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· institutions are required to deliver defined volumes of learning provision, and

· research-related funding reflects the volume and quality of research undertaken.

As noted in Efficiency Delivery Plans - May 2008, for the 2008-11 Efficiency Programme, the Scottish Government plans to deliver cash releasing efficiencies by delivering an actual resource efficiency through colleges and universities which will provide the same service at a reduced cost.

Number of Staff at Scottish Institutions

Sources: HESA – excluding “atypical” staff; Scottish Funding Council.

The academic year 2006-07 is the latest year for which this information is available.

(a) Higher Education Institutions:

Each year the Scottish Funding Council funds a number of places, expressed as full-time equivalents (FTE), in universities and other higher education institutions (HEIs), these are generally available to UK and other EU residents. HEIs are independent bodies who are free to recruit further students, from outside the EU when they can charge the full cost of providing the course, or, within certain limits, from within the EU when they would still be able to claim fees from the Student Awards Agency for full time students.

The following table shows the number of funded places for undergraduates and taught postgraduates at Scottish HEIs, and the number of students eligible for funding for the last four academic years.

Source: Scottish Funding Council; funded places includes places funded by the Scottish Government.

For all HEIs in Scotland taken as a whole there were therefore in each year more places taken up than funded. Within the overall funding framework institutions have some flexibility in the courses they provide, in response to demand. The total number of any places that remain unfilled at course level is not held centrally.

(b) Colleges

Colleges are not funded for a specific number of student places.  Funding is allocated on the basis of activity delivered – a weighted number of teaching hours (WSUMs).

The total number of WSUMs targeted and delivered is shown in the following table.

Source: Scottish Funding Council; the measurement method changed between 2004-05 and 2005-06; strategic growth target of 20,000 WSUMs from 2006-07 not included.

In all the above years delivery across Scotland exceeded targets. As there is not a fixed number of student places set for colleges it is not possible to say how many places were unfilled.

By consulting on these issues later this year, we will open up a number of other possible scenarios. Should another option emerge as a preferred approach then this will be factored into our efficiency projections accordingly.

These arrangements will ensure that there are no reductions in the volumes or quality of learning and research associated with funding for universities and colleges as a result of the efficient government programme.

This measure will contribute to Scottish ministers overall target of delivering a 2% increase in cash-releasing efficiencies each year amounting to £1.6 billion in 2010-11.

Source: Student receiving support SAAS, higher education students Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and Scottish Funding Council (SFC). Student numbers are rounded to the nearest five and percentages to the nearest whole number.

Notes:

[1] “Students receiving any support” includes Scottish students studying at institutions elsewhere in the UK and EU domiciled students. “Any support” refers to tuition fees, tuition fee loans, awards or maintenance loans.

[2] “All Higher Education students at Scottish institutions” include part-time students, international students and all postgraduate students studying in Scotland, not all of whom are eligible for funding from SAAS.

Students receiving full support have been defined as those who are:

1. Receiving the maximum Young Students bursary,

2. The maximum Young Students Outside Scotland bursary,

3. The maximum Students Outside Scotland bursary,

4. Aged 25 or over and are receiving maximum maintenance loan, or

5. Aged less than 25, are exempt from parental or spousal contribution to their support and are receiving maximum maintenance loan.

Nursing and Midwifery bursary scheme students are not included in the numbers receiving support from SAAS. Figures for academic year 2007-08 are not yet available.

Higher Education (HE) Discretionary Funds

HE Discretionary Funds are provided to higher and further education institutions and consist of:

the Higher Education Childcare Fund

the Undergraduate Discretionary Fund

the Postgraduate Discretionary Fund

the new Part-time Fund.

Allocation of HE Childcare Fund is based on the number of Scottish domiciled undergraduate students and post-graduate teaching degree students (excluding those on courses in professions allied to medicine). Half of the fund is distributed according to the number of mature students at each institution and the other half according to the number of students receiving Lone Parent’s Grant.

Undergraduate Discretionary Fund allocations are also based on two sets of criteria. Half of the fund is allocated based on full-time equivalent (FTE) number of UK undergraduate students at each institution. The other half is allocated based on the number of Scottish domiciled full-time undergraduate students whose household income is at or below the income threshold at which maximum Young Students’ Bursary is awarded.

Postgraduate Discretionary Fund allocations are based on the FTE number of UK domiciled postgraduate students (both full and part-time time).

For session 2008-09 a new Discretionary Fund is being introduced for part-time students only. Allocations for this fund are based on part-time FTEs at each institution. This is similar to the method used for the Undergraduate Discretionary Fund.

Further Education (FE) Discretionary Funds

FE Discretionary Funds are provided to FE institutions and are allocated as follows:

50% by each college’s share of FESUMs;

30% by each college’s share of FE students from the 20% most deprived areas (head count) taken from the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, and

20% according to each college’s share of FE Students (head count).

FE activity is measured in SUMs (student units of measurement) as used by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). Each FE SUM represents FE study as per SCQF measurements up to and including level 6.

The data used in the allocation of the Discretionary Funds comes from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland, the Higher Education Statistics Agency and the SFC’s Further Education Statistics collection.