Over the past decade the number of postgraduate students in Scottish higher education increased by 21%, official statistics show, reports MastersDegree.net Statistics Portal.
The Scottish Funding Council has lately published some interesting statistics on higher education in Scotland. As this data show, the sector is experiencing a steady growth and at a particular academic level, the growth is pretty impressive.
Between 2015/16 and 2016/17, the number of higher education students in Scotland increased by 2.5%, reaching 292,620 students. Postgraduate students accounted for a significant portion of these students, especially those in Postgraduate Taught programs.
The number of 25,730 postgraduate students in 2006/07 in Scotland jumped by 21% a decade later, numbering 31,200 students.
Most of the postgraduate students in 2016/17 were enrolled in Business and Social Studies (11,590), followed by Science and Engineering (9,665), Education and the Arts (9,030) and least in Medical studies (4,950).
The report also reveals an increase of resident students’ participation in postgraduate studies, whose number, has seen an upward trend from 2012/13 up to 2017, after years of continual declining.
In 2012/13, 11,725 Scottish people were studying at postgraduate level, while in 2016/17 the amount raised in 15,075. Interestingly the number was higher in 2006/07 when 15,145 Scottish residents were attending a postgraduate course.
The number of new entrants in higher education between 2015/16 and 2016/17 increased by 4.3% reaching 101,135.
The entrance rise was also felt at the undergraduate level. College entrants accounted for 27.5% of the entire higher education entrants, and 36.9% of entrants in undergraduate level. The report highlights as a positive change the increased participation of resident students in undergraduate programs who counted for some 43.3% of the undergraduate students in 2016/17.
This report stands as a proof that the sector of higher education in Scotland is empowering constantly. This is a good news for Scotland, which may also enhance its standpoint in international education, following Brexit and other indications.