The voice of universities

Coronavirus (COVID-19) - information for universities

Home Facts and stats Data and analysis Patterns and trends in UK higher education 2018

Patterns and trends in UK higher education 2018

Report

21 September 2018

Facts and stats

Download Send Email

Patterns and trends, published annually by Universities UK, presents a comprehensive range of data and analysis on the changing size and shape of UK higher education.

The report analyses the last 10 years in higher education, focusing on applications, student demographics and graduate outcomes; staff backgrounds and expertise; and the income and expenditure of higher education institutions.

Main findings include:

Demand for university places from 18-year-olds has increased, with those from less advantaged backgrounds 49% more likely to apply than a decade ago.
More than 400,000 international students came to study in the UK, which is 19% of all students.
In 2017, the average salary for graduates in the UK was £33,000, compared to £23,000 for non-graduates.
Only 2.8% of graduates were unemployed in 2017, compared to 5.3% of those without a degree.
International staff made up 20% of all university staff and 30% of all academic staff in 2017, and are critical for some subjects such as engineering where they make up 43%.
The total income of UK universities was £35.7 billion, only half of which came from tuition fees.

View the data, figures and tables used in Patterns and trends in UK higher education 2018 as an Excel spreadsheet (.xls)

News

Time is running out to save Erasmus+: Losing study abroad scheme would blow a hole in UK economic prospects

9 March 2020

More than 17,000 UK university students are hoping that the UK Government can negotiate continued involvement in Erasmus+ in its trade discussions with the European Union so they can develop important and necessary skills overseas next year.

Universities UK welcomes UCAS figures on disadvantaged students

28 November 2019

Universities UK (UUK) today welcomes figures showing that disadvantaged students are 61% more likely to enter university now than they were ten years’ ago.

Blog

A-level results day and Clearing 2019: reasons to be cheerful

12 August 2019

As A-level results day approaches, UUK’s Daniel Wake looks at recent trends in university admissions, and provides some final information to applicants, who for the first time can choose to put themselves into ‘Clearing’.