2008 Tertiary Education Enrolments Publications
Publication Details
- The shift from level 1 to 3 certificates to higher-level and longer qualifications (levels 4 to 10) continued in 2008.
- More young New Zealanders – students under 25 years of age – studied bachelors degrees and graduate/postgraduate certificates and diplomas in 2008.
- Formal tertiary education enrolments fell from 2007 to 2008. The main contributor to the overall decrease was the fall in domestic enrolments in level 1 to 4 certificates.
Author(s): Mieke Wensvoort, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, Ministry of Education.
Date Published: May 2009
Summary
Highlights
This report presents new information from the 2008 enrolment data collections provided to the Ministry of Education by tertiary education providers. Topics covered include: place of study, choice of provider, qualifications taken, field of study, age, the ethnic groups of students and learners and other important characteristics of people undertaking tertiary education study. A supporting set of analytical tables is available from the Education Counts website.
- In 2008, there were 460,000 students enrolled in formal tertiary study1 with tertiary education providers.
- Formal enrolments (including inter-national students) fell by 4.8 percent from 2007 to 2008, although in terms of equivalent full-time student units the decrease was smaller – down by 1.1 percent to 266,000.
- Domestic enrolments (excluding international students) fell by a greater amount – down by 5.2 percent to 421,000 enrolments. Level 1 to 4 certificate enrolments decreased by 11 percent and graduate certificate and diploma enrolments by 3.8 percent. Partially offsetting these falls was a 1.7 percent increase in enrolments in bachelors degrees and also smaller increases in postgraduate study and level 5 to 7 diplomas.
The amount of study undertaken by domestic students decreased from 2007 to 2008 by 0.9 percent or 2,270 equivalent full-time student units to 238,000. - For the third consecutive year, the balance in domestic enrolments shifted from the lowest level qualifications (certificates 1-3) to higher-level qualifi-cations (level 4-10). In 2008, level 1 to 3 certificates accounted for 25 percent of enrolments in terms of equivalent full-time student units, compared to 28 percent in 2005.
- The number of international students remained stable from 2007 to 2008 although in terms of the amount of study, international equivalent full-time student units declined by 2.7 percent. In contrast, international equivalent full-time student units increased from 2007 to 2008 for graduate certificates and diplomas by 51 percent, for masters by 11 percent and for doctorates by 30 percent.
- Enrolments in courses of less than one week's duration fell from 2007 by 64 percent to 22,100 in 2008. This was due to a fall in health and occupational safety courses in 2008. Non-formal tertiary enrolments fell by 6.0 percent from 2007 to 83,300, but part of the decline is due to administrative changes: non-formal tertiary education is now funded through a separate adult and community education funding pool.
Statistics used in this report
Formal enrolments include domestic and international student enrolments. Domestic enrolments are those made by New Zealand residents. International enrolments are those made by overseas students.
Equivalent full-time student (EFTS)
The equivalent full-time student unit is a measure or 'size' of each student's enrolment. One equivalent full-time student unit represents the load taken by a student enrolled full-time for one year. Part-time study years are expressed as proportions of an EFTS, for example, 0.75 EFTS. The equivalent full-time student count is the sum of the EFTS units for a year.
Enrolments Overview
The number of enrolments in formal study decreased from 2007 to 2008 by 4.8 percent to 460,000.2 Since 2005, formal enrolments have declined by approximately 3 percent per year. In 2008, the main contributor to the overall decrease in formal enrolments was the fall in domestic enrolments in level 1 to 4 certificates. Figure 1 below shows total and bachelors-degree enrolments for international students (left-hand side) and domestic students (right-hand side) as well domestic enrolments in level 1 to 4 certificates.
Figure 1: Domestic and international students in formal study by qualification level
The number of domestic enrolments in formal study decreased from 2007 to 2008 by 5.2 percent to 421,000. Since 2005, domestic enrolments decreased, on average, by 2.8 percent per year due mainly to falls in enrolments in level 1 to 4 certificates.
From 2005 to 2008, the number of domestic level 1 to 3 certificate enrolments averaged a decrease of 7.3 percent per year. In 2005, there were 206,000 domestic certificate enrolments at level 1 to 3 and by 2008 the number had fallen to 164,000. Over the same period, level 4 certificate enrolments by domestic students also decreased by 4.1 percent, on average, per year. In 2008, there were 65,200 enrolments in level 4 certificates.
