This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Students in higher education
11/05/2005
Statistics on students in Higher Education in Scotland 2003-04 are published today.
These update the figures for 2002-03, published on May 20, 2004, but some of the tables differ from last year's.
The statistics include information on HE provision in higher education institutions (HEIs) as well as further education colleges in Scotland. Distance learning students enrolled at Scottish institutions are included. Figures on students of the Open University in Scotland are contained in a separate table.
For the first time, two tables on Scottish domiciled students at HEIs in the UK have been included.
The main points are:
- In 2003-04, there were 271,865 higher education students in Scotland, an increase of 1.8 per cent on the previous year. This number is 14.1 per cent higher than the corresponding number of higher education students in Scotland in 1996-97
- In 2003-04, 80 per cent of higher education students studied in Higher Education Institutions while 20 per cent studied in Further Education Colleges
- Between 1998-99 and 2003-04, the number of female higher education students increased by 10 per cent to 151,600. Over the same period the number of male higher education students increased by only 2 per cent to 120,265
- In 2003/04, the number of higher education students aged 25+ as a proportion of all higher education students was 44 per cent; postgraduate and sub degree students tend to be older whereas 80 per cent of first degree students are under 25
- There were 138,520 entrants to HE in Scotland in 2003/04. This was an increase of 2.7 per cent on the previous year. The numbers of entrants to first degree courses have been steadily increasing since 1998-99 to 44,250 (an increase of 18 per cent)
- The number of of Scottish domiciled entrants to Scottish HEIs increased by 8.4 per cent between 2002/03 and 2003/04 whereas the number entrants from other parts of the UK remained fairly constant
- While 13,290 Scots study in the rest of the UK, the number of students coming the other way is nearly twice as high, 26,305
- Of foreign countries China uses Scottish higher education most, enrolling 3,665 students in 2003/04
- Subjects allied to medicine and the veterinary medicine course are most popular with women (84 per cent and 77 per cent being female), whereas Engineering and Information Technology are most popular with men (90 per cent and 76 per cent respectively being male)
- Of the 13,125 students who stated that they had a disability 40 per cent suffered from dyslexia; altogether 5 per cent of all students stated that they had a disability
The statistics contain information on students from both Further Education Colleges and Higher Education Institutions who are attending Higher Education in Scotland. Higher Education courses are defined as those at HND/HNC level and above.
This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.