Academic year 2021/22

Higher Education Entrants and Qualifiers by their Level 2 and 3 Attainment

This is the latest data
Published
Release type
Receive updates
Sign up for email alerts

Introduction

This ad hoc statistics publication presents a time-series of English-domiciled full time first degree entrants to UK higher education providers from 2016/17 to 2021/22 by their level 2 and 3 attainment.

The number and proportion of entrants in 2016/17 and 2017/18 who complete their qualification (level 4+) within 5 years are also estimated.

The student entrant population includes those studying full time for their first level 6 (degree level) qualification at higher and further education providers. This excludes students who have already achieved a qualification at level 6 or higher previously. Other exclusions are those intending to undertake an Integrated Master’s Degree, a Foundation Degree and other level 4/5 courses, or a higher level apprenticeship in the cohort year of entry. 

However, if a student initially studies for a level 6 qualification and then changes their qualification type throughout their studies and still completes an HE level qualification (level 4+), they are counted as a qualifier.

The purpose of this release is to inform on the relationship between students who complete their degree and their prior attainment, rather than the completion rates of the higher education sector. Previous analysis shows that higher education (HE) outcomes differ by prior academic attainment.

Higher education providers (HEPs) set their own qualification requirements for entry onto level 6 courses. This can be academic attainment at level 3 (A level or equivalent) and/or level 2 (GCSE or equivalent), or other requirements.

Headline facts and figures - 2021/22

Explore data and files used in this release

  • View or create your own tables

    View tables that we have built for you, or create your own tables from open data using our table tool

  • Data catalogue

    Browse and download open data files from this release in our data catalogue

  • Data guidance

    Learn more about the data files used in this release using our online guidance

  • Download all data (ZIP)

    Download all data available in this release as a compressed ZIP file

1. About this release

Introduction

This publication presents a time series of English-domiciled full time first degree entrants at UK higher education providers from 2016/17 to 2021/22 by their level 2 and 3 attainment. Also, the proportion of entrants in 2016/17 and 2017/18 who complete their qualification (level 4+) within 5 years is presented. This allows reasonable duration for course completion given most degrees are intended to be completed in 3 years on average, when studied full time. 

For information on data processing and data quality of these statistics, please see the methodology section.

Previous publications on prior attainment and HE outcomes

The Office for Students (OfS) has previously published analysis on prior academic attainment and higher education outcomes, which can be found at the links below:

Figures presented in this publication will differ from those published by the OfS due to differences in coverage of the student population. The OfS also publishes on students in English higher education providers only, this publication looks at English-domiciled students at UK-wide providers. 

Please note that a different methodology has been used to that of the OfS (which is used for regulation purposes) to produce the completion rates. For example, OfS count students still in study in the numerator of their metric.

Data sources

This publication presents analysis of English-domiciled HE students studying at UK providers from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) ‘Student’ and ‘Student Alternative’ record which is collected by JISC, as well as students studying first degrees at further education providers (FEPs) found in the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) which is collected by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (EFSA).

To produce these statistics, information has been standardised across both the HESA and ILR datasets. Extensive data processing is required to harmonise the information across the HESA and ILR data. Students can be recorded through both collections; duplicates have therefore been removed. Where there was duplication of students across the HESA and ILR records, the HESA record was retained.

The HESA and ILR records collect information on all students studying for higher education qualifications (level 4+) in the UK who follow courses that lead to the award of a qualification or provider credit. These data collections include the following information relevant to this analysis:

  • Student domicile
  • Course aims (e.g. level 6 study)
  • Course completion
  • Entry qualifications (e.g. level 3 attainment)

The HESA and ILR data are matched to the Young Persons Matched Administrative Dataset (YPMAD) to determine the student’s level 2 attainment.

More information on the data sources used can be found in the methodology.

Coverage

This release refers only to English-domiciled full time students at UK providers doing their first study aims at education level 6. This excludes students who have already achieved a qualification at level 6 or higher previously. Other exclusions are those intending to undertake an Integrated Master’s Degree, a Foundation Degree and other level 4/5 courses, or a higher level apprenticeship in the cohort year of entry. However, if a student changes their learning aim to another qualification level 4+, and complete within 5 years of study, they are counted as a qualifier.

Analysis is presented for English-domiciled learners to reflect funding eligibility more closely and allow for consistent comparisons across both HESA and ILR sources.

Methodology

There are multiple ways a higher education qualifier can be defined. In turn, this affects the overall completion rate.

