College student satisfaction rates are at their highest level since 2018-19 according to a new report published by the Scottish Funding Council.
The College Student Satisfaction and Engagement Survey (SSES) was carried out over an eight-week period between 6 March and 28 April 2023. This year also saw record participation rates with a 12.1% increase in full-time students and a 9.0% increase in part-time students responding to the survey.
In total nine out of 10 full-time students were satisfied with their college experience (92.7%), the highest overall satisfaction levels in the five-year reporting period.
Overall satisfaction levels have increased in 2022-23 compared with 2021-22, with an increase in satisfaction of 1.9% for full-time further education students, an increase of 1.8% for part-time further education students, an increase of 3.4% for full-time higher education students and an increase of 2.3% for part-time higher education students.
Commenting on the results, Director of Policy, Insight & Analytics, Martin Boyle, said:
“Student feedback is an important source of intelligence which helps to drive improvements in colleges. Today’s results are encouraging and are a reflection of the commitment and hard work of college staff to support their students as they complete their studies. We will work with colleges to understand how they will use these results as part of their plans to continually enhance the student experience.”
The SSES provides a means to evaluate and enhance college provision in Scotland through monitoring student satisfaction and engagement at a national level. Over time, this will provide a consistent basis for college regions to show improvements within their outcome agreements with SFC.
Minister for Higher and Further Education, Graeme Dey, said:
“It is hugely encouraging to see that student satisfaction levels have increased across all levels of study and are now the highest on record.
“Nine out of ten college students were satisfied with their college experience in 2022-23 which demonstrates that our colleges continue to expertly support learners to fulfil their potential.”
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has published its latest report on the outcomes of people leaving college.
Covering the academic year 2021-22, its findings reflect the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on day-to-day learning, individual students and the economy’s ability to provide employment.
Its authors note that students whose next steps are analysed in the report were likely to have had the final phase of their school lives disrupted by the pandemic. Those on courses such as construction and social care may have been unable to access the facilities needed to practice their skills or to undertake a work placement.
The report shows how these and other factors worked through into the national picture. Although 86% of people leaving college in 2021-22 moved on to a positive destination, this was five per cent lower than in the previous year. The downward pattern was the same at all levels of qualification but was more pronounced for those leaving with FE level qualifications.
Despite the tough jobs market, some leavers benefitted from having the right qualification at the right time. The proportion of students leaving college with an HE-level qualification in construction and finding employment rose by 17.5%. Those with the same level of qualification in hospitality and tourism benefitted from a 13% rise.
The report uncovers a play-off in the patterns of leavers moving on to either work or further studies. In subjects with a notable increase in college leavers finding work, the figures often reflect a corresponding fall in the proportion going to university.
Commenting on the findings, Martin Boyle, Director of Policy, Insight and Analytics at the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“SFC’s college leaver destination reports go back almost a decade and give us a detailed understanding of where people are three to six months after qualifying. As you would expect, the reports covering the duration of the pandemic do not follow the norms established in earlier years and reflect the exceptional circumstances of the time.
“This latest report includes learners whose transition between school and college was disrupted and whose college experiences continued to be influenced by the pandemic.
“Despite these challenges, colleges worked flexibly, creatively and with compassion to support their students and to give them the best possible chance of moving forward”.
Innovation Voucher funding, aimed at encouraging partnerships between a Scottish business and a university or college, receive a boost in value for the first time since they were launched in 2009.
Standard Innovation Vouchers and Student Placement Innovation Vouchers now offer a value of up to £7.5k, a rise from £5k.
Each Innovation Voucher supports businesses to develop novel and pioneering products, services and processes or develop the company’s internal workforce such as new or enhanced workplace processes, practices and expertise in collaboration with a university or college partner. The collaborations also impact academic research and teaching while enhancing business skills and industry experience to the academic teams and students involved.
Interface manages the Innovation Voucher Funding on behalf of the Scottish Funding Council. Since 2009 almost 1,900 Innovation Vouchers have been issued with a value of over £9.5m.
Alan Pratt, Head of Systems and Finance at Interface said: “This increase in funding is a significant step in enabling more academic time to be funded for collaborative research and development projects. We find that businesses who work with academics for the first time through Innovation Vouchers establish long lasting links and go on to work on other projects with the same or other university or college partners. It really is the start of an exciting journey for many.”
Helen Cross, Director of Research and Innovation at the Scottish Funding Council, said: “Increasing the value of our innovation vouchers is great news for universities, colleges and the businesses they partner with.
