Academic Statistics Online
The 2010/11 publication of Academic Statistics is now available on-line (follow links on left or right hand side).
Introduction
The Academic Database was first produced following a decision by Senate in 1980 that the University needed to pay more explicit regard to quantitative factors or "performance indicators" in its academic planning and resource allocation. The Database was fundamentally revised in 2001/02 (and renamed Academic Statistics); additional tables were then added in 2003/04. For the 2005/06 edition a review of all users was undertaken with the responses helping to shape this latest edition. The 2005/06 edition and those following, which now incorporate over one hundred charts and tables, carry a Profile of each department, school and centre which, it is hoped, will provide for a more user-friendly document for departmental staff. In addition, the new structure is similar to that being presented to, and used by, the Academic Resourcing Committee to inform the academic planning process.
The report comprises a total of 10 sections which give an in-depth report on the students and staff of the University alongside data on the destinations of leavers, research grants and contracts and league table and other comparative information. Section 1 gives a profile of all students and staff at the University and sets this into the context of our position regionally. Section 2 provides an overview of student enrolments at the University and on externally taught courses along with data on degree results and PhD submission rates. Section 3 is sub-divided by department giving detailed information regarding applications received, offers made and enrolments to undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Section 4 presents information from the Careers Service taken from the University’s Destination of Leavers from Higher Education statistical return made to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Section 5 contains a set of tables on the University’s research grant and contract income, application and award rates. Section 6 provides some useful comparative data with other institutions. Section 7, Characteristics of the Student Population, presents information on both undergraduates and postgraduates on gender, ethnicity, social class, disability, and geo-demographic mix of the student population, and includes data on non-completions. Section 8 shows the University’s position in the most recent newspaper league table rankings. Section 9 presents a set of tables on staff in the University and includes information on the number of staff from ethnic minority groups. Finally, Section 10, which appears in the web-only version, provides a series of useful links to related, external sites. The data in both the hardcopy and on the web complies with the recommendations of the Cooke Report on Information on Quality and Standards in Higher Education (HEFCE 02/15).
All tables have notes which describe the data, showing its source, and indicating any links between individual tables and other University reports. It is important that the notes are read in conjunction with the data tables as, in some cases, they explain differences in figures between tables and clarify how the data has been generated.
Please note that the printed version of the document only contains the most commonly used tables, as the full document is now published on the web. For more details on how to access tables, please see below.
Overall, the Academic Statistics is intended to keep the University's staff, committees and academic departments well informed by providing them with a breadth of internal and external data that will assist them in making decisions as well as providing an authoritative source of management information (although it is of course, always important to remember that there is no absolute measure of performance in higher education). Also, caution should be taken when comparing external performance indicators with internal data as often the information is calculated differently, and may be extracted at different census dates. Drawing simple comparisons between data on departments in individual tables can also often be misleading.
It is hoped that users of the document find it to be a valuable resource. Further refinements are planned for future editions, including the identification of some primary performance indicators which can be derived from the same data set. Further suggestions for development are welcome.
Natalie Snodgrass Tan
Senior Assistant Registrar
Management Information and Planning Office
Earlier editions are only available in hard copy, on request from Natalie Snodgrass Tan, Management Information and Planning Office.
Important Note
The links to the tables and charts automatically open Microsoft Excel files. In some cases a dialogue box will appear asking if you wish to update the data in the sheets, in all instances you should click the 'no' button.