Below three different methods of completion are considered along with how this affects the completion rate:

  1. Number of entrants who complete a course within 5 years at the same provider they started at in year (x) / All entrants in year (x)

    This is the method used in this publication.

    This results in an under-estimate of all students who complete their degree as it does not consider students who may transfer their studies to a different provider or drop-out and start a new course at another provider.

  2. Number of entrants who complete any course they started within 5 years from entrant year (x) / All entrants in year (x)

    This results in a higher estimation of completion than method (1) as it considers that students change their mind and allows them to gain qualification at any provider.

  3. Number of entrants who complete a course within 5 years at the same provider they started at in year (x) / Entrants in year (x) who did not re-enter HE in a subsequent year

    This results in a higher estimation of completion than method (1) and (2) as it acknowledges that students change their mind but does not consider that those that re-enter HE may also not complete that qualification either. 

Caveats

This analysis shows the association between student attainment and completion of higher education qualifications, rather than a regulatory-quality measure of completion.

The analysis on completion does not include students that are still in study. It is estimated that only around 2% of students at UK HEPs who have not completed their degree within 5 years are still in study.

For some students the journey from entering to completing higher education is non-linear. Students can change their mind throughout their studies, from their mode of study (full-time or part-time), qualification aims (e.g. Bachelor's degree to Integrated Master's degree), course studied or provider.

Although this release covers full time first degree entrants, if the student changes their mode of study or qualification aims throughout their studies and complete a level 4+ qualification, they are counted as a qualifier. Students that transfer to another course at the same provider within their studies (as opposed to dropping out and re-entering) and complete their degree are also deemed as a qualifier in this release. 

Students who transfer to another provider during their studies or drop out and start a new course at another provider and complete their degree are not counted as a qualifier here (though they will be counted as a qualifier for subsequent years if they re-enter higher education and complete their second course of study). The OfS estimated that 3.2% of English-domiciled first degree entrants in 2016/17 continued their studies but at a different higher education provider. This varies by level 3 qualifications achieved, more information can be found here: Continuation, non-continuation and transfer rates - Office for Students. 

This publication does not consider other factors beyond prior academic attainment which may influence a student’s likelihood of completing their degree. For example, students’ personal characteristics and background, higher education provider, or course studied are not controlled for.

Investigation of the student records on the HESA and ILR showed that there were differences in the routes that entrants took through higher education. Students studying at further education providers (in the ILR) were more likely to have taken previous level 4 or 5 study, compared to those entrants studying in HE providers (on the HESA Student Record). Therefore, direct comparisons between completion rates between the two groups should be treated with caution as are likely to have different educational backgrounds.

Furthermore, the ILR only covers educational provision in England, unlike HESA which is UK wide. Therefore, coverage of English-domiciled learners studying HE at FEPs outside of England are missing. However, this prevalence is expected to be low.

The Methodology Note for this release also provides further details about the missing information at both level 2 and level 3 attainment in the underlying data sources used. A link is provided below:

Higher Education Entrants and Qualifiers by their Level 2 and 3 Attainment 

COVID-19 impacts

Exam assessment

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, and alternative processes set up to award grades. 

GCSE and A/AS level

In 2020, students scheduled to sit GCSE and A/AS level exams in the summer were awarded either a centre assessment grade (CAG, based on what the school or college believed the student would most likely have achieved had exams gone ahead) or their calculated grade using a model developed by Ofqual - whichever was the higher of the two.

In summer 2021, students were awarded grades based on an assessment by their teachers using a range of available evidence (TAG). Students were only assessed on the content they had been taught.

Vocational and technical qualifications

For vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) in 2020, where centre assessment was used, grades were often available at unit level, and awarding organisations were able to use assessments already completed during the course as a basis for calculating the results they issued. For some qualifications, adapted assessment also meant centre assessment grades were not needed. 

Similarly, in 2021 some VTQ grades were decided using teacher-assessed grades, others using normal assessment routes, and some through adapted assessment such as remote invigilation.

For further information on the process to award grades in 2020 and 2021 see the following links:

Data 

HESA published a COVID-19 insight brief that analyses the impact of the pandemic on student data and trends across the years of enrolments and qualifications across various characteristics.

The varying COVID-19 restrictions will also have impacted on learners as well as provider reporting behaviour via the ILR. For example, a number of providers experienced administrative hold-ups resulting in some achievements that were not reported in the 2019/20 academic year being carried over to 2020/21 or 2021/22.