“These partnerships are a fantastic way of combining academic expertise with the know-how and ambition of entrepreneurs wanting to create new products, services and processes. There have been some incredible examples of success in the last 14 years and today’s announcement is a commitment to that continuing into the future.”
To find out more about Innovation Vouchers please visit the website.
Three reports out today show how the benefits of academic research in Scottish universities extend into the lives of people not only in Scotland but in many other parts of the world.
An independent report from leading economic research specialists, the Fraser of Allander Institute, estimates that public investment channelled into research by the Scottish Funding Council supports almost 9,000 jobs and £590 million in sales of Scottish goods and services while contributing an annual £410 million to the Scottish economy.
RAND Europe’s analysis of material produced for the latest UK-wide assessment of university research found that Scottish universities were able to turn their research into local benefits in areas like education, health and the arts. It also found that research carried out in Scottish universities was helping to diagnose disease, uphold human rights and preserve cultures in countries across the globe.
The third report, a collection of research case studies published by the Scottish Funding Council, illustrates how its Research Excellence Grant, worth just under £247m in the current academic year, plays a vital role in underpinning the overall research system. Amongst the examples in the report are projects to improve heart health, support children with speech disorders and accelerate Scotland’s move to Net Zero.
Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“Research creates the new knowledge and inventions that benefit everyone in the long run. Taken together, the three reports published today show compelling evidence of the wide-ranging impact of Scottish university research and what it is achieving for us here in Scotland as well as the huge contribution it makes to societies across the world.
“Crucially, the reports show us the importance of sustained investment and the opportunity we have to build on Scotland’s exceptional research abilities to change lives, create prosperity and enrich communities.”
Dr Cagla Stevenson, Senior Analyst at RAND Europe, said:
“The Research Excellence Framework case studies provide a fantastic opportunity to look at the impact of Scottish research locally, nationally and internationally. Our study clearly shows that Scottish research has made significant contributions across different areas of society, from drug discovery and the marine environment to cultural heritage and education.”
Four pioneering Scottish research alliances (ARCs) were officially launched at an event held yesterday at the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
They are part of an ambitious Scottish Funding Council (SFC) led initiative to establish collaborative, multi-disciplinary partnerships between universities and other parts of the research and innovation sector based around societal challenges. A key aim of the alliances is to provide support for Scottish universities to respond to national and international funding opportunities.
Building on Scotland’s strong culture of research collaboration, the alliances are focussing on areas aligned to the Scottish Government’s national priorities. They will be enabling collaborations in the areas of brain health; energy, homes and livelihoods; food; and quantum technologies.
The Scottish Funding Council is keen for the alliances to play a key role in developing Scotland’s next generation of researchers and so they will actively support researchers in the early stages of their career and promote equality, diversity and inclusion.
Helen Cross, Director of Research and Innovation at the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“By bringing together the best people from a whole range of disciplines across several universities these exciting alliances have enormous potential to harness new research opportunities for Scotland.
“They will also support Scottish researchers to continue doing what they have always done, which is to help provide the answers to some of the most pressing challenges faced by societies across the world.”
Each ARC will be funded up to a total of £600,000 over the next four years.
You can read more about the ARCs in a Wonke blog from SFC’s Director of Research and Innovation, Helen Cross.
The UK’s higher education funding bodies are looking for feedback on the development of the assessment of people, culture and environment (PCE) in REF 2028.
Progressing the PCE indicators for the next research assessment exercise (REF) is part of an increased focus on the assessment of the conditions considered essential for research excellence.
As part of a new collaborative project the funding bodies will be organising roundtables and open web events through the autumn. Details of these will shortly be available on the FRAP website.
Steven Hill, chair of the REF 2028 Steering Group, said: “We want to make sure that PCE assessment in REF 2028 is robust, equitable and based on a shared vision for a healthy and vibrant research system.”
Interested parties are also being invited to submit comments via the FRAP website.
The latest Times Higher Education (THE) World Rankings feature three Scottish universities in the top 25 institutions in the UK. All three have also achieved a top 200 ranking in the world. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 include 1,904 universities across 108 countries and regions.
The University of Edinburgh is ranked 5th in the UK and 30th in the world. The University of Glasgow is 10th in the UK list and 87th internationally, while the University of St Andrews is 25th in the UK and 193rd in the world listings.
The University of Oxford leads the THE World University Rankings 2024 for an eighth consecutive year.
