A report published today (Thursday) by Universities UK has highlighted the importance of the taught postgraduate student market to the higher education sector. Looking at developments and future trends, the report emphasises the importance of this market.

Taught postgraduate students constitute almost a fifth of all higher education students in the UK and numbers have increased by more than 70 per cent in the past 11 years. Most of the UK’s international students are enrolled on these programmes.

However, this group is not considered by policy makers and those within the sector, as a distinctive market in its own right, and the overall focus still remains on the traditional undergraduate market or on research postgraduate students. In addition, the report notes several gaps in key data on the taught postgraduate sector. Action needs to be taken to improve national data for this market, in order that the value of taught postgraduate study to the UK can be fully analysed.

Other findings from the report include:

• In 2006/7, 41 per cent of all enrolments on full-time postgraduate courses in the UK, were non-EU students, of which 50 per cent came from Asia
• By 2006/07, female students constituted 53 per cent of full-time taught postgraduate students, and 59 per cent of part-time postgraduate students
• Compared with undergraduate or postgraduate research provision, the total public funding offered to institutions and students for postgraduate taught provision is extremely limited.
• Tuition fees are mainly met by the students themselves, but in certain circumstances they may be wholly or partially paid by employers.
• Financial incentives have been introduced by some universities to encourage progression by their own graduates to postgraduate study programmes. For example, in 2004 one institution developed a scheme to offer between 100 and 150 of their own graduates free places or subsidised tuition for Masters degrees each year from 2009.
• A recent Higher Education Academy survey found that eight out of 10 students on taught postgraduate courses rate the experience as having met or exceeded their expectations.
• Among the most popular subjects of study are education, business and administrative studies.
• Especially in the developing world, graduate education is coming into its own as the need for advanced skills and for continuing education becomes increasingly clear

The report anticipates a number of challenges facing this market in the future. As highlighted by Universities UK’s Size and Shape reports, the predicted demographic decline may mean that it is difficult to maintain the rate of growth the taught postgraduate market has achieved in recent years. The recession is likely to affect the availability of financial support from those employers reluctant to support staff taking longer, accredited external training in the current climate. A further uncertainty affecting demand arises from the government’s decision to withdraw ELQ funding, as these students have constituted a significant proportion of home and EU part-time postgraduate enrolments.

Professor Rick Trainor, President, Universities UK said: “The report finds that individual student contributions and employer support may not be sufficient to sustain this market over the next few years without increased public support. However, the recent announced cuts in the higher education budget mean that further public support is highly unlikely for the foreseeable future.

“This report provides input to universities’ planning process as well as to national policy development; we hope that its conclusions will stimulate a wider debate about the future of this important market.”

ENDS

Notes

1. The report, Taught postgraduate students: market trends and opportunities will be available for download from Universities UK’s bookshop from Thursday 7 May. Visit: http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Pages/TaughtPostgraduateStudents.aspx  

2. Today’s report forms part of a series of studies of the different student markets, which were commissioned following the considerable interest that Universities UK’s Size and Shape reports generated. For more information on the Size and Shape reports, visit: http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Newsroom/Media-Releases/Pages/Report-assesses-impact-of-demographic-changes-for-universities.aspx