University research students

Published: 12 September 2023
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Data on the median number of full-time research students enrolled in universities in the UK, from 2015 to 2018.

  1. Summary main findings
  2. By year
  3. By area
  4. About the data
  5. Download the data

Summary main findings

The median number of research students in the UK went up by 4% from 2015 to 2018.

By year

Visualisation

Ratio (relative to 2015) of the median number of full-time equivalent research students enrolled in universities (UK, 2015 to 2018)

Data

Ratio (relative to 2015) of the median number of full-time equivalent research students enrolled in universities (UK, 2015 to 2018)
Year Ratio (relative to 2015)
2018 1.038
2017 1.035
2016 1.014
2015 1.000
  • Download the data (CSV, 89B)

    • Download

    For the full download file, see Download the data.

    By area

    Visualisation

    Number of research students, by region over time (UK, 2015 to 2018)

    41 regions in the UK are ranked from the lowest to highest number of research students. They are then divided into 5 equally-sized groups (‘quintiles’), from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).

    The regional estimates have a large margin of error – do not rank or compare specific regions.

    See the composite indices for more precise estimates and to understand overall regional patterns.

    Q1 - Lowest 20%
    Q5 - Highest 20%

    Data

    Number of research students, by region over time (UK, 2015 to 2018)
    Region 2018 2017 2016 2015
    Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 1,200 1,270 1,280 1,305
    Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire 5,680 5,525 6,150 6,210
    Cheshire 225 215 230 210
    Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 25 20 15 20
    Cumbria 30 45 45 50
    Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 3,155 3,230 3,200 3,215
    Devon 1,690 1,680 1,625 1,645
    Dorset and Somerset 360 375 420 390
    East Anglia 5,110 5,395 5,470 5,550
    East Wales 1,705 1,655 1,635 1,605
    East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 490 520 640 690
    Eastern Scotland 5,390 No data No data No data
    Essex 865 905 880 985
    Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bath/Bristol area 3,250 3,325 3,225 3,115
    Greater Manchester 4,390 4,385 4,300 4,205
    Hampshire and Isle of Wight 2,530 2,610 2,795 2,890
    Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire 90 75 80 75
    Highlands and Islands 120 105 70 50
    Inner London - East 2,220 2,175 2,250 2,270
    Inner London - West 12,980 12,820 12,860 12,965
    Kent 1,365 1,350 1,365 1,325
    Lancashire 1,645 1,730 1,680 1,730
    Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire 2,325 2,230 2,370 2,560
    Lincolnshire 360 350 330 355
    Merseyside 2,100 2,100 2,090 1,980
    North Eastern Scotland 975 1,005 1,015 1,030
    North Yorkshire 1,250 1,240 1,240 1,245
    Northern Ireland 1,810 1,820 1,770 1,765
    Northumberland, and Tyne and Wear 2,370 2,390 2,390 2,335
    Outer London - East and North East 300 295 330 350
    Outer London - South 295 300 335 320
    Outer London - West and North West 875 800 870 1,005
    Shropshire and Staffordshire 455 465 510 510
    South Yorkshire 2,490 2,445 2,515 2,600
    Surrey, East and West Sussex 2,475 2,435 2,580 2,725
    Tees Valley and Durham 1,365 1,360 1,335 1,355
    West Central Scotland 4,335 No data No data No data
    West Midlands 2,735 4,880 4,765 4,775
    West Wales and The Valleys 1,785 1,705 1,705 1,625
    West Yorkshire 3,575 3,545 3,515 3,565
  • Download the data (CSV, 1KB)

    • Download

    For the full download file, see Download the data.

    About the data

    Data source

    Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and Nesta Research and Development spatial data tool, 2021

    Time period

    2015 to 2018

    Geographic area

    UK

    What the data measures

    The data shows the relative increase in the number of research students in the UK between 2015 and 2018. It also shows the number of students in each region of the UK.

    Things you need to know

    Nesta data includes regional scores but not a national average figure. To track changes over time, we use the area with the median number of university students each year.

    The median is the middle point of a range of numbers which are arranged in order. In this case, the median area is the area ranked 21st out of the 41 regions in the UK.

    Type of data

    Administrative data

    Full report

    Read more in State of the Nation 2023 on GOV.UK.

    Download the data

    Download full dataset (CSV, 23KB)

    This file contains the following variables:

    • Indicator code
    • Indicator name
    • Area type
    • Area name
    • Time period
    • Sex
    • Value
    • Unit

    Page history

    Publication release date:

    12 September 2023

    Editions of this page:

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