Maximising student opportunity

Sarah Howls

Head of Student Opportunity

Woburn House

24th February 2015

HEFCE’s role: Business plan 2015-2020

HEFCE aims to create and

sustain the conditions for a

world-leading system of higher

education which transforms

lives, strengthens the economy

and enriches society

HEFCE’s priorities

How our strategic position

and sector analysis

translates into policy

activity to widen access,

improve retention and

student success and

support onward

progression

Will focus on a few key areas:

• Demonstrating impact of HE activity and HEFCE funding

• Addressing unexplained differences in outcomes

• Provision and support for disabled students

• Progression to taught postgraduate study

Evidence to drive policy and show impact

But first…………….

A quick update on National

Networks for Collaborative

outreach

• Achieved national coverage

• Involving 200 universities and colleges

• Will reach 4,300 schools

• Provide single point of contact

• 35 local networks funded

• 3 national networks

National Networks for Collaborative Outreach

The value of public investment

Elements of teaching funding

Year Widening accessImproving

retentionTotal

Improving retention

(CPI adjusted, 2005

price level)

1999-

2000£19,874,614 £0 £19,874,614

2000-01 £31,276,264 £0 £31,276,264

2001-02 £37,016,633 £0 £37,016,633

2002-03 £47,653,007 £0 £47,653,007

2003-04 £47,705,487 £218,185,539 £265,891,026 £225,631,374.35

2004-05 £60,124,336 £213,236,862 £273,361,198 £217,588,634.69

2005-06 £63,383,227 £220,924,080 £284,307,307 £220,924,080.00

2006-07 £105,180,666 £239,891,585 £345,072,250 £234,498,128.05

2007-08 £110,374,983 £245,934,377 £356,309,360 £234,894,342.88

2008-09 £110,910,706 £253,167,829 £364,078,535 £233,334,404.61

2009-10 £141,097,278 £224,485,112 £365,582,391 £202,603,891.70

2010-11 £141,895,449 £226,699,474 £368,594,923 £197,990,806.99

2011-12 £141,630,239 £226,514,863 £368,145,102 £197,829,574.67

2012-13 £140,617,776 £224,983,976 £365,601,752 £182,913,801.63

2013-14 £88,694,749 £228,025,618 £316,720,367 £180,829,197.46

2014-15 £66,499,986 £272,700,010 £339,199,996

HEFCE SO funding since 1999-2000

Widening access and improving retention funding

Year First degree entrants

Non-completions

Number of additional graduatesActual

Based on 2003-04

non-completion rate

2003-04 258,530 37,230 37,230 0

2004-05 258,035 35,610 37,155 1,550

2005-06 276,685 38,460 39,845 1,385

2006-07 265,895 35,630 38,290 2,660

2007-08 280,065 35,570 40,330 4,760

2008-09 297,165 35,365 42,790 7,430

2009-10 309,115 39,565 44,515 4,945

2010-11 309,790 34,075 44,610 10,535

2011-12 334,230 34,760 48,130 13,370

Greater numbers graduating

Number of additional graduates due to improvements in retention

Attributing outcomes to activity

We need to develop a

robust evidence base that

demonstrates the impact

of HEFCE-funded HE

activity to widen access,

improve retention and

success and support

progression on

individuals, the economy

and society

• Commissioned two pieces of work

• One will develop institutional data return

• The other will use deep dives and econometric analysis to assess impact of activity and investment

• Undertaken in parallel

• Inform each other

• Deliver robust data framework for institutional returns to HEFCE

• Identify long term, sector wide research needs to address gaps in evidence

The outcomes framework

Work to develop measures of impact

Differential outcomes

Ambitions to improve social

mobility can only be fully

realised if students are able to

achieve their full potential

Qualification and progression outcomes across POLAR quintilesPercentage point difference of the outcome from the sector-adjusted average for each of the four

outcomes, split by POLAR3 quintile

Source: ‘Higher education and beyond: outcomes from full-time first degree study’, HEFCE, 2013

Qualification and progression outcomes for men and womenPercentage point difference of the outcome from the sector-adjusted average for each of

the four outcomes, split by sex

Source: ‘Higher education and beyond: outcomes from full-time first degree study’, HEFCE, 2013

Different ethnicities - different outcomes

Source: ‘Differences in degree outcomes: key findings’, HEFCE 2014

Shining a light on what we know

Commissioned Kings College, University of Manchester and the ARC network to:

• Gather and collate existing evidence and practice

• Develop typology of causation, interventions and approaches

• Critically review and evaluate

• Call for evidence – 3 December 2014

• Final report – May 2015

Critical review of research and practice

Supporting disabled students

Building on HEFCE’s long history

of funding and working with

the HE sector to develop and

continually enhance its

provision and support for

disabled students

Will involve two research studies:

1. Research to understand the nature, level and cost of institutional provision for students with severe to moderate mental health conditions and/or complex physical impairments in higher education

2. Research into support for students with specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) and the effect on learning outcomes

