Access to Higher Education Diploma

Access to Higher Education Diploma Key Statistics 2016-17 a Published 2018

Introduction The Access to Higher Education Diploma is a widely recognised qualification that provides a second chance for adults who left school without the qualifications needed to enter higher education and provides opportunities for adults wishing to re-train for a second career. The Diploma is approved and awarded by Access Validating Agencies (AVAs). The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) regulates the qualification and licenses the AVAs. Every year we collect data about the Access to HE Diploma and students who complete the qualification. This report summarises that information for the academic year 2016-17 and highlights the latest trends. It provides an overview of the characteristics of Access to HE students, and their progression into higher education and beyond. This report shows that the Access to HE Diploma continues to promote social mobility, by encouraging people from disadvantaged and non-traditional backgrounds into higher education. It also demonstrates the importance of the Access to HE Diploma as a pathway to enhance UK productivity, by helping to prepare individuals for the workplace, especially in sectors with skills shortages. Since all the information is for 2016-17, it inevitably relates to more than one cohort of students (some completing their Diploma that year and others already at different stages in their higher education). For more in-depth analysis, see the following reports: Access to Higher Education: Diploma Courses and Students; Access to Higher Education: Applying to University; and Access to Higher Education: Students in Higher Education. Real-life case studies to complement the data are available at: www.accesstohe.ac.uk/access/reallife. In order to help you make sense of the figures outlined in this report, please refer to page 13. The statistics at a glance The Access to HE Diploma contributes to widening participation in higher education and beyond 24,895 students entered higher education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland up from 24,180 the previous year 38,025 students registered on an Access to HE Diploma course in 2016-17 down from 42,405 the previous year 87% over 21 years old 22% from low participation areas 32% from ethnic minority backgrounds 18% had a disability or learning difficulty compared with 34% of students with other qualifications compared with 10% of students with other qualifications 1 compared with 24% of students with other qualifications compared with 11% of students with other qualifications

The Access to HE Diploma contributes to the UK economy and society 79% of Access to HE students are accepted by higher education providers in their local area 90% of higher education leavers with an Access to HE Diploma were in employment or further study six months after they completed the course Subjects allied to medicine (including nursing) Social studies (including social work) Top five subjects studied in higher education by students with an Access to HE Diploma Business and administrative studies Education Biological sciences Nursing 20,050 students registered on a Health, Public Services and Care programme down 18% on the previous year 14% of all HE entrants were Access to HE students 93% of leavers from higher education with an Access to HE Diploma were in employment or further study six months after they completed the course Social work 5,105 students registered on a social sciences programme - down 4% on the previous year 13% of all HE entrants were Access to HE students 87% of leavers from higher education with an Access to HE Diploma were in employment or further study six months after they completed the course 2

Facts and figures on Access to HE Diploma courses and students In 2016-17, there were 1,259 Access to HE Diploma courses running at 344 providers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 80% of providers of Access to HE Diploma courses were further education colleges. Access to HE Diplomas are offered in a wide range of subjects, including many that support progression into sectors with skills shortages. In 2016-17, 32% of all Access to HE Diploma courses running were in health, public services and care, including nursing, and subjects and vocations allied to medicine. Other subjects Arts, media and publishing 6% 13% 32% Health, public services and care Education and training 7% Business, administration and law 10% 15% 17% Social sciences Science and mathematics A fully searchable list of available and running Access to HE Diploma courses can be found online at: www.accesstohe.ac.uk 3

38,025 students registered on an Access to HE Diploma course in 2016-17 89% of students intended to complete their Access to HE Diploma course within the year 50 courses running in Wales 12 providers in Wales 1 course running in Northern Ireland 1 provider in Northern Ireland 1,765 registered students in Wales 36,260 registered students in England 11% of students studied part-time 1,208 courses running in England 331 providers in England Completion and award of the Diploma 68% 92% of all registered students completed their Access to HE Diploma by August 2017 of students who completed the course were awarded the Access to HE Diploma 4

Characteristics of Access to HE Diploma students Gender 73% 27% Age 18% 19 and under 34% 20-24 19% 25-29 12% 30-34 8% 35-39 5% 40-44 2% 45-49 2% 50+ Ethnicity 67% White 14% Black 8% Asian 4% Mixed/multiple ethnic groups 2% Other 5% Not known/ not provided 47% of Access to HE students were over 25 years old 26% of Access to HE students were from minority ethnic groups Disability 13% Disability 76% No disability 11% Unknown Disadvantage 38% From a deprived area 62% Not from a deprived area 13% of Access to HE students had a disability and/or learning difficulty 38% of Access to HE students came from a deprived area in England or Wales Our publication Access to Higher Education: Diploma Courses and Students contains a wider range of data and more in-depth analysis. See: www.accesstohe.ac.uk/howcourses/statistics. 5

