Alternative route to university now a road less travelled - TESS

Alternative route to university now a road less travelled - TESS 4 April 2014

Numbers transferring from part-time courses nearly halve

The number of students gaining access to higher education through part-time college courses has dropped by 43 per cent in the past decade to just 16,455, new figures reveal.

The total number of HE students in colleges has also fallen significantly, from 55,610 in 2003-04 to 47,795 in 2012-13, according to statistics published by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

Colleges provide a large proportion of all HE delivered in Scotland and are key in opening up access to students from the most deprived backgrounds. In 2012-13, 586 students received degrees in colleges, compared with 115 in 2003-04.

The Scottish government has asked colleges to prioritise full-time courses, as well as the 16 to 19 age group, to tackle youth unemployment. But student representatives fear that this could exclude those who need a college place the most.

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