Review of provision and support for disabled students

Study 1: Severe to moderate mental health problems

• Institutional funding and support

• External agencies

• In-house vs external support

• Agency relationships

• Resourcing and support decisions

• Balance of funding in DSA

• Key pressure points/challenges

What evidence we need to get (1)

To inform advice to Govt and our own policy for disabled students

Study 2: Students with SpLDs

• Key issues in the provision of support

• Models of support

• Level, type and funding of support

• Relationship between support and learning outcomes

What evidence we need to get (2)

To inform advice to Govt and our own policy for disabled students

Emerging themes from mental health/intensive support needs study

Themes are drawn from

an interim report based

on only 3 case study visits

so no conclusions can be

drawn. The institutions

were one general HEI, one

specialist HEI and one FEC

• Key influencers on strategy:

Moral

Legal

Business case

• Ensuring every students who can access HE academically has equal opportunity to do so

• Information about a student’s disability separated from the admissions process so that offers are based on academic record only

Institutional policies and strategies (1)

Institutional policies and strategies (2)

• Some evidence of formal

policies

• Limited awareness of policies

across institution

• Little difference in approach

once students disclose but

HEIs can be more proactive

with early disclosure

• Strong commitment to

support international

students but variable for

non-DSA eligible

Increasing demand from students with mental health problems.

Demand from students with other impairments stable

Possible drivers of demand:

• Students more likely to disclose

• Doctors more likely to diagnose

• Wide social and life challenges

• New student environment (no networks)

• Academic pressures

• Financial pressures

Demand for support

Relationships with external agencies

• Little evidence of systematic/strategic relationships

• Planning students’ transitions not always successful (issues of cuts to social care budgets)

• Issues of patient confidentiality

• Some reports of GPs sending students back to HEI as quicker

• Time and resources needed to build networks/trust

Working with others

Access to postgraduate study

Postgraduate education is

important to all,

particularly as societies

become more globally

inter-dependent

PG progression: POLAR

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

8%

9%

10%

2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Academic year (qualifying)

Tra

nsit

ion

rate

(1yr)

Taught masters - high

Other PG - low

Taught masters - low

Other PG - high

PG research - high

PG research - low

Certain17%

Likely27%

Not sure25%

Unlikely22%

Definitely not9%

IAGS 2013: how likely are you to progress to pg study?

What factors put you off studying at postgraduate level?

%

21

62

13

33

25

7

2

3

1

18

44

16

16

'

Not applicable

Lack of flexibility in delivery method

Lack of flexibility in timetable

Lack of comparable information

Family and personal commitments

PG study is time consuming

PG qualifications are not a requirement

Not knowing what to study

Being in a job

I do not want to study at PG level

Fear of debt

Overall cost of living

Course fees

FREQUENCY

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

IAGS 2013: what factors put you off studying at PG level? (students who were neither ‘certain’ nor ‘likely’

Postgraduate Support Scheme (PSS)

• The Postgraduate Support Scheme (PSS) invited proposals for £25 million funding for pilot projects that test options for finance and activity aimed at stimulating progression into taught postgraduate education, particularly among currently under-represented groups and in areas that support the Government’s ambitions for economic growth.

• 20 pilot projects have been funded to support more than 1,700 students across 40 universities through a range of activities including financial and pastoral support, mentoring and networking, curricula change, funded studentships, work placements and a variety of bursary and loan schemes.

• A programme analyst is jointly funded by HEFCE and ESRC and drawing out findings from projects, highlighting innovations, challenges and gaps, and feeding into HEFCE advice to Government about postgraduate funding from 2015-16.

PSS and PG funding 2015-16

In July 2013, BIS announced it would study success of PSS to

inform investment of an additional £50m repurposed

from the National Scholarship Programme to support students

from less advantaged backgrounds to access PG

education.

PG Funding 2015-16 and beyond

• In the Autumn Statement, Government signalled its intention to provide further PSS funding in 2015-16 and also develop a PGT loan scheme for 2016-17

• £50m for 2015-2016

• Building on PSS 2014-15

• £5,000 awards to be match funded (£10,000 per student)

• Loans for 2016-17:

– Income contingent

– Under 30 years old

– Postgraduate taught masters in any subject

– Up to £10,000

• General election

• Spending review

• Measuring success

• Focused funding method

Challenges for HEFCE

‘Universities and colleges are major contributors to inter-and intra-generational social mobility. They enable individuals from all backgrounds to achieve their full potential as citizens, as professionals, and as highly skilled and valued employees. While progress has been made in the last five years to improve access to higher education from under-represented groups, there is still more to do. Continuing the improvement in participation from all under-represented groups, and eliminating unacceptable disparities in achievement and progression outcomes, therefore remain important objectives on which HEFCE will continue to lead’.

Source: Creating and sustaining the conditions for a world-leading higher education system: HEFCE business plan, 2015-2020

Why HEFCE supports student opportunity

Thank you for listening

s.howls@hefce.ac.uk

How to find out more

e-mail hefce@hefce.ac.uk

Twitter http://twitter.com/hefce

web-site www.hefce.ac.uk

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