Additional care should be taken in comparing and interpreting data for academic years 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 in this release.

Go to top

2. HE entrants by level 2 attainment

General trends in the number of entrants

Between the academic years 2016/17 and 2021/22, the total number of English domiciled full time first degree entrants studying at UK higher education providers (HEPs) increased by 14.7% from 333,575 to 382,605.

In 2021/22, 377,125 (98.6%) entrants were studying at HEPs, while just 1.4% or 5,485 entrants were studying at Further Education Providers (FEPs). The number of entrants at HEPs has continued to increase annually since 2016/17, while the number of entrants has generally declined at FEPs. 

First degree entrants at HEPs increased to 377,125 in 2021/22 up by 49,990 (+15.3%) on 2016/17. While those at FEPs fell to 5,485 in 2021/22, down by 955 (-14.8%) on 2016/17. 

Level 2 attainment

In 2021/22, the majority of HE entrants had achieved GCSEs in both English and maths above C/Grade 4 (henceforth CC/Grade 4). This was the first year in the time series where over half of HE entrants at FEPs attained this level 2 achievement.

Higher Education Providers

Across the time series, around two thirds of HE entrants at HEPs achieved GCSEs in both English and maths above CC/Grade 4. This increased from 67.4% of entrants in 2016/17 to 68.1% in 2019/20 and 2020/21 and remained level at 68.0% of entrants in 2021/22. 

The proportion of HE entrants with missing or unknown level 2 attainment has increased over the time series from 7.6% of entrants in 2016/17 to 13.9% in 2021/22. This is because of the growth in the number of mature learners for whom data is missing from the YPMAD. This has been coupled with a decline in the proportion of students attaining GCSEs in English and maths at CC/Grade 4.

Further Education Providers

In contrast, 56.2% of entrants at FEPs in 2021/22 had attained GCSE English and maths above CC/Grade 4. This has increased by 13.1 percentage points from 43.1% of entrants in 2016/17. 

Additionally, just over one fifth (21%) of entrants in 2021/22 at FEPs had attained GCSE English and maths at CC/Grade 4.

The gap in level 2 prior attainment between entrants at HEPs and FEPs has narrowed between 2016/17 and 2021/22. In 2020/21, 77.1% of entrants at FEPs, compared to 76.5% at HEPs, attained GCSE in English and maths at CC/Grade 4 or above. However, because of the increase in the proportion of mature entrants at HEPs that were not matched to the YPMAD, direct comparisons between HEPs and FEPs are difficult to interpret. 

The proportion of entrants with missing or unknown level 2 attainment at FEPs has declined by 3 percentage points over the time period from 9.2% of entrants in 2016/17 to 6.2% of entrants in 2021/22.

Go to top

3. HE entrants by level 3 attainment

See previous section for general trends in HE entrants.

Level 3 attainment

Level 3 attainment is categorised differently for students at HEPs and FEPs. For students in the HESA Student Record (studying at HEPs) level 3 attainment is derived from their UCAS tariff points and converted to equivalent  A level grades. Level 3 attainment for those with ILR records (studying in FEPs) is categorised by the types of qualifications these students have achieved.

Higher Education Providers

The share of entrants at HEPs across the level 3 attainment groups have remained largely consistent across the time series, with changes seen in a couple of attainment groups. 

The largest percentage change over the period was in the proportion of entrants at HEPs with 0 points at level 3. This increased by 4 percentage points from 14.7% of entrants in 2016/17 to 18.7% of entrants in 2021/22. Again, this increase can be attributed to the rise in mature students over this period. Many of these students were admitted on ‘previous experience and/or admissions tests’ or holding ‘level 3 qualifications of which none are subject to UCAS Tariff’.

There were pronounced percentage changes for the proportion of entrants achieving ‘A*A*A*+’ (down 2.3 percentage points) and ‘DDD to<CCC’ (down 2.2 percentage points) in 2021/22 compared to 2016/17. 

In contrast, the proportion achieving ‘BBB to <AAA’ and ‘AAA to <A*A*A*’ increased by 1.9 and 1.4 percentage points respectively to 20.1% and 17.9% in 2021/22 compared to 2016/17.

Overall in 2021/22, 53.9% of entrants at HEPs had achieved ‘BBB’ or higher (‘A*A*A*+’, ‘AAA to <A*A*A*’ or BBB to <AAA’). This was an increase on 2016/17 at 52.9%.

Further Education Providers

Across the time series, the most commonly presented previous level 3 qualification type for entrants to FEPs was vocational qualifications only, followed by those presenting a mix of vocational and academic qualifications.

