The UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has recently presented, in collaboration with Department for Education and Skills (DfES), data about enrolments and qualifications of students at UK higher education institutions for the academic year 2005/06. The report, Statistical First Release (SFR), presents the information in comparative perspective of the last five years.

Here are some of the main changes from 2004/05 to 2005/06:

• both postgraduate and undergraduate enrolments at UK higher education institutions marked an increase (+2%);
• the greatest increase in enrolments in the UK came from EU students (+6%). UK and non-EU student enrollments rose by +2%;
• the most significant changes were registered for first year undergraduate enrolments, where non-EU student numbers dropped by 6%. Conversely, UK and other EU undergraduate students augmented by respectively 6% and 10%;
• in terms of subjects, the biggest increase in enrolments was in medicine and veterinary science (postgraduate level), and in architecture, building and planning (undergraduate) while the biggest drop was in agriculture and agriculture-related subjects (postgraduates), and computer sciences (undergraduates);

This general picture derives from more specific sections in the study such as students' level and mode of study, domicile, and year of study.