Partially offsetting the decline from 2007 and 2008 in domestic enrolments, were increases in the number of students in bachelors degrees as the 'baby blip' generation (18 to 19 year-olds) continued to move from school into tertiary education. Additionally, the number of 20 to 24 year-olds in bachelors degrees increased. In 2008, there were 129,000 domestic enrolments at bachelors level and 35,400 enrolments in postgraduate study.
Declines in the number of international students have also contributed to the overall fall in formal enrolments in recent years, although from 2007 to 2008, international enrolments remained stable at 39,800. While there was a significant fall in international enrolments in bachelors degrees in 2008, this was almost entirely offset by increased enrolments at every other qualification level except level 1 to 3 certificates.
From 2005 to 2008, international enrolments in bachelors degrees and level 5 to 7 diploma qualifications decreased and, from 2003 to 2005, international enrolments in level 1 to 4 certificates and graduate certificates and diplomas also declined. Before 2003, international enrolments had grown quickly at almost every qualification level. For example, international enrolments in bachelors degrees averaged an increase of over 20 percent per year from 1998 to 2003. International enrolments in doctoral study have continued to increase, growing at a rate of 15 percent per year, on average, between 1998 and 2008.
A shift in formal enrolments from lower- to higher-level qualifications can be seen in Figure 2. Comparing 2005 with 2008, enrolments at bachelors level have increased as a proportion of all formal enrolments, up from 30 percent to 32 percent, while level 1 to 3 certificates decreased, proportionately, from 42 percent to 37 percent. The proportions in level 5 to 7 diplomas and postgraduate study increased, up from 15 percent to 16 percent and 7.5 percent to 9.0 percent, respectively. The proportion in level 4 certificates has remained unchanged at 15 percent since 2005.
Figure 2: Percentage of all formal enrolments by qualification level
Note:
- *Includes graduate certificates and diplomas.
Domestic Formal Enrolments | International Formal Enrolments | Total Formal Enrolments | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | 2008 | % | 2007 | 2008 | % | 2007 | 2008 | % |
Qualification Level : Certificates 1-3: | ||||||||
187,040 | 164,367 | -12.1 | 4,723 | 4,703 | -0.4 | 191,763 | 169,070 | -11.8 |
Qualification Level: Certificates 4: | ||||||||
70,006 | 65,226 | -6.8 | 4,045 | 4,781 | 18.2 | 74,051 | 70,007 | -5.5 |
Qualification Level: Diplomas 5-7: | ||||||||
63,252 | 63,524 | 0.4 | 9,323 | 9,712 | 4.2 | 72,575 | 73,236 | 0.9 |
Qualification Level: Bachelors Degrees: | ||||||||
114,965 | 116,950 | 1.7 | 17,650 | 15,281 | -13.4 | 132,615 | 132,231 | -0.3 |
Qualification Level: Graduate Certificates/Diplomas: | ||||||||
12,262 | 11,796 | -3.8 | 1,263 | 1,741 | 37.8 | 13,525 | 13,537 | 0.1 |
Qualification Level: Honours Postgraduate Certificates/Diplomas: | ||||||||
20,470 | 20,734 | 1.3 | 2,158 | 2,175 | 0.8 | 22,628 | 22,909 | 1.2 |
Qualification Level: Masters: | ||||||||
10,613 | 10,466 | -1.4 | 1,762 | 1,989 | 12.9 | 12,375 | 12,455 | 0.6 |
Qualification Level: Doctorates: | ||||||||
4,651 | 4,761 | 2.4 | 1,522 | 1,960 | 28.8 | 6,173 | >6,721 | 8.9 |
Total: | ||||||||
443,836 | 420,634 | -5.2 | 39,842 | 39,783 | -0.1 | 483,678 | 460,417 | -4.8 |
In contrast to the recent declines in provider-based enrolments, workplace learning continued to grow strongly. From 2005 to 2006, the number of learners in industry training rose by 8.1 percent and from 2006 to 2007 the increase was 5.5 percent. Early indications are that the number of workplace learners will remain at around 186,000 for the 2008 year.
Shift to higher-level study continues
The proportion of younger people – students under 25 years of age – enrolled in bachelors degrees has increased since 2005. From 2007 to 2008, the proportion of domestic under 25 year-olds studying bachelors degrees increased a further 1.2 percentage points to reach 45 percent (Figure 3). These increases coincide with the 'baby blip' generation moving from school to tertiary education. Another factor likely to have increased the participation of younger people in tertiary education is the increase in school students who gain credits in NCEA.
