Controversy and anger over changes to student data in year of funding review

UCU today said it was frustrated that changes to the collection of data on students' backgrounds has made comparisons with previous years impossible. The union said the 'incredible' decision, taken for just this one year, meant that, in the year of a review of student funding, the change in the proportion of students from the poorest backgrounds going to university could not be accurately measured.
 
Figures released today by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show a slight increase in the percentage of students at university from state schools and a slight decrease in the percentage of students dropping out. UCU said it believed that the uncertain jobs market meant that more people wanted to enter further and higher education, which exposed the folly of widespread cuts to universities and colleges.
 
The university applications service, UCAS, changed the question that details socio-economic backgrounds for applicants in 2008/2009, which has made comparisons between 2008/2009 and previous years impossible. UCAS said it has reverted back to the old question for 2009/2010 applicants, so data for that year should be comparable with earlier data when it is released this time next year.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'It is quite incredible that the question on students' backgrounds has been changed and that comparisons with previous years are impossible. There is a review of student funding happening right now and we really need that information. The fact that the question has been changed back is little comfort when we are being denied the full picture of participation at university by students from the poorest backgrounds.
 
'Overall it is good to see a decrease in the number of students dropping out and a slight increase in the percentage of students from state schools entering higher education. We believe the difficult jobs market means that more people will want access to university. The sharp rise in applicants to higher education exposes the folly of widespread cuts to universities and colleges.'

She added: 'UCU firmly believes that universities need to look at a whole range of information when considering applications. A number of institutions have put different measures in place, but these figures suggest that students from poorer backgrounds still don't make the cut. It is worth remembering that it is not always a level playing field for pupils who come from areas or schools where there is not the tradition of going to Oxbridge or Russell Group institutions. It is of course in universities' interests to make the effort to select students carefully as research has shown students with lower grades from state schools outperforming their independent-schooled contemporaries when they reach university.'
 
More details and a full list institutions' drop-out rates
 
More on the change to the question on students' backgrounds