Part-time Students And part-time Study In Higher ... - Universities UK

Executive summaryIntroductionThis report is about undergraduate students’ experience of, and attitudes towards, part-time study,its costs and student support. It was commissioned by Universities UK and GuildHE (previouslySCOP).The study was carried out by Professor Claire Callender of London South Bank University, the PolicyStudies Institute, and GfK NOP Ltd. It is based on an online survey of 2,654 students drawn from 25higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK, and was conducted between November 2005 andJanuary 2006.The students surveyed were not representative of all part-time undergraduates in the UK, and overrepresentstudents undertaking a first degree.Students’ choicesAffordability was the key reason why students choose to study part-time rather than full-time as theycould not afford to give up their job, especially if working full-time. Other, pragmatic factors alsoshaped students’ decisions and choices. The vast majority were working and a sizeable minority alsohad family ties, and so their choices were both constrained and influenced by these commitments –part-time study had to be fitted around these realities and the other demands of their daily lives. So,students were drawn to part-time study because it was more convenient, particularly for studentswith children, and those choosing to study via distance learning courses. Convenience also affectedwhere they studied. They selected an HEI because the timing of the courses suited their existingcommitments and because of its proximity to work or home. However, the subjects on offer were themost common reason for choosing a particular HEI.Students’ motives for studying were primarily instrumental. Most important were their desire to gain aqualification and improve their skills, labour market and career prospects – concerns linked to theLifelong Learning agenda of 'upskilling'. However, they were also motivated by intellectual factors,such as an interest in the subject and a desire to be stretched intellectually or continue their learning.The costs of studyThe total costs of study – tuition fees and other course costs – amounted to an average £1,385 overthe 2004/05 academic year. Some 59 per cent of this was spent on tuition fees and the remaining 41per cent on other course costs such as books, computers, travel etc.The costs of tuition varied considerably. The mean amount of tuition fees charged by the HEIsattended was £821 and the median was £800 over the academic year, which equated to £1,480 and£1,200 respectively for a full-time equivalent course.Three in five students paid for some of their tuition/course fees out of their own pocket, with theremainder getting financial support from their employer (35%) or a Government grant (13%).Students employed full-time (mostly men) were more than two and half times more likely than thoseemployed part-time (mostly women) to have had some of their fees paid by their employer (45%compared with 17%); three times more likely to have had their fees paid in full by their employerPart-time students and part-time study: Strand 3 Universities UK 5