THE analysis of the data behind the results indicates a decline in the average rank of universities in the United States over the last six years and a lesser fall in the UK’s average rank. Countries where the average rank has improved over the same period include China, Australia and Canada.
The full results and analysis of the rankings are available on the THE website.
Figures released today from UCAS show an exceptionally high level of demand for university places from Scottish school leavers. So far in the university admissions cycle for 2023-24 16,510 Scottish school leavers have been accepted for a place at university. The figure is 19% higher that it was at the same point in 2019 before the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
More generally, overall demand from Scottish applicants has returned to pre-pandemic levels with 33,310 Scottish applicants being accepted onto a degree course at a Scottish university. In line with other parts of the UK, a higher proportion of applicants have been accepted through the Clearing process.
Today’s figures also show a slight increase of around a third of a percentage point on last year in the proportion of acceptances from applicants from the 20% most deprived areas of Scotland.
Clearing remains open until 17 October and the UCAS team is available to advise and guide students still exploring their options. More information is available on the UCAS website.
The Chair of the Scottish Funding Council, Mike Cantlay, has welcomed the reappointment of six members of the SFC Board. The reappointments were announced earlier today by Higher and Further Education Minister, Graeme Dey.
The six will begin their new terms of office on 4 November 2023 and serve until 3 November 2026.
Lorna Jack is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. She is the Chair of Highlands & Islands Airports Limited, a Scottish Government owned company and Chair of the board of private sector accountancy group Opulus Financial. Lorna is also the Honorary Consul for the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Scotland.
Professor Ewart Keep holds the emeritus Chair in Education, Training and Skills at the Department of Education, Oxford University. Ewart has advised the UK government departments, parliamentary committees at Holyrood and Westminster, the OCED and the governments of Australia and New Zealand.
Irene McAra-McWilliam worked as Director of Design Research for Philips Electronics and is currently Deputy Director of Research & Innovation at The Glasgow School of Art. Irene was awarded an OBE in 2016 in recognition of her work in Higher Education, Innovation and Design.
Peter Mathieson was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Bristol between 2008 and 2014 when he became the President and Vice-chancellor of the University of Hong Kong. Peter was knighted for services to higher education in 2023. He has been the Principal of the University of Edinburgh since 2018.
Andy Kerr has chaired several high-level boards including within the NHS. He was formerly the chair of the Board of Quality Scotland and South Lanarkshire College. Andy has extensive knowledge of business and commerce both as policy maker and as a practitioner and has worked in the public, private and third sectors.
Professor John Wallace CBE has had a distinguished career as a musician, playing the trumpet in the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia, and London Sinfonietta. From 2002-14 John was the Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He has a CBE for services to Dance, Drama and Music and in 2021 was awarded the Queen’s medal for music.
Mr Cantlay said:
“Members of the SFC Board consistently demonstrate their determination to do their absolute best for tertiary education and research in Scotland. Their expert contribution is especially valuable in the face of the challenges and opportunities currently faced by the sector.“
“I am delighted that the Board will retain the services of these six experienced and highly regarded colleagues for a further three years.”
The SFC-funded Alliances for Research Challenges (ARCs) programme took a further step forward today with the announcement of a new alliance for quantum technologies.
Joining the previously-announced alliances for brain health, energy and food, the quantum technologies project will receive up to £600,000 of SFC funding over the next four years. The investment will enable it to create multi-disciplinary, cross-sector teams to strengthen and accelerate bids for major research grants, including funding from overseas.
The ARCs programme is designed to address some of the biggest questions facing the Scottish Government and governments across the world. Quantum technology has the potential to provide breakthroughs in areas such as medical diagnostics and zero-carbon energy production, as well as computing and communications.
The new alliance will build on Scotland’s established strengths in quantum science and technology and create the skills base needed to realise future benefits.
In a joint statement ARC co-leads, Dr Ashley Lyons and Dr Sam Bayliss, said:
“We are seeing rapid and remarkable developments in using quantum-mechanical features of the world to enable practical technologies, with Scotland being a key player in this progress.
“The key to realising the potential benefits of such technologies is a holistic approach which creates dialogue between market-driven challenges; cutting-edge research – including in subjects such as the arts, humanities, and social sciences – and wider society.
“Thanks to this ARC, we are in a special position to be able to achieve this, and create a new, interdisciplinary hub for quantum technologies development in Scotland.”
Helen Cross, SFC’s Director of Research and Innovation, said:
“It’s great to be able to confirm another collaborative award in our ARCs programme. Creating a research challenge for quantum technologies will accelerate Scottish research collaboration in this area and allow us to benefit from the potential of quantum technologies more fully and more quickly.