There was a large increase in the percentage of entrants with only qualifications classified as ‘other’ (including apprenticeships, occupational, or other general qualifications) across the time series. The proportion of entrants presenting with these qualifications increased from 5.4% to 18.1% between 2016/17 and 2021/22. 

In 2021/22, 8.7% of entrants had attained ‘A or AS level only’ qualifications, down 6.9 percentage points from 15.7% in 2016/17. 

The percentage of entrants at FEPs with no or missing qualifications at level 3 has remained stable at around 6-7% since 2016/17.

Go to top

4. HE entrants by level 2 & 3 attainment

Level 2 and 3 attainment

Across entrants at HEPs and FEPs, higher level 2 attainment is associated with higher level 3 attainment across the time period considered (2016/17 to 2021/22).

Higher Education Providers

In HEPs, entrants were more likely to have obtained higher grades at level 3 where they had achieved GCSE or Functional Skills qualifications in English and maths at level 2. 

In 2021/22, the following proportions of entrants achieved the three highest level 3 category bands (‘A*A*A*+’, ‘AAA to < A*A*A*’, ‘BBB to <AAA’) when they had the following level 2 attainment:

  • 65.2% when the entrants had previously obtained GCSEs or Functional Skills in both English and maths
  • 24.7% when the entrants had not previously obtained GCSEs or Functional Skills in both English and maths
  • 8.5% when the entrants’ level 2 attainment was missing or unknown.

Across the time series, entrants who had not achieved GCSEs or Functional Skills in both English and maths or had missing/unknown attainment at level 2, were most likely to have 0 points at level 3. In 2021/22, this was 43.2% of entrants without GCSEs or Functional Skills in both English and maths and 84.1% of entrants with missing/unknown level 2 attainment.

Further Education Providers

In 2021/22, entrants at FEPs with GCSEs or Functional Skills in both English and maths at level 2 were most likely to have vocational qualifications (40.5%) or a mix of qualifications (30.3%). These entrants were least likely to have no or missing qualifications at level 3 (1.5%).

However, entrants with no GCSEs or Functional Skills in both English and maths at level 2 were least likely to have only A or AS level qualifications across the time period. 

In 2021/22, these entrants were most likely to have level 3 vocational qualifications only at 43.4%. This fell from 52.6% of entrants with no GCSEs or Functional Skills in both English and maths at level 2 in 2016/17. This change was because the number of entrants with GCSE or Functional Skills not achieved in both English and maths are very small, and entrant percentage changes are very volatile across the entrant cohort time-series. In addition, level 3 qualifications classified as ‘other’ (including apprenticeships, occupational, or other general qualifications) increased from just 7.4% of entrants in 2016/17 to 21.4% of entrants in 2021/22.

The number of entrants with no GCSEs or Functional Skills in both English and maths at level 2 and no or missing level 3 qualifications also fluctuated from around 19% to 27% across the time series.

Go to top

5. General trends in HE qualifiers and further research

General trends in the number of qualifiers

Completion rates are only available for the 2016/17 and 2017/18 full time first-degree entrant cohorts to allow the students up to 5 years to complete their degree. 

This analysis does not control for other factors which are likely to influence level 2 and 3 attainment and degree completion, such as student background characteristics.

Completion rates for all UK providers (HEPs and FEPs) were 80.4% in the 2016/17 entrant cohort and lower at 79.9% in the 2017/18 entrant cohort. 

At the aggregate level, the completion rate fell for HEPs from 80.6% in the entry cohort for 2016/17 to 80.1% in the 2017/18 entrant cohort. 

Completion rates were around 11-12 percentage points lower in FEPs compared to HEPs, however they increased from 68.2% of the 2016/17 entrant cohort compared to 69.3% of the 2017/18 entrant cohort. 

Research into non-continuation at UK universities

Research shows there are a number of reasons why HE entrants may not complete their degree. Factors include:

  • Loneliness and homesickness, arising from lack of social networks and/or feeling of ‘not fitting in’.
  • Study difficulties or poor choice of course, one study showed one in four students would select another university/course if they were to choose again.
  • Financial difficulties, including having to work longer hours in a paid job and/or inability to participate in activities are also reasons for non-continuation.  
  • Travel and commuting time, some evidence suggests this may impact completion rates.
  • Physical and/or mental health issues, disabled students and students reporting mental health problems have been found more likely to drop out of university.
  • Whilst all these factors can be similar for disadvantaged and advantaged students, the effects can be greater for disadvantaged students as they have fewer buffers and the notion of ‘fish out of water’ is particularly significant for this group.

