Academic year 2018/19

Higher Level Learners in England

Data guidance

Published

Description

This document describes the data included in the Higher Level Learners in England, 2018/19 ad hoc statistical release’s underlying data files. 

Coverage

This release refers only to learners in England doing study aims at education levels 4 to 8 (opens in a new tab)

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

Most of the data included in this release refers to academic year 2018/19. More recent data for 2019/20 are available from HESA and ESFA (in the ILR), but further data processing will be required before they can be included in the statistical release. Time series data for academic years 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 has also been included at summary level.

Rounding and suppression

The Code of Practice for Official Statistics (opens in a new tab) requires DfE to take reasonable steps to ensure that its published or disseminated statistics protect confidentiality.

Throughout the publication, all numbers are rounded to the nearest 5 to preserve confidentiality. Percentages are calculated on pre-rounded data but are not published if they are fractions of a small group of people (fewer than 22.5).

Due to rounding, it is possible that the sum of the category percentages may not always total to 100%.

Data files

All data files associated with this releases are listed below with guidance on their content. To download any of these files, please visit our data catalogue.

Headline summary boxes

Filename
headline_stats_summary_211017.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018/19
Content

Headline statistics used in the blue summary boxes of the publication.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
entrants_level4Entrants to Level 4 in 2018/19
entrants_level5Entrants to Level 5 in 2018/19
entrants_level6Entrants to Level 6 in 2018/19
entrants_level7Entrants to Level 7 in 2018/19
entrants_level8Entrants to Level 8 in 2018/19
percentage_HEPsPercentage of higher-level entrants registered in Higher Education Providers (HEPs) in 2018/19

Higher level learners by age group - 2018/19 academic year

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_age_group.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England by age, academic year 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
age_groupAge group
he_type_broadType of higher level learning
levelQualification level
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students by characteristic
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants by characteristic
Footnotes
  1. See the about release section for explanation of differences from other official statistics on apprenticeships and higher education.

Higher level learners by disability - 2018/19 academic year

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_disability.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England by disability, academic year 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
disabilityDisability status
he_type_broadType of higher level learning
levelQualification level
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students by characteristic
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants by characteristic
Footnotes
  1. See the about release section for explanation of differences from other official statistics on apprenticeships and higher education.

Higher level learners by equivalent or lower qualification - 2018/19 academic year

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_equivalent_or_lower_qualification.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England by Equivalent or Lower Qualification (ELQ) status, academic year 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
equivalent_or_lower_qualificationEquivalent or lower qualification
he_type_broadType of higher level learning
levelQualification level
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students by characteristic
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants by characteristic
Footnotes
  1. Caution should be applied when interpreting these statistics due to the high level of unknowns. To allow for comparisons across learning types, the following percentages are based on learners where ELQ status is known.

Higher level learners by ethnicity - 2018/19 academic year

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_ethnicity.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England by ethnicity, academic year 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
ethnicityEthinicity
he_type_broadType of higher level learning
levelQualification level
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students by characteristic
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants by characteristic
Footnotes
  1. See the about release section for explanation of differences from other official statistics on apprenticeships and higher education.

Higher level learners by index of multiple deprivation quintile - 2018/19 academic year

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_imd_quintile.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England by Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) quintile of domicile, academic year 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
he_type_broadType of higher level learning
IMD_quintileIndex of multiple deprivation quintile
levelQualification level
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students by characteristic
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants by characteristic
Footnotes
  1. See the about release section for explanation of differences from other official statistics on apprenticeships and higher education.

Higher level learners by primary funding source - 2018/19 academic year

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_primary_funding_source.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England by primary funding source of tuition fees, academic year 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
he_type_broadType of higher level learning
levelQualification level
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students by characteristic
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants by characteristic
primary_funding_sourceFunding
Footnotes
  1. See the about release section for explanation of differences from other official statistics on apprenticeships and higher education.
  2. Those receiving a Master's Loan (https://www.gov.uk/masters-loan) are not reported as having a student loan as their primary source of tuition fee funding in this data. Unlike for undergraduate loans, money is paid directly to individual learners themselves and providers do not receive the student loans funding directly.

Higher level learners by provider category - 2018/19 academic year

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_provider_category.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England by registered provider type, academic year 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
he_type_broadType of higher level learning
levelQualification level
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students by characteristic
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants by characteristic
provider_categoryProvider category
Footnotes
  1. See the about release section for explanation of differences from other official statistics on apprenticeships and higher education.

Higher level learners by qualification aims - 201819 academic year

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_qualification_aim_211017_1400.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England by qualification aim, academic year 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
he_type_broadType of higher level learning
levelQualification level
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students by characteristic
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants by characteristic
qualification_aimQualification aim
Footnotes
  1. See the about release section for explanation of differences from other official statistics on apprenticeships and higher education.

Higher level learners by region - 2018/19 academic year

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_region_211018_2013.csv
Geographic levels
National; Regional
Time period
2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England by region of domicile, academic year 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
he_type_broadType of higher level learning
levelQualification level
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students by characteristic
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants by characteristic
Footnotes
  1. See the about release section for explanation of differences from other official statistics on apprenticeships and higher education.

Higher level learners by sex - 2018/19 academic year

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_gender.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England by sex, academic year 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
he_type_broadType of higher level learning
levelQualification level
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students by characteristic
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants by characteristic
sexGender
Footnotes
  1. See the about release section for explanation of differences from other official statistics on apprenticeships and higher education.

Higher level learners by study mode - 2015/16 to 2018/19 academic years

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_study_mode.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2015/16 to 2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England by mode of study, OfS-recognised HE only, academic years 2015/16 to 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
levelQualification level
mode_of_studyMode of study
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students by characteristic
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants by characteristic

Higher level learners by subject area - 2018/19 academic year

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_subject_area.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England by subject area of study, academic year 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
he_type_broadType of higher level learning
levelQualification level
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students by characteristic
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants by characteristic
subject_areaSubject area
Footnotes
  1. See the about release section for explanation of differences from other official statistics on apprenticeships and higher education.

Higher level learners by technical route - 2018/19 academic year

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_technical_route.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England by technical route, OfS-recognised HE and Other Higher Level learners only (i.e. excluding apprenticeships and institutional credit). Academic year 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
he_type_broadType of higher level learning
levelQualification level
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students by characteristic
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants by characteristic
technical_routeTechnical route

Higher level learners by type of higher level learning - 2015/16 to 2018/19 academic years

Filename
higher_level_learner_numbers_by_type_of_higher_level_learning_211017_1400.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2015/16 to 2018/19
Content

English domiciled entrants and total number of learners to higher-level learning in England, academic years 2015/16 to 2018/19

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
he_typeType of higher level learning
levelQualification level
number_of_entrantsNumber of entrants
number_of_students_totalAll students
percentage_all_students_by_characteristicPercentage of all students
percentage_entrants_by_characteristicPercentage of entrants
Footnotes
  1. The “Other Higher Level (Unfunded higher level)” category is a lower bound estimate. There is likely to be some unfunded-learning in FE providers that is not recorded as it is only mandatory for providers to record information in the ILR for their ESFA-funded learners. There may also be higher level learning in the private sector that is not recorded in administrative data held by government.
  2. See the about release section for explanation of differences from other official statistics on apprenticeships and higher education.