“An important aspect of the multi-disciplinary approach is that the cross-university network will consider the ethical and societal impact of the technology as well as the science itself.”
A programme of low interest loans totalling up to £26 million is being made available to universities for the current financial year.
The programme is designed to advance Scottish universities’ carbon management and net zero plans and to be consistent with the pathways to net zero set out by the Scottish Government.
Expressions of interest are being invited from 11 September 2023 until 3 November 2023 after which proposals will be assessed and a selection made by the end of the year.
The following case study showcases SFC-backed developments to meet net zero targets.
Solar Photovoltaic Development at Eden Campus – St Andrews University
The Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Development at Eden Campus is part of ambitious plans by the University of St Andrews to meet net zero targets, contribute to a just transition from fossil fuels, and take a leading role in driving a successful local and national economy.
The one-megawatt ground solar photovoltaic (PV) development – backed by the Scottish Funding Council and supported by the Vacant & Derelict Land Fund from the Scottish Government and Fife Council – will provide electricity to the campus. This move further reduces the University’s overall carbon footprint by approximately 5%. This is the equivalent of 11 tons of carbon dioxide per year. A real time performance system has been installed and daily outputs and carbon savings are recorded.
With a planned extension of its district heating network – which already pipes hot water from its award-winning £25 million biomass plant to 48 University buildings and 3,000 student rooms in St Andrews – and the solar farm, the expectation is that the Eden Campus will be a carbon-neutral working environment within the next five years.
In addition to providing power to Walter Bower House and other buildings on the campus, the electrical supply will be utilised by electric vehicle charging points and the installation of battery storage.
The ground solar project now provides electricity to Eden Campus, supporting the existing biomass district heating facility at the Campus. Further rooftop solar panels are currently being installed in a new dry laboratory on the Campus and a second phase of rooftop solar panels are planned for next year on Eden Mill’s distillery and the University’s energy centre.
The results of the UK-wide National Student Survey, one of the largest of its kind in the world, have been published this week. The survey covers a range of factors related to students’ academic experience, including the teaching on their course; assessment and feedback; and how well courses are organised.
Students responding to this year’s survey experienced significant disruption throughout their course, including covid lockdown measures and, more recently, industrial action affecting teaching and assessments. This is reflected in the overall satisfaction result at a Scottish level where this year’s figure of 77.1% remains below pre-covid figures.
Looking ahead to the next academic year, figures released by university admissions service, UCAS, show the number of Scots accepted for places at Scottish universities is the third highest on record. There was also an increase to 15.1% of applicants from Scotland’s most deprived communities gaining a place at university.
There was further good news for Scottish students as the proportion of Scots accepted to their first-choice university reached 64%, another record high.
Further information of the National Student Survey is available from the Office for Students website and the UCAS figures can be found here.
As part of its Low Carbon Learning: Next Gen programme, Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) has launched an e-learning module on sustainable construction that can be accessed online for free at any time. It is designed to help young people better understand how alterations to existing buildings can save energy and money.
The ‘Fabric First Construction’ online module is aimed at 13- to 24-year-olds, regardless of their experience in construction or relevant academic credentials but is also open to anyone interested in better understanding ‘fabric first’ principles. It aims to introduce sustainability concepts to learnings in a dynamic and engaging way.
Clear and simple diagrams lead learners through the basic adaptions that we can make to our existing houses to meet targets to be net zero by 2045 as well as outlining some low-cost ideas for taking fabric first principles into homes today.
Next Gen is the third phase of BE-ST’s Low Carbon Learning programme. Next Gen has been running since March 2023 with a mission to inspire the young people who will make up the next generation of the construction industry’s workforce. It has engaged over 700 young people across Scotland so far in fully funded, hands-on workshops focussing on low carbon and sustainable construction.
Next Gen was launched following financial support from Young Persons’ Guarantee and the Scottish Funding Council, with a goal to widen access to meaningful and future-proof career opportunities in the construction sector.
James Dunphy, Director for Access, Learning and Outcomes, Scottish Funding Council, said:
“We want to inspire young people to enter careers that they might otherwise not have considered and support underrepresented groups to access new pathways and opportunities. The sector will benefit from a more diverse and equal future workforce, which in turn will bring much-needed green skills.”
Kate Forbes, BE-ST Associate Impact Manager and leader of the Next Gen programme said:
“We’ve created this online module to share some of the content from our Low Carbon Learning: Next Gen workshops with a much wider audience. We hope that the content will supplement and complement existing teaching in schools, colleges and universities.