Evidence from the Learning from Futuretrack: dropout from higher education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) cohort study of entrants in 2006 showed that among young entrants to HE (those aged under 21 years), the respondents’ prior level of academic achievement explained the higher odds of dropout for respondents from disadvantaged family backgrounds. Socio-economic background was no longer significantly associated with the probability of dropout from HE after taking into account the academic achievement of students from different backgrounds.

Resources and further reading:

Go to top

6. HE qualifiers by level 2 attainment

See previous section for general trends in HE qualifiers. 

Level 2 attainment and completion rates

The data show a positive association between level 2 attainment and the proportion of entrants qualifying within 5 years of study. Students with higher level 2 attainment were more likely to complete their first degree qualifications in this period. This is consistent with the evidence from the research into non-continuation at UK Universities in the section above.

Higher Education Providers

In the 2017/18 entrant cohort for HEPs, 84.4% of entrants with GCSE in English and maths above CC/Grade 4 completed their first degree programme within 5 years. This contrasts with 63.5% of these entrants with no GCSE or Functional Skills in English and maths who completed their degree.

However, the positive association between level 2 attainment and degree completion does not hold for entrants with missing/unknown level 2 attainment; 74.5% of these entrants in the 2017/18 cohort completed their degree. 

Entrants with Missing/unknown level 2 attainment at HEPs in both 2016/17 and 2017/18 had higher completion rates than all the other level 2 attainment groups, except those that achieved GCSE in English and maths above CC/Grade 4. 

Further Education Providers

For FEPs, the association between entrants’ level 2 attainment and completion rates appears to be weaker. In 2017/18, completion rates were very similar between both cohorts with different level 2 qualification profiles in English and maths:

  • For those with GCSEs in English and maths above CC/Grade 4, the completion rate was 71.1%.
  • For those with GCSEs in English and maths at CC/Grade 4 the completion rate was 72.6%.
  • For those with GCSEs or Functional Skills in English and maths the completion rate was 72.4%.
  • For those with GCSEs or Functional Skills in English or maths the completion rate was 68.1%. 

Only where entrants had no GCSEs or Functional Skills in English and maths was the completion rate considerably lower at 49.6%.

Go to top

7. HE qualifiers by level 3 attainment

Level 3 attainment

Level 3 attainment is categorised differently for students at HEPs and FEPs. For students in the HESA Student Record (studying at HEPs) level 3 attainment is derived from their UCAS tariff points and converted to equivalent  A level grades. Level 3 attainment for those with ILR records (studying in FEPs) is categorised by the types of qualifications these students have achieved.

Higher Education Providers

Completion rates for HEP entrants at level 3 were slightly higher for 2016/17 entrants at both the aggregate level and for all comparable attainment bands compared to the 2017/18 entrant cohort, except at ‘CCC <BBB’, where they were the same. 

At HEPs there was a general trend that groups of entrants who had higher level 3 attainment also had higher completion rates.

Entrants in 2017/18 with the highest three level 3 attainment, ‘A*A*A*+’ (86.2%), ‘AAA to < A*A*A*’ (84.0%) and ‘BBB to <AAA’ (84.6%) had the highest completion rates. Completion rates for these level 3 attainment bands were also very similar in the earlier 2016/17 entrant cohort.

Completion rates then declined consecutively by A level equivalent attainment bands. However, an increase in the completion rate is seen in the lowest two attainment groups ‘<E’ (62.4%) and ‘0 points’ (70.0%) respectively compared to the ‘E to <EE’ group (at 57.9%). 

Further Education Providers

For FEP entrants, completion rates were slightly higher for those who started their degrees in 2017/18 (69.3%) compared to those who started in 2016/17 (68.2%), though this varied by level 3 qualification band. The prior attainment data at level 3 is categorised according to the type of qualification held by the entrants. 

For those starting their degrees in 2017/18, completion rates:

  • Were similar for those with A or AS level only (72.6%), vocational qualifications only (70.2%), other qualifications (73.4%) and mixed qualifications (72.8%).
  • In contrast, completion rates for those with no or missing qualifications at level 3 was lower at 35.1%. However, there were a relatively small number of entrants with no or missing qualifications (460 entrants).
Go to top

8. HE qualifiers by level 2 & 3 attainment

Level 2 and 3 attainment

Generally, across entrants at HEPs and FEPs in both 2016/17 and 2017/18, higher level 2 and 3 attainment is associated with higher completion rates.

