Enrolments at UK Higher Education Institutions: Northern Ireland Analysis 2024/25 and Qualifications gained at UK Higher Education Institutions: Northern Ireland Analysis 2024/25
Date published:
The Department has today published official statistics on enrolments and qualifications at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), providing analysis on Northern Ireland HEIs and Northern Ireland domiciled students at UK HEIs.
Enrolments at NI HEIs Key Points:
- Enrolments at the five NI HEIs in 2024/25 totalled 65,695. This is an increase of 3% from last year (63,875) and 20% from 2015/16 (54,940). The five HEIs include Queen’s University Belfast, St. Mary’s University College, Stranmillis University College, The Open University (NI), and Ulster University (including campuses in London, Birmingham, and Manchester).
- Within this, undergraduate enrolments increased by 5%, postgraduate enrolments decreased by 3%, and ‘other undergraduate’ enrolments increased by 47%. Undergraduate enrolments account for 70% of total enrolments.
- 71% of students at NI HEIs are from NI, 18% from non-EU countries, 6% from the Republic of Ireland, 4% from GB, less than 1% from other EU countries.
Qualifiers at NI HEIs Key Points:
- The number of qualifications awarded at NI HEIs was 14% lower than in 2023/24, decreasing from 25,200 in 2023/24 to 21,720 in 2024/25. Over the past decade, the number of qualifications awarded has increased by 37% since 2015/16 (15,845).
- Postgraduate qualifications decreased by 27%, while ‘other undergraduate’ awards decreased slightly (from 1,840 to 1,800) and a slight increase in first degree qualifications (from 10,245 to 10,280).
- Almost half (47%) of students gaining qualifications from NI HEIs in 2024/25 did so in a Broad STEM subject, including over one fifth (22%) in a Narrow STEM subject. A higher proportion of females (50%) than males (44%) qualified in a Broad STEM related subject, whereas males (31%) were nearly twice as likely as females (16%) to gain their qualification in a Narrow STEM related subject.
The full publications, including associated tables and documents, are available on the DfE website at www.economy-ni.gov.uk/articles/higher-education-enrolments and at https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/articles/higher-education-qualifications.
Notes to editors:
- The statistics presented in these bulletins are based on data collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the official agency for the collection of information on UK universities, which is now part of Jisc, the Designated Data Body for HE in England. HESA collects information from all publicly funded universities throughout Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and Higher Education (HE) providers in England registered with the Office for Students (OfS) in the Approved (fee cap) or Approved categories.
- The HESA data used to produce these bulletins relate to students at HE institutions in the UK and do not include HE students at Further Education (FE) colleges in NI or GB, or at institutions in the Republic of Ireland.
- Higher Education students for the purpose of HESA's data collection are those on courses for which the level of instruction is above that of Level 3 of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (for example, courses at the level of Certificate of HE and above).
- The academic year runs from 1st August to 31st July.
- Narrow STEM includes the following subject areas: Biological and sports sciences; Psychology; Physical sciences; Mathematical sciences; Engineering and technology; Computing; and Geography, earth and environmental studies (natural sciences).
- Broad STEM includes all those in Narrow STEM along with the following: Medicine and dentistry; Subjects allied to medicine; Veterinary sciences; Agriculture, food and related studies; and Architecture, building and planning.
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