From 2005 to 2007, the unemployment rate was no longer falling, having stabilised at around 3.5 percent. In 2008, when the New Zealand economy contracted, the unemployment rate increased, moving up to approximately 4 percent. The weakening of the labour market will have reduced access to employment for younger people with no or low-level qualifications and this may be responsible for the lift in their recent participation in tertiary education. Study of level 4 to 7 non-degree qualifications by under 25 year-olds increased from 2007 to 2008 by 1.2 percent.
Before 2005 – at a time when the New Zealand economy increased in size – the proportion of younger students in bachelors degrees declined steadily from 53 percent in 1998 down to 41 percent in 2005. In contrast, the proportions of younger students in level 1 to 4 certificate qualifications increased from 39 percent in 1998 to 69 percent in 2005.
Figure 3: Percentage of domestic students under 25 years of age in formal study by qualification level
As would be expected, a very different picture exists for domestic students aged 25 years or over. While the proportion of these students in bachelors degrees did increase from 2007 to 2008 by 1.2 percentage points, study at this level represented only 16 percent of total formal study undertaken by this group. From 1998 to 2005, the proportion of students aged 25 years or over studying bachelors degrees also decreased significantly from 28 percent to 15 percent. These decreases coincided with the period of strong economic growth and falling unemployment,
Contrasts between the two broad age groups were also apparent for lower-level certificate study (levels 1 to 3). The proportion of under 25 year-olds in lower-level certificate study decreased from a high of 36 percent in 2005 to 29 percent in 2008. For students aged 25 years or over the proportion in lower-level certificates also decreased over the same period but people aged 25 years or over had a much larger proportion studying lower-level certificates – 51 percent in 2005 and 46 percent in 2008. Certificate study grew rapidly between 1998 and 2005 and the growing number of New Zealanders aged 40 to 65 years in the population was the main contributor to this upward movement in lower-level certificate study.
The proportion of younger students enrolled in level 4 certificates was 13 percent of total enrolments in 2008, while for students aged 25 years or over this was 17 percent. Over the last 10 years, the proportion of younger people studying level 4 certificates more than doubled and for students aged 25 years or over the proportion virtually trebled.
The proportion of students aged 25 years or over in level 5 to 7 diplomas increased from 2007 to 2008 by 1.5 percentage points, while it remained unchanged for younger students.
The proportion of under 25 year-olds in postgraduate study was 6.5 percent in 2008 and it has been around this level for some time. Enrolments in postgraduate study by people aged 25 years or over have risen in recent years and the proportion of domestic students in this level of study increased from 2007 to 2008 by approximately 1 percentage point to 9.8 percent.
Figure 4: Percentage of domestic students aged 25 years or over in formal study by qualification level
Equivalent full-time student units
When the formal enrolments were converted into equivalent full-time student units, these showed a decline of 1.1 percent from 269,000 in 2007 to 266,000 in 2008. The decrease since 2005 in the amount of study, in terms of the number of equivalent full-time student units, has not been as strong as the decline in enrolments. Since 2005, equivalent full-time student units in formal qualifications declined, on average, by 2.1 percent per year (Figure 5).
About three-quarters of the 2008 downward movement in equivalent full-time students was due to a decline in domestic study. Domestic equivalent full-time student units decreased from 2007 to 2008 by 0.9 percent to 238,000. Study of lower-level certificates by domestic students fell by 2,900 equivalent full-time student units to 59,000 and level 4 certificates fell by 1,320 equivalent full-time student units to 27,100. Study by domestic students of bachelors degrees increased by 1,870 equivalent full-time student units to 93,100 but this increase, together with a smaller increase in postgraduate study, did not fully offset the decline in the amount of certificate study.
In 2008, there were 4,910 domestic equivalent full-time students in graduate certificates and diplomas and another 23,300 in postgraduate study.
Study undertaken by international students fell by 2.7 percent from 2007 to 2008 in terms of equivalent full-time student units – down by 773 to 28,000. Study by international students at bachelors level decreased in 2008 by 2,480 equivalent full-time student units. Two-thirds of this decrease in bachelors-level study was offset by increases in international study at every qualification level except honours degrees and postgraduate certificates and diplomas. From 2007 to 2008, the biggest increases in international equivalent full-time student units were recorded for graduate certificates and diplomas, up by 51 percent to 1,020, doctoral study up by 30 percent to 1,840 and level 4 certificates up by 23 percent to 2,420.
