Universities UK (UUK) has today released its latest report
highlighting key facts and figures in the higher education (HE)
sector. Using stats from more than 140 member institutions, the
report offers insights into the UK higher education sector during
a critical period of recovery from the pandemic and the
challenges arising from the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Higher education in facts and
figures: 2023
In snapshot:
· During the 2021/22 academic
year, almost 3 million students attended current UUK member
institutions, an increase of 4% compared to 2020/21
· 82% of 2020/21 graduates
were in employment or unpaid work 15 months after
graduation
· In England, 25% of students
at UUK member universities came from the most disadvantaged
background
· UUK member institutions
employ more than 400,000 (410,925) members of staff
Further highlights:
Findings from the ‘Higher Education in Facts and
Figures: 2023’ report revealed that 2.7
million students attended UUK member institutions during
2021/22, a slight increase on the 2.4 million students from the
previous academic year. The 2022 application cycle also saw the
highest number of university applicants among member institutions
in over decade. Furthermore among 2020/21 graduates 82% of
graduates were in employment or unpaid work just 15 months after
graduation..
In total, almost 80% of students during 2021/22 were studying
full time. Business studies and subjects allied to medicine
proved to be the most popular subjects for undergraduates and
postgraduates to enrol into.
In the latest iteration of the annual report, UUK’s analysis also
found that member institutions in England and Scotland witnessed
record percentages of the most disadvantaged students enrolling
in full-time undergraduate courses. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland
experienced a decline following a record uplift the previous year
(2021), while the figure for Wales remained
unchanged.
The 2021/22 academic year was also significant for international
students studying at member institutions. In total, 4% of
students hailed from EU countries, marking a shift from 5% in
2020–21. Additionally, 20% were from outside the EU, an increase
from 16% the previous year.
UUK member institutions employed a total of 410,925 staff
members. Among them, 54% comprised academic staff, with 13%
originating from EU countries and 11% from non-EU countries.
These figures are in line with a previous study exploring the
impact of HE on the UK economy in the 21/22 cycle which found
that all universities across the UK support more
than three quarters of a million jobs (768,000).
Other useful outputs:
Today’s report builds on the previously released Impact of universities: in
numbers, a snapshot view of university impact which showed
higher education makes a £130 billion contribution to the UK
economy. ‘Research and Innovation Facts
and Figures, 2022’, another recent UUK publication, reported
19,000 active spin-outs, start-ups and social enterprises have
emerged from universities. This UUK report also highlighted the
impact of higher education innovation and research, with every £1
spent resulting in around £10 of value. Over the last five years,
universitieshave had nearly 600,000 interactions with businesses
and non-commercial partners through contract research and
consultancy.
With challenging rhetoric continuing around international
students, earlier this month UUK also published a ‘myth and
reality’ piece addressing some common misconceptions around
international students and graduates. International students and
graduates: myths and reality (universitiesuk.ac.uk)