Applications for entry to higher education This section looks at students holding an Access to HE Diploma who applied to university in the 2017 UCAS cycle (applicants for the 2017-18 academic year). 24,365 (up from 24,180) applicants with an Access to HE Diploma were accepted by 211 higher education providers in the UK, including universities, further education colleges and alternative (private) providers, as shown in the chart below. 3% 34% University 63% Further education college Alternative provider The chart shows that Access to HE applicants were accepted to study higher education programmes at 72 further education colleges. However, the number of Access to HE applicants accepted by each further education college was comparatively small, as the recorded number of Access to HE students accepted to study at further education colleges was 1,420 (compared with 22,390 Access to HE applicants accepted by universities). There are likely to be more Access to HE students who apply directly (that is, not through UCAS) to higher education courses offered by further education colleges, so these students are not recorded in this data. Age 85% of accepted applicants with an Access to HE Diploma were mature students (aged 21 and over), compared with 18% of accepted applicants with other qualifications. Applicants with an Access to HE Diploma made up 20% of all UCAS acceptances of UK-domiciled mature students. Acceptance rates for mature applicants with an Access to HE Diploma were 73%, compared with 68% for mature applicants with other qualifications. Ethnicity and disadvantage 30% of accepted applicants with an Access to HE Diploma were from ethnic minority groups, compared with 24% of accepted applicants with other qualifications. 23% of accepted applicants with an Access to HE Diploma came from areas with the lowest participation in higher education (most disadvantaged), compared with 12% of accepted applicants with other qualifications. 79% of accepted applicants with an Access to HE Diploma were accepted by a higher education provider in their region of domicile. This shows that most students with an Access to HE Diploma choose to remain in their local area to study in higher education. 6

This map shows that most students with an Access to HE Diploma choose to remain in their local area to study in higher education. 79% of applicants with an Access to HE Diploma were accepted by a higher education provider in their region of domicile Scotland 94% Northern Ireland 94% North West 85% North East 93% Yorkshire & the Humber 78% Wales 83% East Midlands 73% West Midlands 80% East 67% London 72% South West 75% South East 54% 7

48% of Access to HE accepted applicants were accepted onto courses in medicine, dentistry and subjects allied to medicine, including nursing. Other popular subject areas among Access to HE students are shown in the chart below. Other subjects Mathematics, engineering and technologies 5% 14% Education Business, admin studies and law 4% 9% 48% Medicine, dentistry and subjects allied to medicine including nursing 9% Biological sciences 11% Social studies Applicants with an Access to HE Diploma made up 5% of all accepted applicants in 2017. For some subject areas, notably subjects allied to medicine, this proportion was considerably higher, as illustrated by the chart below. Subjects allied to medicine including nursing 22% Social studies 6% Biological sciences 5% Education 5% Business and administrative studies 2% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Accepted applicants with an Access to HE Diploma Accepted applicants with other qualifications Our publication Access to Higher Education: Applying to University has further data about Diploma students in the 2017 admissions cycle. See: www.accesstohe.ac.uk/howcourses/statistics. 8

Higher education and beyond In 2016-17, 24,895 students with an Access to HE Diploma entered 147 higher education institutions (universities) in the UK. These students would have typically completed their Diplomas in 2015-16 and so are not the same group of students discussed elsewhere in this report. This chart shows the numbers of students with an Access to HE Diploma that have entered universities in England and Wales since 2010. 25,000 21,305 23,755 21,980 22,980 20,000 17,575 15,000 12,485 15,610 10,000 5,000 0 2010-11 3,030 2,100 1,650 1,780 1,700 1,680 1,915 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 First degree Other undergraduate Students with an Access to HE Diploma made up 4.2% of all full-time undergraduates studying for a first degree. 52 higher education providers (including four Russell Group institutions) each recruited between 200 and 800 students with an Access to HE Diploma. A list of higher education providers that recruited Access to HE students can be found in our more detailed data report, Access to Higher Education: Students in Higher Education, available at: www.accesstohe.ac.uk/howcourses/statistics. 9

Most popular higher education subject areas The table below shows the higher education disciplines most studied by students with an Access to HE Diploma. Subjects allied to medicine (including nursing) 11,980 Biological sciences 2,565 Social Work 1,680 Social studies (excluding social work) 1,530 Business and administrative studies 1,315 Education 1,080 Law 770 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 Nursing and social work were the subjects most commonly studied by students with an Access to HE Diploma. 14% of all entrants on nursing courses in 2016-17 had an Access to HE Diploma. 13% of all entrants on courses in social work in 2016-17 had an Access to HE Diploma. Access to HE students in higher education 87% of students with an Access to HE Diploma were aged over 21, compared with 34% of students with other qualifications. Mature students are more likely to have characteristics that place them within a framework of social mobility than learners under the age of 21. 22% of Access to HE students came from low participation neighbourhoods, compared with 10% of students with other qualifications. 32% of Access to HE students were from ethnic minority backgrounds, compared with 24% of students with other qualifications. 18% of Access to HE students had a disability or learning difficulty, compared with 11% of students with other qualifications. 10

