Record high for college courses

The number of students enrolled on full-time college courses successfully completing a recognised higher education qualification is at an all-time high.

The record achievement is highlighted in a suite of statistics published today by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) covering student numbers, satisfaction rates and student outcomes.

They show:

• The number of full-time students successfully completing a recognised higher or further education qualification in 2015-16 reached 57,047 – up 25.7% on the 2008-09 total of 45,401. This includes 24,317 successfully completing recognised higher education qualifications – an all-time high.
• More than 90% of full-time and over 93% of part-time college students are satisfied with their overall college experience.
• The Scottish Government’s target of 116,000 funded full-time equivalent (FTE) college places continues to be exceeded. According to the SFC, there were 117,204 Scottish Government-funded FTE college places in 2015-16.

Minister for Further and Higher Education and Science, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said:

“The SFC statistics published today give us a great overview of the fantastic work being done in the college sector and also highlights areas where we know there is more work to do.

“I am extremely pleased to see increases in the number of full-time students successfully completing recognised qualifications, and that 90.5% of students are satisfied with their overall college experience.

“This shows that college students are not only gaining the valuable skills and education they need for gainful employment, but that they are learning in the right environment for them. The additional £41.5 million funding we have allocated to colleges next financial year will build on this success.

“This Government has made it clear that we want all of our young people to go on to positive destinations. Our most recent figures on school leavers show that 92% of those who left school in 2014-15 were either in work, training or further study, the highest ever figure on record.

“But a positive destination doesn’t just mean young people have a clear path to follow, it is about ensuring they choose the route that is right for them.”

Background

Read the SFC statistics on its website.

Read the school leaver destination statistics.