“The ‘Fabric First Construction’ module aims to give learners an insight into how we can make our existing buildings into zero carbon homes in a simple, short, and accessible online module.”
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) will continue to work together to support the Scottish Government’s priorities in health and social care.
The two public bodies have renewed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that has underpinned their close and progressive partnership for the past fifteen years.
As part of the new agreement, which will last until 2026, SFC and NES have developed a shared plan of action to support the recovery, growth and transformation of the health and social care workforce. The plan includes examining the potential application of AI to future education and learning.
Other areas for cooperation include the recruitment and retention of nurses and other health care professionals and widening the appeal of medicine to a broader cross section of potential students.
Welcoming the continuation of the partnership, Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said:
“This memorandum of understanding will make a real difference to future education in health and social care.
“SFC and NES have worked together over many years, so I’m delighted that this new agreement recommits our organisations to working together on practical actions that will help address our collective challenges and opportunities.”
“Achieving our vision for the health and social care workforce relies on strong, successful partnerships like this one.
“Working together with the Scottish Funding Council through our MoU we can help make careers in health and social care more accessible and attractive and enhance our reach and approach to educational research, innovation, and technology.”
“Although the statistical patterns we have been tracking since 2012-13 were clearly disrupted by the pandemic, this latest report makes an important contribution to our picture of higher education numbers and qualifications over the past decade.“The 10-year highs we see for the numbers of students on HE courses and gaining an HE level qualification shows how much people continued to value higher education at a time when so many aspects of people’s lives were disrupted by the pandemic.”
Scotland’s newest college has come into being today with the merger of UHI North Highland, UHI Outer Hebrides, and UHI West Highland to form UHI North, West and Hebrides.
The merger follows parliamentary approval of a business case that was the subject of a public consultation held last summer. With 19 campuses, and centres spread across the region the new college will provide facilities for 9,000 students and 600 staff.
UHI North, West and Hebrides aims to enhance the student experience and to develop new curriculum, innovation, and commercial opportunities. Its strategic ambitions include providing new skills and innovation pipelines to meet workforce needs and supporting the growth of key sectors such as renewable energy, engineering, advanced manufacturing and space ports.
The college will also work with communities to develop Gaelic as an economic and social asset.
Colaiste ùr air bhonn
Thàinig a’ cholaiste as ùire aig Alba gu bith an-diugh le aonachadh UHI Gàidhealtachd a Tuath, UHI Innse Gall, agus UHI Gàidhealtachd an Iar airson UHI a Tuath, an Iar agus Innse Gall a chruthachadh.
Cho-aonaich iad às dèidh don phàrlamaid aontachadh ri cùis gnothaich a bha fo cho-chomhairleachadh poblach as t-samhradh an-uiridh. Le 19 campasan, agus ionadan foghlaim sgapte air feadh na roinne, cuiridh a’ cholaiste ùr goireasan an tairgse 9000 oileanach is 600 neach-obrach.
Tha UHI a Tuath, an Iar agus Innse Gall ag amas air saoghal nan oileanach fheabhasachadh agus clàr-teagaisg, ùr-ghnàthachas, is cothroman coimearsalta ùra a leasachadh. An lùib a rùintean ro-innleachdail, tha a bhith a’ solar sgilean ùra agus pròiseactan ùr-ghnàthachais a-rèir feuman feachd-obrach, agus a’ cumail taic ri fàs nam prìomh raointean gnìomhachais leithid lùtha ath-nuadhachail, einnseanaireachd, obair saothrachaidh agus puirt-fhànais.
Bidh a’ cholaiste ag obair cuideachd còmhla ri coimhearsnachdan chum Gàidhlig a leasachadh mar bhuannachd eaconamach, shòisealta.
According to the latest national report on widening access, 5,595 learners from the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland began a full-time first degree course in 2021-22.
The Scottish Funding Council figures also confirm universities and colleges once again met the Commission on Widening Access’s interim target of 16% of all Scottish-domiciled full-time first-degree entrants being from the 20% most deprived areas.
Colleges made an important contribution to the figures as over 45% of those starting a degree from Scotland’s deprived communities progressed from a college course, five per cent more than in the previous year. When taking into account both full and part-time study at degree level in Scotland’s colleges and universities just over 19% of entrants came from the 20% most deprived areas, rising to 20.3% for full-time students alone.