Non-continuation The chart below shows the percentage of UK-domiciled full-time, first degree students (2015-16 entry) not continuing in higher education after their first year. The non-continuation rate for mature students with an Access to HE Diploma is lower (10.3%) than for those aged over 21 with other qualifications (11.6%). 15 12 % 9 6 3 0 Young Mature Access to HE Diploma Other qualifications Degree classification In 2016-17, 19,275 undergraduate qualifications awarded to students with an Access to HE Diploma at higher education institutions (universities) in the UK. 65% of Access to HE students were awarded a first class or upper second class degree. First class Upper second class Lower second class Third class/pass Research by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) finds that students from disadvantaged areas, those with disabilities and those from ethnic minority groups tend to do less well in higher education than those with the same prior educational attainment who do not have these characteristics. See Differences in Degree Outcomes: The Effect of Subject and Student Characteristics, available at: www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/year/2015/201521. 11

Employment or further study Access to HE students are surveyed six months after they graduate, in a UK-wide survey of all former higher education students. The chart below shows the employment rate of higher education leavers over the past five years. 96 94 92 90 % 88 86 84 82 80 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 Access to HE diploma Other qualification 90% of leavers with an Access to HE Diploma in 2015-16 were in employment or further study six months after they completed the course. Of these, 67% were in full-time employment compared with 61% of graduates with other qualifications. 93% of leavers with an Access to HE Diploma in 2015-16 who studied nursing were in employment or further study six months after they completed the course. 87% of leavers with an Access to HE Diploma in 2015-16 who studied social work were in employment or further study six months after they completed the course. 12

Making sense of the figures Each agency collects data for different purposes, so the categories used and groups of students the statistics refer to are not identical. The way in which this affects the data is described below. All numbers relating to students shown in this paper are rounded to the nearest five. QAA figures relate to all full and part-time students on QAA-recognised Access to HE Diplomas in England and Wales. Data is provided by the 11 AVAs that award the Diploma. Figures relate to the 2016-17 academic year. Tel: 01452 557 050 Web: www.accesstohe.ac.uk The Education and Skills Funding Agency and Agored Cymru figures relate to students on Access to HE Diploma in England and Wales respectively. Figures relate to the 2016-17 academic year. Tel: 0345 377 5000 Web: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/education-andskills-funding-agency UCAS figures relate to applicants and accepted applicants to full-time higher education courses in the 2016-17 entry cycle. It includes applicants to higher education courses provided by further education institutions but does not include applicants to part-time higher education courses. UCAS entry qualifications data provided directly by the applicant give a broad indication of the type of qualifications the applicant may hold or be studying for. Tel: 01242 222 444 Web: www.ucas.com Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) figures relate to students entering undergraduate programmes who took their Access to HE course before entry - a different cohort from that reported elsewhere. The data includes full and part-time students registered on the first year of undergraduate courses, but excludes those enrolled on directly funded higher education courses in further education institutions. Tel: 01242 255 577 Web: www.hesa.ac.uk The POLAR3 (HEFCE) classification ranks 2001 Census Area Statistics wards by their young participation rates for the combined 2005-11 cohorts. This gives five quintile groups of areas ordered from '1' (those wards with the lowest participation) to '5' (those wards with the highest participation), each representing 20% of the UK young cohort. Web: www.hefce.ac.uk/analysis/yp/polar/ The data provides an overview of Access to HE provision and is not intended to be used by organisations for setting internal targets or for benchmarking purposes. 13

Further information Three separate reports provide a more in-depth analysis of the statistics and data. These reports are all available on the Access to HE website: www.accesstohe.ac.uk. Access to Higher Education: Diploma Courses and Students This report by QAA summarises data about Access to HE courses and students who were registered on Access to HE Diploma courses in the academic year 2016-17. Access to Higher Education: Applying to Higher Education This report by QAA analyses data on applicants and accepted applicants to higher education holding an Access to HE Diploma in the 2017 UCAS cycle (applicants for the 2016-17 academic year). Access to Higher Education: Students in Higher Education This report by HESA analyses students at universities in England and Wales with an Access to HE Diploma for the academic year 2016-17. QAA2129 - May 18 The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education 2018 Southgate House, Southgate Street, Gloucester GL1 1UB Registered charity numbers 1062746 and SC037786 Tel: 01452 557 050 Website: www.accesstohe.ac.uk QAA manages the national framework for the recognition and regulation of Access to HE Diplomas. www.qaa.ac.uk 14