§ Mr. EdwardsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the impact of student tuition fees on the recruitment of students aged(a) 18 to 21 and (b) over 21 years to university degree courses in England and Wales. [84429]
§ Mr. Mudie[holding answer 19 May 1999]: Figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that, using statistical methods comparable to those used in 1997–98, for the 1998–99 academic year the number of home domiciled entrants to undergraduate courses aged under 21 was 216,949, and the number of entrants aged 21 and over was 188,678, respectively a 0.2 per cent. increase and a 0.8 per cent. decrease on 1997–98. These figures, which exclude entrants to Open University courses, indicate that recruitment has been steady over the period when the new tuition fee arrangements were introduced.