The Director of Fair Access to Higher Education, Professor Les Ebdon, has welcomed an increase in the number of young people participating in higher education, following the publication of figures by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR), published today(Wednesday 24 April) roughly equates to the probability that a 17 year old today will enter higher education before they are 30. The HEIPR is 49 per cent for 2011-12, an increase of three per cent from 2010-11.

Commenting, Professor Ebdon said:

“We were expecting an increase in participation rates for 2011-12 so, while these figures are positive, they are not a surprise. Much of the significant increase seen can be explained because far fewer students deferred entry to courses in 2011-12, ahead of the introduction of the new system of fees and student support. We will need to see data in future years to be able to offer a full analysis.

“These are headline, retrospective figures that cannot provide a complete picture, and need to be studied in conjunction with more up to date sources. We know from entry and application data under the new system that demand for full-time higher education remains high among young people. However, I am very concerned that demand from mature learners, and for part-time study, has fallen significantly, with the number of undergraduate part-time entrants falling by 40 per cent since 2010-11.

“For higher education to truly meet the needs of all of those who have the talent to benefit from it, it needs to be flexible enough to properly support people who study part-time and mature students, as well as those who go straight to university aged 18.

“Part-time and mature students are more likely to be from groups under-represented in higher education, so OFFA is particularly keen to ensure that these forms of study are encouraged and supported. Ministers have also made clear, in guidance issued to OFFA in 2011, that they wish to support those who choose to study part-time, or as mature students.

“The reasons behind the drop in part-time entrants need to be understood to help reverse the trend, so I am pleased that Universities UK will be conducting a review into this issue, following a request from the Minister.”

ENDS

For further information, contact Zita Adamson, OFFA Communications Manager (0117 931 7272) or Sean Beynon, OFFA Press and Communications Adviser (0117 931 7022), or email press@offa.org.uk.

Notes to editors

1.      Full information on today’s publication is available at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/191901/13-p140-HEIPR_PUBLICATION_2011-12.pdf

2.      Detail on part-time study was published in the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s report: Higher education in England: Impact of the 2012 reforms. This is available at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/hefce/content/about/introduction/aboutheinengland/impactreport/Impact-report.pdf

3.      The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is an independent, non-departmental public body established under the Higher Education Act 2004 to help promote and safeguard fair access to higher education. The main way we do this is by approving and monitoring ‘access agreements’. All English universities and colleges offering both full-time and part-time undergraduate higher education courses must have an access agreement with us in order to charge higher fees. Access agreements set out the fees an institution wishes to charge and the access measures they will put in place to sustain or improve access and student retention. Access measures include outreach (e.g. summer schools, mentoring, after-school tuition, links with schools and colleges in disadvantaged areas and activities to improve retention and success), and financial support such as bursaries and scholarships.

4.      For more about OFFA, please see our website www.offa.org.uk, particularly the Quick Facts and FAQ in the Press section.