Senate

Subject: Undergraduate and taught Postgraduate Recruitment 2009 Entry

Origin: Morag Bell, Pro Vice Chancellor (Teaching), Howard Jones, Student Recruitment and Admissions Manager

Executive Summary:

There has been significant growth in UK/EU and international applications for both undergraduate and taught postgraduate entry. The Student Recruitment Team is monitoring the process closely and there is regular consultation with academic departments. Interventions for Confirmation Week in August (UK/EU undergraduate) have been identified and will be implemented, if necessary, to avoid over-recruitment.

Senate Action Required:

Senate is asked to note the contents of the paper.

1) Undergraduate Recruitment: UK/EU

Applications for the sector have risen by 7.4%. The increase at Loughborough is currently 19.3% placing the University in the top ten. All but two departments have shared in this growth and nine departments have received more than 20% additional applications compared to 2008.

Nationally, buoyant subject areas relevant to Loughborough include Economics (+15.7%), Mechanical Engineering (+19.5%), Politics (+16.5%), Aerospace Engineering (+20.0%) and Chemical Engineering (+18.4%).

The performance of six universities selected to form a competitor group for data comparison purposes, is as follows:

Sheffield +9.1%

Birmingham +8.5%

Nottingham +7.6%

Bath -0.8%

Manchester -1.0%

Leeds -2.0%

(data source: UCAS Applications Digest February 2009)

The Student Recruitment Team has reviewed the volume and proportion of offers being made to “on-time” UK/EU applicants for high demand programmes and is closely monitoring the emerging conditional offer to firm acceptance (C to CF) conversion ratio. On the basis of a very small number of replies, this ratio currently stands at 34.5% (equivalent for 2008: 32.9%).

It is anticipated that when Confirmation of Offers Week begins in August, the University will be in a position to achieve the institutional target (3103) by managing concessions, changed course offers and activity in Clearing.

UCAS takes the view that this year’s process promises to be one of the most volatile on record as a result of the increase in applications, the Government’s clear statement on the need to avoid intake expansion and new changes to the process itself, including the ‘timing and adjustments’ period.

2) Undergraduate: International

Nationally, applications have risen by 11.2%, with China and Singapore recording increases of 7.5% and 21.8% respectively. Applications to Loughborough have gone up by 18.4%. All three Faculties are close to this figure and only three departments are showing a decrease. Overall, the quality of these applications has been impressive. It is hoped to rollout the telephone campaign this year to cover international applicants for undergraduate programmes.

3) Taught Postgraduate (UK/EU)

Applications have risen this year by 16.1% although it is an early point in the cycle and numbers are small. Once again the current recession may be a part-explanation for the increase. The Postgraduate Open Day taking place on 25 February 2009 has been promoted vigorously both internally and externally and current bookings total 600. The eventual intake for 2008 exceeded the institutional target and so reversed the downward trend of the previous three years. It is hoped that this more positive outcome can be maintained.

4) Taught Postgraduate (International)

Currently, there is an increase of 21.3% overall, shared by all three Faculties and a majority of departments. Key domiciles reveal contrasting profiles with China up by 38.5% (predominantly agency referrals) and Pakistan down by 40.1%. This will be the first year in which BICE, the University’s agent in Nigeria, handles applications across an entire cycle. The agency was visited recently and found to be operating an efficient service.

Close liaison continues between academic departments and central admissions with particular reference to the turn-round times for decision-making. Thus far overall, the times match those achieved last year.