The number of care-experienced students beginning undergraduate HE courses in 2021-22 was 1,720, 35 more than in the preceding year. The figure represents a watershed in efforts to secure equality and respect in higher education for care-experienced people. The 2.0% of undergraduate HE entrants that are care-experienced is greater than the percentage of care-experienced children under 18 in the population (1.5%).
As efforts continue to support people combining their studies with caring responsibilities, the report found that 1,250 Scottish full-time first degree entrants were looking after someone else. In colleges. Over 10,900 enrolments were by those with caring responsibilities with over half of these student carers being over 25.
Martin Boyle, SFC’s Director of Policy, Insight and Analytics said:
“SFC’s report on widening access plays a key role in helping us to measure progress towards equality of opportunity in learning beyond people’s school years.
“Today’s figures show advances that should be celebrated as the positive effect of work being done by the Scottish Government, colleges and universities and the Scottish Funding Council. It’s wonderful to see good news coming out of our long-standing partnership with Who Cares? Scotland.
“The figures also point us to where more progress needs to be made and we are committed to doing that in collaboration with the Scottish Government and the sector.”
On Friday 7 July pupils from 13 different schools across Fife and Tayside graduated from Lift Off 2 Success, Lift Off’s one week summer residential programme for pupils aspiring to higher education.
The programme provides S4 students the chance to see what moving away from home to attend university/college is like while visiting seven Higher Education Institutions and staying at halls at the University of St Andrews.
Lift Off is one of four programmes across Scotland that make up the National Schools Programme and is funded by The Scottish Funding Council.
SFC launched the National Schools Programme as a resource to strengthen pathways for Senior Phase pupils from under-represented backgrounds looking to pursue higher education.
The National Schools Programme works closely with experts across universities, colleges, and schools to unify existing, successful projects into a cohesive national approach to the delivery of targets identified in A Blueprint for Fairness: Final Report of the Commission on Widening Access.
Three new reports providing insights into the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) have been published by the UK university funding bodies.
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) drives research excellence across the UK and informs the allocation of around £2 billion of research funding each year.
The series of reports consists of an in-depth analysis of the costs of the REF; an investigation of outcomes for staff with equality-related characteristics; and a summary of engagement activities.
According to the costs report, the extension of REF 2021 to include submissions from a much larger number of staff contributed to an around 50% increase in costs to universities. However, in a community survey carried out as part of the report, the vast majority of respondents believed the overall benefits of REF 2021 outweighed the overall costs. The next REF will incorporate measures to reduce costs by an estimated £100 million.
The EDI report on outcomes for staff with equality-related characteristics found evidence that people with some characteristics were less likely to be included in REF submissions and more likely to receive lower scores for their output. The findings from the report will inform the design of codes of practice for the next REF.
The multifaceted engagement report includes feedback on REF 2021 from both individuals and institutions as well as a real-time review aimed at better understanding perceptions of the REF.
The next REF will conclude in 2028 and will assess research and impact between 2021 and 2027.
More information on the reports is available on the Jisc website.
The latest deadline data from June 30, UCAS’ final date to apply for up to five courses at the same time, show that, discounting the two years impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for Scottish universities has increased by 2%, with 2,100 more applicants to Scottish institutions compared to 2020.
While there has been a decline in applications from Scottish domiciled mature students, likely driven by the cost-of-living crisis, higher interest rates, as well as a buoyant job market, demand from school leavers remains strong, with 34% of 18-year-olds in Scotland’s population making an application, up 1.6pp from 2020.
The data also point to an increase in applications from those in Scotland’s most deprived areas compared with pre-pandemic levels, with one in five Scottish 18-year-olds from SIMD20 areas having made an application this cycle, a 2.1pp increase compared with 2020. Applications from SIMD20 areas account for 16.8% of Scottish domiciled applications, a 0.2pp increase year on year and a record high.
At subject level, the data suggest that we are making positive steps towards meeting future skills needs for jobs in AI and computing. Demand from Scottish applicants remains strong for courses in computing, engineering and technology, and mathematical sciences, with applications to the latter seeing a 14% increase this year.
Commenting on the data, SFC Director of Policy, Insight and Analytics, Martin Boyle, said:
“Today’s report from UCAS shows that Scotland’s universities continue to attract students from across the globe, including those from our most disadvantaged backgrounds with the proportion of applications from SIMD20 areas at a record high.
“With the changing world of work, it is particularly encouraging to see an increase in students applying for courses in mathematical sciences which reflects the continued high demand for these graduates in the workforce.”