HC Deb 17 November 2000 vol 356 cc829-31W
Mr. Hilary Benn

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list, in respect of each of the last five years, by(a) age category, (b) mode of study, (c) gender, (d) ethnic origin and (e) socio-economic group, the total number of students (i) applying to enter higher education and (ii) entering higher education. [137372]

Mr. Wicks

The latest available data, covering students applying to full-time and sandwich undergraduate courses via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), are shown in the following tables(a) to (d). Final figures for autumn 2000 entry will be released by UCAS in January 2001. UCAS does not cover applicants or accepted applicants to part-time courses. The available data, collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, on entrants to part-time undergraduate courses is shown in table (e). The figures show that, for example, the numbers of students from ethnic minority and working class backgrounds have remained unchanged or increased a little since the introduction of fees, comparing 1996 (the year before fees were announced) with 1999. Applications generally rose in 1997 after the changes in university finance from 1998 were announced in July 1997.

UK domiciled applicants and accepted applicants to full-time and sandwich undergraduate courses in the UK via UCAS Institutions in the UK
(a) By gender Thousand
Year of entry
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Applicants
Men 179.6 175.5 190.0 184.1 182.4
Women 190.1 189.4 208.3 205.5 206.3
Total 369.7 364.9 398.3 389.6 388.7
Accepted applicants
Men 132.1 131.3 146.5 142.8 143.6
Women 133.4 137.0 156.9 155.4 159.4
Total 265.5 268.3 303.3 298.2 303.1
(b) By age group
Year of entry
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Applicants
Under 21 272.1 274.2 300.9 303.8 306.8
21 and over 97.6 90.7 97.4 85.9 81.8
Total 369.7 364.9 398.3 389.6 388.7
(b) By age group
Year of entry
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Accepted applicants
Under 21 204.5 209.1 237.5 239.6 245.6
21 and over 61.1 59.2 65.8 58.6 57.4
Total 265.5 268.3 303.3 298.2 303.1
(c) By ethnic group
Year of entry
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Applicants
Asian Bangladeshi 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.9
Asian Chinese 3.0 3.1 3.5 3.6 3.6
Asian Indian 13.3 14.1 15.3 15.9 16.6
Asian Pakistani 7.8 8.5 9.1 9.5 9.9
Asian Other 4.4 4.2 4.6 4.6 4.6
Black African 7.2 7.1 7.7 7.1 7.1
Black Caribbean 4.7 4.5 4.8 3.5 4.5
Black Other 2.0 1.9 2.3 2.4 2.5
White 303.4 293.5 315.1 300.9 299.6
Other 5.4 5.7 6.4 6.3 6.7
Not known 16.5 20.1 27.0 32.4 30.6
Total 369.7 364.9 398.3 389.6 388.7
Accepted applicants
Asian Bangladeshi 1.5 1.5 1.7 1.8 2.0
Asian Chinese 2.2 2.4 2.7 2.7 2.9
Asian Indian 9.5 10.3 11.7 12.1 13.0
Asian Pakistani 5.1 5.7 6.4 6.6 7.1
Asian Other 3.0 2.9 3.3 3.3 3.4
Black African 4.1 4.3 4.8 4.5 4.7
Black Caribbean 2.7 2.8 3.2 2.9 3.0
Black Other 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.6 1.7
White 221.4 219.4 243.6 234.6 237.2
Other 3.7 3.9 4.6 4.6 5.0
Unknown 11.2 13.9 19.8 23.4 23.0
Total 265.5 268.3 303.3 298.2 303.1
(d) By social class
Year of entry
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Applicants
Professional 50.2 49.9 48.4 47.0 46.5
Intermediate 140.1 139.0 150.3 147.3 144.8
Skilled non-manual 42.4 43.0 49.6 47.1 47.1
Skilled manual 61.9 58.2 60.7 58.9 58.5
Partly skilled 28.8 28.3 32.2 31.0 30.8
Unskilled 7.6 7.0 7.9 7.3 7.5
Unknown 38.6 39.4 49.2 51.0 53.5
Total 369.7 364.9 398.3 389.6 388.7
Accepted applicants
Professional 38.7 39.3 39.6 38.5 38.9
Intermediate 103.4 105.0 117.4 115.6 115.7
Skilled non-manual 30.3 31.3 37.3 35.6 36.3
Skilled manual 42.5 40.9 44.8 44.2 44.5
Partly skilled 19.8 19.9 23.5 22.7 23.1
Unskilled 5.0 4.9 5.6 5.3 5.5
Unknown 25.8 27.1 35.0 36.6 39.1
Total 265.5 268.3 303.3 298.2 303.1
(e) UK domiciled entrants to part-time undergraduate courses in the UK1
Thousand
Entrants
1995–96 259.2
1996–97 271.9
1997–98 265.6
1998–99 266.3
1999–2000 272.8
1 Including undergraduate courses in HE institutions, FE institutions and the Open University