A briefing on:
Impact of the 2012 reforms

Impact on the higher education sector

We continue to monitor changes in subject and subject group demand, again providing support where needed. We are establishing an observatory in HEFCE to ensure that we have the expertise to explore and interpret the most accurate and relevant information on higher education. It will also be important to understand how other, wider factors, such as economic conditions and changes to school and further education policies, will play out in the medium to long term.

Groups of subjects

Shifts in entries to particular groups of subjects mainly follow longer-term trends.

Clinical subjects and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) have generally fared better than the arts, humanities and social sciences. Modern foreign languages saw the greatest proportional drop in entrants in 2012-13, of 14 per cent. There are, however, variations within these broad subject categories.

Applicants (via UCAS) by subject group

Applications for 2013-14 suggest some continuing trends, with take-up of languages decreasing still further.

Different institutional approaches

There appears to be no particular approach adopted by universities and colleges that has led to some doing better or worse than others.

However, it is likely that institutions’ responses to the changes in their own particular circumstances – for example, in their educational programmes, approaches to marketing, and offer and admissions strategies – have contributed to different recruitment outcomes. Further education colleges appear to be offering more of their own places than places franchised from higher education institutions.

Increase in alternative providers

Since 2006, there has been a 70 per cent increase (from 64 to 109) in the number of alternative providers whose students are accessing student support.

However, financial support for students studying with alternative providers still only makes up less than 1 per cent of the overall student support budget.

Vulnerable subjects

HEFCE action

Subjects may become vulnerable as a result of changes in demand from students or employers, or through changes in institutions’ course offers. The availability of subjects may also be affected by research funding and quality, and by flows of international students.We will monitor the extent to which the reforms and other factors have an impact on the availability of specific courses and subjects.

We continue to support subjects previously designated as strategically important and vulnerable (maths, physics, chemistry, engineering, modern foreign languages and quantitative social science), and we will publish data on the health of all subjects in collaboration with partner organisations such as the Research Councils and the National Academies.

Our current approach focuses on risks to the continued availability of subjects. For example, we will be monitoring levels of demand for four-year courses, such as language degrees which include a year abroad, and integrated masters degrees such as the MEng, to see whether the additional costs discourage students from applying. The Government has taken measures to keep tuition fees for students on years abroad to a minimum, and we are contributing to the costs of
student participation in year-abroad exchange programmes.

More broadly, the new fee levels could discourage institutions from continuing to offer higher-cost subjects when they could achieve higher returns from lower-cost subjects. We have introduced a significant supplement for subjects that cost more to deliver. We also protected chemistry, maths, physics, engineering and modern foreign languages when we reduced the numbers of controlled places to redistribute to institutions charging lower fees in 2012-13. In return we have required institutions to sustain teaching and study in these subjects.