Sta/Medr/09/2025: Students in Higher Education, 2023/24

Enrolments in Welsh Higher Education Providers (HEPs)

• There were 150,680 enrolments at Welsh HEPs in 2023/24, 2% less than the 154,385 in 2022/23.
• The number of enrolments at undergraduate level decreased by less than 1%; from 111,745 in 2022/23 to 111,320 in 2023/24.
• The number of enrolments at postgraduate level decreased by 8%; from 42,640 in 2022/23 to 39,360 in 2023/24. 
• 35% of postgraduates studied part-time, compared to 25% of undergraduates.
• The most popular subject group at Welsh HEPs at both undergraduate and postgraduate level in 2023/24 was Business and management.

Demographics

• 57% of enrolments in 2023/24 were from female students, the same proportion as in 2022/23.
• 20% of enrolments in 2023/24 were from students with a known disability. This was an increase from 17% in the previous year.
• Of students from the UK whose ethnicity is known, 16% of enrolments in 2023/24 were from students with an ethnic minority background. An increase from 14% in 2022/23.
• 46% of enrolments at Welsh HEPS in 2023/24 were from students whose permanent address on entry to their course was Wales. A further 35% were from the rest of the UK, 1% from the EU and 17% were from elsewhere.

Welsh domiciled students enrolled in UK Higher Education Providers (HEPs)

• There were 103,185 enrolments by students from Wales at UK Higher Education Providers (HEPs) in 2023/24, 5% less than 2022/23. 
• 83,350 of these enrolments were at undergraduate level in 2023/24, 3% less than 2022/23. 32% of undergraduate students studied part-time.
• 19,840 of these enrolments were at postgraduate level in 2023/24, 10% less than 2022/23. 61% of postgraduate students studied part-time.

Demographics

• 62% of Welsh domiciled enrolments were female students, the same proportion as in 2022/23.
• 23% of Welsh domiciled students had a known disability in 2023/24, an increase from 21% in 2022/23.
• Of students whose ethnicity is known, 11% of Welsh domiciled students in 2023/24 had an ethnic minority background, an increase from 10% in 2022/23.
• The number of full-time, undergraduate enrolments from the most deprived areas in Wales (Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) 2019 Quintile 1) decreased by 6%, from 9,940 enrolments in 2022/23 to 9,385 enrolments in 2023/24.
• The number of full-time, undergraduate enrolments from the least deprived areas in Wales (WIMD 2019 Quintile 5) decreased by 2% (from 15,195 enrolments in 2022/23 to 14,855 enrolments in 2023/24).

Cross border flows of full-time students 2023/24

• 44% of full-time undergraduates from Wales studied elsewhere in the UK. 38% of full-time postgraduates from Wales studied elsewhere in the UK.
• Wales is a net importer of full-time students from the rest of the UK. 
• There were 45,045 full-time students from other UK countries at Welsh HEPs, compared to 27,785 full-time students from Wales studying at HEPs in the rest of the UK.