one programme of study, will exceed the number of students.

  1. Academic year

The academic year runs from 1st August to 31st July.

  1. First year students

First year students are based on the HESA standard registration population who commenced their instance in the reporting period relevant to the data collection year. The term ‘instance’ is used to describe a student’s engagement with the institution aiming towards the award of a qualification(s) or credit.

  1. Domicile

Domicile refers to a student’s permanent place of residence prior to enrolment on a course.

  1. Student enrolments recorded with domicile UK region unknown, Channel Islands and Isle of Man are included in the GB category for the purposes of this statistical bulletin.

  2. Level of study

  1. Postgraduate programmes of study are those leading to higher degrees, diplomas and certificates (including Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) and professional qualifications) and usually require that entrants are already qualified to degree level (that is, already qualified at Level 6 of the QCA NQF).
  • Higher degrees include doctorates, master’s degrees and higher bachelor’s degrees.
  • Other postgraduate includes postgraduate diplomas, certificates and professional qualifications, PGCE at Level M, institutional postgraduate credits and no formal postgraduate qualifications.
  1. First degrees include: first degrees with or without eligibility to register to practice with a health or social care or veterinary statutory regulatory body; first degrees with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)/registration with a General Teaching Council (GTC); enhanced first degrees; first degrees obtained concurrently with a diploma; and intercalated first degrees.
  1. Mode of study

  1. Full-time students are those normally required to attend an Institution for periods amounting to at least 24 weeks within the year of study, on thick or thin sandwich courses, and those on a study-related year out of their institution. During that time, students are normally expected to undertake periods of study, tuition or work experience, which amount to an average of at least 21 hours per week.

  2. Part-time students are those recorded as studying part-time, or studying full-time on courses lasting less than 24 weeks, on block release, or studying during the evenings only.

  1. Sex identifier

In line with AdvanceHE’s guidance on equality monitoring (related primarily to the Equality Act 2010), HESA has included ‘other’ as a valid entry alongside ‘male’ and ‘female’ for its sex identifier variable. Due to small numbers and issues of disclosure, students of ‘other’ sex are included in total figures, but not in separate breakdowns in this publication and associated tables.

  1. Age

Age is as at 31st August within the relevant academic year.

  1. STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Qualifications

The STEM groupings used in this bulletin are based on the approach developed by HESA to categorise subjects into science/non-science subjects. Their science grouping is an aggregation of relevant CAH v1.3.4 level 1 subject codes (derived from HECoS), with the exception of CAH26 (Geography, earth and environmental studies), which has been split into natural sciences and social sciences. The natural science element is categorised into the science grouping and the social sciences element into the non-science grouping.

Narrow STEM includes the following subject areas: Biological and sports sciences; Psychology; Physical sciences; Mathematical sciences; Engineering and technology; Computing; and Geography, earth and environmental studies (natural sciences).

Broad STEM includes all those in Narrow STEM along with the following: Medicine and dentistry; Subjects allied to medicine; Veterinary sciences; Agriculture, food and related studies; and Architecture, building and planning.

  1. Multiple Deprivation Measure (MDM)

The analysis presented in section 3- Multiple Deprivation Measure utilises five groups (quintiles) of Super Output Areas (SOAs) across NI. These five groups are determined based on relative level of deprivation using the NI Multiple Deprivation Measure (NI MDM) 2017.

SOAs ranked 1 to 178 form the most deprived quintiles relative to all other SOAs. Those ranked 713 to 890 are the most affluent relative to all other SOAs. SOA is determined using the valid postcode provided on the enrolment record.

NI MDM 2017 is a weighted combination of the seven domains of deprivation. The Income and Employment Deprivation domains account for nearly 50% of the multiple deprivation measure. The Health and Disability Domain, and Education, Skills and Training Deprivation Domain combined account for a further 30%, and the remainder is made up of the Access to Services, Living Environment and Crime and Disorder Domains.

For further details on deprivation measurement in NI please follow this link: NI MDM 2017

Contact Details

Further details, and feedback, on any of the statistics in this statistical bulletin can be obtained from:

Michael MacNeill – Michael.MacNeill@economy-ni.gov.uk (Tel: 028 90 257897)

Kerry McColgan – Kerry.McColgan@economy-ni.gov.uk (Tel: 028 90 257753)

Conor Gallagher – Conor.Gallagher@economy-ni.gov.uk (Tel: 028 90 257825)

Media enquiries should be made to the Department’s Press Office

Tel: (028) 9052 9604, Email: pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk

This statistical bulletin and others published by Statistics and Research Branch (Tertiary Education) are available to download free from the Higher Education Statistics and Research website.

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© Crown copyright 2023 The Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure (NIMDM) and other NI geographical indicators are based ON Crown Copyright and are reproduced with the permission of Land and Property Services under delegated authority from the Keeper of Public Records, © Crown copyright and database rights NIMA Licence MOU577.3 (2023).

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