Participation measures in higher education
Academic year 2022/23

Description

This guidance describes the data included in the Participation Measures in Higher Education: 2022/23 Official Statistics release’s underlying data files. This data is released under the terms of the  Open Government License (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/) and is intended to meet at least 3 stars for  Open Data. (https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/improving-the-transparency-and-accountability-of-government-and-its-services/supporting-pages/releasing-data-in-open-formats)

The methodology page attached to this release should be referenced alongside this data. It provides information on the data sources, their coverage and quality as well as explaining methodology used in producing the data.

Coverage

The release covers the latest Cohort-based Higher Education Participation (CHEP) measure.

For each cohort of pupils registered at English schools at age 15, we track their participation rates in HE by age 25 (CHEP-25).

Also included are underlying tables containing data on participation by age 20 and by age 30 (CHEP-20, CHEP-30).

Work-based learning (including most apprenticeships) is not included in most data files. However, all learning at levels 4 and above, including work-based learning, is included in the two data files ‘CHEP Overall - All L4+’ and ‘CHEP Level - All L4+’.

Rounding and suppression

Headcounts have not been rounded in order to maximise the utility of the statistics while minimising the risk of disclosure. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.

More information about the Departmental policy on confidentiality can be found here:

External_Confidentiality_Policy (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/773124/External_confidentiality_policy.pdf)

Data files

CHEP Overall

Filename: chep_overall.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2001/02 to 2017/18
Content summary: HE participation by ages 25, 20 and 30 (CHEP-25, CHEP-20, CHEP-30)

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name  |  Variable description
---------  |  ----------------
entrants   |  Entrants
entry_age  |  Age entered HE
rate       |  Entry percentage


CHEP Gender

Filename: chep_gender.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2001/02 to 2017/18
Content summary: HE participation (CHEP-25, CHEP-20, CHEP-30) by gender

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name  |  Variable description
---------  |  ----------------
entrants   |  Entrants
entry_age  |  Age entered HE
gender     |  Gender
rate       |  Entry percentage


CHEP Qualification Aim

Filename: chep_qualification_aim.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2001/02 to 2017/18
Content summary: HE participation (CHEP-25, CHEP-20, CHEP-30) by qualification aim

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name  |  Variable description
---------  |  ----------------
entrants   |  Entrants
entry_age  |  Age entered HE
level      |  Level of Study
rate       |  Entry percentage


CHEP Mode

Filename: chep_mode.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2001/02 to 2017/18
Content summary: HE participation (CHEP-25, CHEP-20, CHEP-30) by mode of study

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name  |  Variable description
---------  |  ----------------
entrants   |  Entrants
entry_age  |  Age entered HE
mode       |  Mode of Study
rate       |  Entry percentage


CHEP Region

Filename: chep_region.csv
Geographic levels: National; Regional
Time period: 2001/02 to 2017/18
Content summary: HE participation (CHEP-25, CHEP-20, CHEP-30) by region

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name  |  Variable description
---------  |  ----------------
entrants   |  Entrants
entry_age  |  Age entered HE
rate       |  Entry percentage


CHEP Projected

Filename: heip_projected.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2006/07 to 2022/23
Content summary: A comparison of a HEIP-like projection using the new cohort-based figures against the old HEIP projection measure

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name  |  Variable description
-----------  |  ----------------
entrants     |  Entrants
methodology  |  Methodology
rate         |  Entry percentage

Footnotes:

1. For the projections from 2016/17 based on the cohort figures, the earlier projections are less robust due to changes in the matching method in those years.
2. Additional providers who returned data to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Alternative record have been included from 2014/15 as a separate series.


CHEP Age

Filename: chep_age.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2001/02 to 2020/21
Content summary: HE participation by specific age, including a cumulative rate

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name    |  Variable description
---------------  |  ---------------------------
age_in_he        |  Age entered HE
cumulative_rate  |  Cumulative entry percentage
entrants         |  Entrants
rate             |  Entry percentage

Footnotes:

1. "No data" refers to where a cohort has not yet reached the age specified by the 2022/23 academic year.
2. For the 2005/06 cohort, the rate for 18-year-olds is understated. This is explained in the Limitations section in the Methodology.


CHEP Overall - All L4+

Filename: chep_all_L4_plus_overall_with_cohort_populations.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2001/02 to 2017/18
Content summary: HE participation by ages 25, 20 and 30 (CHEP-25, CHEP-20, CHEP-30) including all level 4+ learning

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  ------------------------------------------
cohort_population  |  Number of people in cohort of 15-year-olds
entrants           |  Number of entrants
entry_age          |  Age entered L4+
rate               |  Entry percentage

Footnotes:

1. Data includes all qualifications at level 4 and above, including all work-based learning such as apprenticeships.


CHEP Level - All L4+

Filename: chep_all_L4_plus_detailed_level.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2005/06 to 2017/18
Content summary: HE participation by ages 25, 20 and 30 (CHEP-25, CHEP-20, CHEP-30) by level of study including all level 4+ learning

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name  |  Variable description
---------  |  ------------------
entrants   |  Number of entrants
entry_age  |  Age entered L4+
level      |  Detailed level
rate       |  Entry percentage

Footnotes:

1. Data includes all qualifications at level 4 and above, including all work-based learning such as apprenticeships.
2. The breakdown by level of study including all learning at level 4 and above is currently only available for the CHEP-25 measure on a complete and consistent basis between 2020/21 and 2022/23, which relates to the three 15-year-old cohorts between 2010/11 and 2012/13.
