University research students

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 for by year

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

Data for by year

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 for by year

For the full download file, see Download the data.

By area

Visualisation for by area

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.

Use the radio buttons to choose a dataset to view

Q1 - Lowest 20%
Q5 - Highest 20%

Data for by area

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 for by area

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

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