Figure 5: All formal student enrolments and equivalent full-time student units
Enrolments by provider type
All provider types had decreases in 2008 in the number of formal student enrolments. At universities the number of enrolments declined by 0.9 percent to 169,000. Enrolments at wānanga fell by 4.7 percent to 40,300. The institutes of technology and polytechnics had the biggest decline in enrolments between 2007 and 2008 – down by 8.9 percent to 197,000. At private training establishments enrolments fell by 5.3 percent from 2007 to 2008 to 74,000.
The wānanga and private training establishments were the only two provider types in 2008 where the overall amount of study increased in terms of equivalent full-time student units. The increase was small in each provider type – 380 equivalent full-time student units. This number converted to a 1.7 percent increase for the wānanga and a 0.9 percent increase for private training establishments.
In the wānanga the increase in equivalent full-time student units was mainly in level 1 to 3 certificates and a smaller increase in the amount of study of level 5 to 7 diplomas. In private training establishments the main increase in equivalent full-time student units was for level 5 to 7 diplomas with smaller increases in the amount of study of bachelors degrees and graduate certificates and diplomas. The trend in equivalent full-time student units by provider type from 1998 to 2008 is shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6: Equivalent full-time students in formal study by provider type and qualification level
Note:
- Colleges of education data has been merged with that of the universities.
Gender
In 2008, there were 233,000 domestic formal enrolments made by women and 188,000 by men. Since 1998, the overall growth rate in the number of enrolments for each gender has been similar (5 percent, on average per year)3
From 2007 to 2008, the number of domestic enrolments decreased for both genders. The main driver of these decreases was the decline in enrolments in level 1 to 4 certificates. Enrolments declined in level 1 to 3 certificates by 7,350 for female students and by 15,300 for male students. In 2008, there were 84,600 women enrolled in lower-level certificate courses and 79,800 men.
The decline in level 4 certificates from 2007 to 2008 was 2,470 for female students and 2,310 for male students. In 2008, there were 32,100 women enrolled in level 4 certificate courses and 33,200 men.
There was also a small decline in graduate certificates and diplomas from 2007 to 2008. The decrease for female students was 310 and for males the decline was smaller at 156. In 2008, there were 7,750 women enrolled in graduate certificates and diplomas and 4,040 men. Similarly, study at masters level declined slightly for both men and women from 2007 to 2008. There were 6,110 women in masters study in 2008 and 4,350 men.
Figure 7: Annual change in the number of domestic formally-enrolled students by gender
The number of women enrolled in doctoral studies increased from 2007 to 2008 by 123, while for male students, doctoral enrolments remained stable. In 2008, there were 2,550 women enrolled in doctoral study and 2,210 men.
Bachelors-level enrolments increased for both genders from 2007 to 2008. There were 71,700 female students enrolled in bachelors degrees (up 1,290 on 2007) and 45,300 male students (up 691 on 2007).
There were small increases in enrolments for both genders in level 5 to 7 diplomas and honours degrees and postgraduate certificates and diplomas. In 2008, there were 38,900 women studying at diploma level and 11,500 in honours degrees and postgraduate certificates and diplomas. The corresponding numbers for men were 24,700 and 9,200.
Figure 8: Domestic enrolments in 2008 by gender and qualification level
More enrolments by Pasifika students
Pasifika students were the only ethnic group to increase their enrolments in formal study from 2007 to 2008 – up by 2.1 percent. This follows an increase of 7.7 percent in Pasifika enrolments in 2007, when enrolments by the other ethnic groups (see Table 2) also decreased. The latest increase in Pasifika enrolments was 658 of which 515 were made by domestic students and 143 were international.
Between 1998 and 2003, the proportion of Asian students undertaking formal tertiary study more than doubled. This increase was mainly due to the strong growth in the number of international students, three-quarters of whom were Asian. Five years later, in 2008, the proportion of Asian students has declined somewhat as a result of the decrease in the number international students and also because the Asian ethnic group as a proportion of total international students has become smaller (66 percent). Between 1998 and 2008, the proportion of domestic Asian students increased by 3.3 percentage points to 12 percent of total domestic formal students.