There is a clearer pattern of prior academic attainment at levels 2 and 3 being associated with completion of degrees for HEP students, however the picture is a little more complex for those studying in FEPs.

Higher Education Providers

The highest completion rates were found for entrants in 2017/18 who had the highest achievement of both level 2 and 3 attainment and were lowest for those without GCSEs or Functional Skills in both English and Maths and who also achieved less than ‘EE’ at level 3 (excluding 0 points):

  • GCSEs or Functional Skills achieved in both English and maths and high level 3 attainment:
    • A*A*A*+ (86.5% completed HE qualifications) 
    • AAA to <A*A*A* (84.6% completed HE qualifications)
    • BBB to <AAA (85.3% completed HE qualifications)

Patterns in completion rates by level 2 and 3 attainment were similar for the 2016/17 and 2017/18 entrant cohorts where entrant numbers were higher, but completion rates were more volatile and varied where entrant numbers were low.

Entrants to HEPs in 2017/18 with missing or unknown level 2 attainment in English and maths who then attained highly at level 3 had similar completion rates:

  • Missing/unknown level 2 attainment and level 3 attainment:
    • A*A*A*+ (87.1%)
    • AAA to <A*A*A* (85.2%)
    • BBB to <AAA (84.7%)

Completion rates were lower for 2017/18 entrants who had not achieved GCSEs or Functional Skills in both English and maths, even if they had high level 3 attainment: A*A*A*+ (79.5%), AAA to <A*A*A* (72.9%) or BBB to <AAA (73.1%). 

The lowest completion rates were found for entrants in 2017/18 who had not achieved GCSEs or Functional Skills in English and maths and achieved E to <EE at level 3 at 43.9%. However, it is worth noting that there are relatively few students who have these levels of achievement at level 2 and 3 attainment who participate in higher education (420 entrants in 2017/18). 

Entrants in HEPs with missing/unknown level 2 attainment had higher completion rates than those without GCSEs or Functional Skills in both English and maths across all level 3 attainment groups in both cohorts. 

For example, in 2017/18 completion rates for those that attained A*A*A*+ at level 3 were 7.6 percentage points higher for those with Missing/unknown level 2 (87.1%) compared to those with GCSEs or Functional Skills not achieved in both English and maths (79.5%). These differences increased by over 25 percentage points for lower level 3 categories such as ‘<E’ and ‘E to <EE’.  This can be attributed to mature learners with both low or missing level 2 and 3 with high levels of completion.

Further Education Providers

For entrants to FEPs, completion rates for different combinations of level 2 and 3 attainment were more volatile across the two cohorts compared to HEPs, which is likely to be because of the small underlying numbers of entrants. 

Completion rates for FEPs appear to be less strongly associated with combined level 2 and 3 attainment. 

For example, for students with A or AS level qualifications, completion rates were higher for those who did not achieve GCSEs or Functional Skills in English and maths compared to those that did. For 2017/18 entrants, 72.5% of those with A or AS level and with GCSEs or Functional Skills in English and maths completed their degree compared to 75.8% without this level 2 attainment.  However, it should be noted that there are a small number of students with A or AS level qualifications who do not have GCSEs or Functional Skills in English and maths (35 entrants in 2017/18). 

Conversely, completion rates were higher when the student had achieved GCSEs or Functional Skills in English and maths compared to those that didn’t when they had vocational qualifications only or other qualifications only at level 3. 

For example, among 2017/18 entrants with vocational only qualifications at level 3, 71.2% of those with GCSEs or Functional Skills in English and maths completed their courses, compared to 67.8% of those who did not have this level 2 attainment.

Go to top

Help and support

Methodology

Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.

Ad hoc official statistics

Ad hoc official statistics are one off publications that have been produced as far as possible in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

This can be broadly interpreted to mean that these statistics are:

  • managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
  • meet identified user needs
  • produced according to sound methods
  • well explained and readily accessible

Find out more about the standards we follow to produce these statistics through our Standards for official statistics published by DfE guidance.

Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about Higher Education Entrants and Qualifiers by their Level 2 and 3 Attainment statistics and data:

HEA Priority Statistics Policy Support Team

Email: PSPSTeam@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Steve White

Press office

If you have a media enquiry:

Telephone: 020 7783 8300

Public enquiries

If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:

Telephone: 037 0000 2288

Opening times:
Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays)