Student number controls for 2013-14: Guidance and invitation to bid

To:

Heads of HEFCE-funded further education colleges, Heads of HEFCE-funded higher education institutions
Heads of publicly funded providers of higher education without a student number control

Of interest to those responsible for:

Planning, Finance, Student recruitment

This document covers:

• student numbers excluded from the control
• how HEFCE will create and allocate a ‘margin’ of 5,000 places
• information for specialist arts institutions on control options
• an invitation to institutions that we do not currently fund for full-time undergraduate provision to bid for numbers.

Contents

Executive summary

Background

Section 1    Student number controls for 2013-14

Section 2    Specialist institutions in the performing and creative arts

Section 3    Invitation to bid for student places 2013-14

Annex A      General information for those new to the student number control and HEFCE funding

Annex B      Guidance on submitting a bid for student places for 2013-14

Annex C      Word template for bids

Annex D      Bid Excel spreadsheet and guidance for completion

Annex E      List of subjects protected from reductions to the core

Abbreviations and glossary

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Executive summary

Purpose

1. This document provides advice on student number controls for 2013-14. It covers:

1. Information about those students with high grades who will be excluded from the student number control for 2013-14 (Section 1).
2. How HEFCE will create and allocate a ‘margin’ of 5,000 student places from the ‘core’ student number control for 2013-14 (Section 1).
3. Information for specialist institutions in the performing or creative arts that wish to remain outside the core and margin process in 2013-14 (Section 2).
4. An invitation to those institutions that we do not currently fund for full-time undergraduate provision to bid for student places from the margin for 2013-14 (Section 3).

2. Institutions that we already fund for full-time undergraduate activity (and which therefore have a student number control greater than zero) should read Section 1. Specialist institutions in the performing or creative arts should read Section 2. Institutions that we do not currently fund for full-time undergraduate activity should read Section 3. Anyone not familiar with either the student number control or the core and margin process should read the Background section and Annex A.

Key points

3. Student number control limits are set annually. They are controls on the number of students within a defined population that an institution can admit to certain categories of full-time study. They are not controls on the number of students an institution can have in all years of study. They are based on the previous year’s student number control with adjustments to reflect government and HEFCE policies.

4. We will create a ‘margin’ of 5,000 places by reducing the limits of institutions that already have a student number control limit. Specialist institutions in the performing or creative arts that have opted out of the ‘core and margin’ process will not have any such reduction.

5. Institutions that are eligible for margin numbers, and are already funded by HEFCE for full-time undergraduate provision, will be allocated student places by formula (see Section 1). They will not need to take any action, or submit any documentation, in order to receive these places. They will, however, need to contact HEFCE if they do not wish to receive them (see paragraph 7).

6. Institutions specialising in the performing and creative arts that recruit primarily on the basis of audition or portfolio will be able to opt out of core and margin for a further three years (see Section 2).

7. Institutions that we do not currently fund for full-time undergraduate provision will be able to bid for between 25 and 50 places for 2013-14 (see Section 3). This applies to institutions that we are not funding in 2012-13 and to those that we fund only for postgraduate and/or part-time provision. This latter group will currently have a student number control limit of zero.

Action required

8. No action is required for those institutions that will receive margin places by formula, as outlined in Section 1) unless they wish to decline places offered.

• Institutions who wish to decline margin places offered as notified in the provisional student number control should inform us by e-mailing coreandmargin@hefce.ac.uk by noon on Friday 1 February 2013 as outlined in paragraphs 18 to 22.

9. No action is required for specialist institutions in the performing or creative arts that wish to remain outside the core and margin process.

• Specialist institutions in the performing or creative arts who wish to opt in or out of the core and margin process should inform us by e-mailing specialist@hefce.ac.uk by noon on Monday 1 October 2012 as outlined in paragraphs 34 to 36.

10. Institutions that HEFCE does not currently fund for full-time undergraduate activity and that wish to bid for margin places should read Section 3 and Annexes A and B, then complete the template at Annex C and the spreadsheet at Annex D. These should be e-mailed to coreandmargin@hefce.ac.uk by noon on Monday 1 October 2012.

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