Memorandum 76
Submission from the University of Edinburgh
STUDENTS AND
UNIVERSITIES
1. Summary and background
1.0 The University is pleased to have the opportunity
to submit evidence to the Committee's Inquiry into Students and
Universities. In summary, this submission:
— Supplements the Russell Group submission
to the Inquiry— Highlights relevant activity at the University
of Edinburgh— Identifies some areas of policy differentiation
in Scotland
As Committee members will be aware, the University
of Edinburgh is a research-led university and amongst the largest
in the UK. Like all UK Universities, the University is an autonomous
legal entity, separate from government. The University's current
student population is 26,000, the University employs just under
9,000 people and it's turnover in 2008-09 was in excess of £500
million .
1.1 In addition to producing high-quality
graduates and undertaking cutting-edge basic research, the University
makes a significant contribution to the UK and Scottish economies.
In the last five years students at the University have formed
a total of 33 companies in the course of their studies and, in
the last year alone, staff and students formed 26 companies. A
recent piece of work[334]
on the University's wider economic impact indicates that the total
impacts of the University are:
— In Edinburgh—£585 million Gross
Value Added (GVA) and 14,034 fte jobs supported;
— In Midlothian—£63 million
GVA and 1,743 fte jobs supported; and
— In Scotland—£826 million GVA
and 19,580 fte jobs supported.
1.2 The University also contributes to the
economy by raising the productivity and skills of individuals
through teaching. It is estimated that the lifetime impact from
students graduating in one year is over £311 million in the
Edinburgh economy and £406 million in the Scottish economy.
1.3 This submission should be regarded as
supplementary to the Russell Group evidence to the Inquiry. It
focuses on highlighting specific University of Edinburgh initiatives
and on areas where there are differing arrangements or a different
context within Scotland. These areas are highlighted for the Committee's
information as changes to policy and arrangements in any of the
four home nations have implications in each of the others.
2. Admissions
2.0 It is important to understand the Scottish
context in relation to admissions. Of particular relevance here
are the higher rates of higher education participation in Scotland
and the fact that the Highers qualification system means that
many Scottish domiciled students are already made offers on the
basis of known grades (circa 60% of Scottish-domiciled entrants
to the University of Edinburgh).
The effectiveness of the process for admission
to Higher education Institutions, including A-levels, Advanced
Diplomas, apprenticeships and other university entrance tests.
2.1 The University is of the view that it offers
a transparent, effective and efficient service in relation to
admissions, however, it is continually seeking to further professionalise
and streamline its processes. The institution's admission's policy
is funded on a belief that diversity is educationally and socially
desirable in society and a recognition that not all students will
have had an equal opportunity to demonstrate their full academic
potential. All applications are therefore considered individually
and a holistic decision is made with regard to the individual's
academic grades, taking into account the context in which these
were achieved.
2.2 The University's challenge in relation to
admissions is therefore to identify the educational and social
context in which an applicant's academic qualifications have been
achieved and thereby determine their potential to succeed in the
intensive, research-led educational environment Edinburgh offers.
Full details of the University's admissions policy
is made publicly available to be viewed by applicants and for
wider scrutiny at
http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/undergraduate/applications-admissions/principles
2.3 The University of Edinburgh uses the
UKCAT entrance test in relation to admittance into its undergraduate
MBChB medicine programme. As part of the culture of ongoing review
of admissions processes and the context of a high applications-places
ratio the University is constantly looking to identify reliable
and appropriate means by which to differentiate between well qualified
students. The use of UKCAT is one example of this
The implementation and success of widening participation
initiatives, and the impact of the current funding regime on these
objectives.
2.4 The Committee's attention is drawn to
the various national and regional agreements in place in Scotland.
The Scottish Widening Access Partnership (SWAP) is a partnership
between the HEIs and colleges in Scotland focused on promoting
access to higher education amongst mature students. Supported
by the Scottish Funding Council, the programmes has now been running
for 21 years. Similarly access programmes aimed at school leavers,
such as the Lothian Equal Access Programmes for Schools (LEAPS)
in which the University of Edinburgh participates, has been running
for some 17 years.
2.5 Unlike compact agreements, these partnership
schemes provide multiple exit routes for students to pursue higher
education study at any of the participating institution.
2.6 The University of Edinburgh Pathways
to the Professions scheme is outlined briefly in the Russell
Group submission. This scheme is intended to encourage progression
by under-represented school students into professional courses
in Medicine, Vet Medicine, Law and Architecture and subsequently
into the professions themselves.
2.7 Through the project the University works
with professional bodies, state schools and families. The programme
of activity was initiated and developed from 2001-02 across all
46 state schools in Edinburgh and the Lothians and over 600 school
students have registered to date. The project was evaluated at
the end of its first two years of operation and was judged to
be successful (see Russell Group submission for further details),
attracting continuation funding. It has recently been selected
by Universities UK as a case study of best practice for their
publication From the Margins to the Mainstream. Initially
funded by the Sutton Trust, the project is now embedded and funded
by the University and the Law strand of the project has recently
been rolled out to five universities in England through a 1.25
million project funded by the Sutton Trust and the College of
Law.
2.8 Pathways to the Professions was selected
as an international example of best practice by the European Access
Network and the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation and
showcased at their joint conference in Toronto in April 2008.
The role of the Government in developing and promoting
fair access and admissions policies for the UK Higher Education
Sector.
2.9 The University of Edinburgh shares the
position outlined in the Russell Group submission to the Inquiry.
As autonomous institutions, admissions policies remain a matter
for individual HEI's. The University believes that transparency
and openness are prerequisites to such policies functioning effectively
under these arrangements.
3. The balance between teaching and research
3.0 The University supports the Russell Group
evidence to the effect that there is a positive correlation between
research excellence and student experience in contrast to any
tension which might be inferred from the phrasing used in the
call for evidence. In the period since the initial Research Assessment
Exercise, the University of Edinburgh has undertaken a number
of actions which reflect the institution's ongoing commitment
to the highest standards in learning and teaching alongside excellence
in research.
3.1 Selected examples of such initiatives include:
— The creation of personal chairs in student
learning in recognition of an individual's
— contribution to the advancement of knowledge
and understanding or its creative or professional application
in the field of learning at the highest level;
— outstanding achievement in contribution
to student earning as evidenced in peer-reviewable outputs including
excellence in practice in the field;
— capacity for academic leadership, including
the ability to influence, stimulate and inspire others.
— Staff awards in recognition of contribution
to learning and teaching, including the prestigious Chancellor's
Award, awarded to an individual who has enhanced the teaching
reputation of the University, through a significant contribution
to improving or invigorating of student learning at any level.
— Funded initiatives in support of teaching
innovation, including funding for e-learning initiatives.
— Voluntary participation in the National
Student Survey (not compulsory for Scottish HEIs).
December 2008
334 University of Edinburgh-Economic Impact 2008 -Baseline
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