The increase from 2003 to 2008 in the number of domestic Pasifika and Asian students has led to a decrease in the proportion of Māori students. The proportion of domestic Māori students was 22 percent in 2003 and 19 percent in 2008 (Table 3). In 1998, the proportion of Māori students was lower at 13 percent. Māori students have the highest participation rate in tertiary education of all the ethnic groups at around 18 percent. This compares with a participation rate of 12 percent for Europeans, 14 percent for Asians and 12 percent for Pasifika.
Europeans are the largest ethnic group among students but as proportion of total enrolments their percentage has fallen from 67 percent in 1998 to 61 percent in 2008.
Note:
| |||
Ethnicity | Percentage 1998 | Percentage 2003 | Percentage 2008 |
---|---|---|---|
European | 66.7 | 59.0 | 60.8 |
Māori | 12.3 | 19.4 | 17.5 |
Pasifika | 3.7 | 5.7 | 6.8 |
Asian | 8.6 | 17.4 | 16.8 |
Other | 3.4 | 8.6 | 5.0 |
Note:
| |||
Ethnicity | Percentage 1998 | Percentage 2003 | Percentage 2008 |
---|---|---|---|
European | 69.0 | 65.1 | 65.5 |
Māori | 12.7 | 21.6 | 19.2 |
Pasifika | 3.9 | 6.0 | 7.1 |
Asian | 8.9 | 10.8 | 12.2 |
Other | 3.5 | 8.0 | 4.4 |
Top field of study: language & literature
Over the last five years the study of language and literature has been the top narrow field4 of study for both domestic and international students. In 2008, almost 8 percent of all study was in this field in terms of equivalent full-time student units. The proportion of international students studying language and literature in 2008 was, however, considerably bigger at 14 percent than the proportion of domestic students in this field at 7.2 percent. Also, from 2007 to 2008, the study of language and literature by domestic students decreased by 8.3 percent, while for international students the number of equivalent full-time student units increased by 14 percent.
The next most common narrow field of study in 2008 for both domestic and international students was business and management. In 2008, 7.6 percent of all study was in this field. Again, there was a considerable difference between the proportions of international and domestic students in this field. Thirteen percent of international students studied business and management in 2008 compared to 7.0 percent of domestic students. The proportion of domestic students in the field of business and management has been stable in recent years and the number of domestic equivalent full-time student units increased by 1.9 percent from 2007 to 2008. In contrast, the proportion of international students in business and management study has been decreasing in recent years. From 2007 to 2008 the number of international equivalent full-time student units fell by 7.8 percent, due mainly to the recent decline in international students in bachelors degrees.
The third most common narrow field of study in 2008 was teacher education for domestic students at 5.4 percent and for international students it was accountancy at 4.4 percent. From third place onwards, the field-of-study rankings for domestic and international students diverge. The only other field in common in the top 10 in 2008 was the biological sciences. Almost 3 percent of domestic equivalent full-time student units were in the field of biological sciences in 2008 and this proportion has been stable in recent years. The proportion of international students studying biological sciences has been increasing in recent years and in 2008 it was 3.5 percent of the total international equivalent full-time student units. From 2007 to 2008, the number international equivalent full-time students in biological sciences increased by 5.4 percent.
In 2008, the top 10 narrow fields of study accounted for 43 percent of all domestic study. The other fields in the top 10 for domestic students were: studies in human society; office studies; law; nursing; building; and communication and media studies. Another 20 percent of domestic equivalent full-time student units were in the next highest 10 fields of study with 37 percent of domestic enrolments spread across the remaining 50 fields of study.
International students had 55 percent of equivalent full-time student units studying the top 10 narrow fields of study in 2008. The other fields in the top 10 for international students were: computer science; food and hospitality; information systems; economics and econometrics; banking, finance and related fields; and sales and marketing. International students also had 20 percent of equivalent full-time student units in the next highest 10 fields of study, leaving only 26 percent of international enrolments spread across the remaining 50 fields of study.
Footnotes
- Students enrolled at any time during the year with a tertiary education provider in formal qualifications of more than one week's duration. Formal learning in the workplace is not included in these figures.
- Data in this report and the statistical tables has been revised back to 2003 as tertiary education organisations are now able to submit updates for previous years as part of the information collections provided to the Ministry.
- This section covers domestic students only.
- Data on the 70 narrow fields of study is now available from 2001 onwards.
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