Fewer graduates in 2009 but more were awarded firsts

By Gary Eason Education correspondent, BBC News

Much of the higher education expansion has been in two-year degrees

The number of first class degrees awarded in the UK rose last year even though the total number of first-time graduates fell slightly.

There were 333,720 degrees in 2009 compared with 334,890 in 2008.

But the proportion of firsts went up from 13% to 14%, continuing a trend that has fuelled a debate about standards in the sector.

The biggest change year-on-year was in the number of foundation degrees awarded, up 26% albeit to only 18,850.

The government wants to encourage more people to take up these two-year degrees which are devised in close collaboration with employers.

Standards

The figures, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, confirm that a clear majority of graduates these days - 57% - are women.

Science subjects made up 41% of the degrees awarded in 2008-09, divided equally between men and women.

Students from outside the UK accounted for 21% of those awarded higher education qualifications, up from 20% the year before.

Concerns have been raised repeatedly in recent years about the maintenance of standards in the system.

The interim report of an inquiry led by Prof Robert Burgess said in 2004 that the current system of degree classifications was "no longer fit for purpose".

A report from the Quality Assurance Agency in 2007 said degree classes were not comparable between universities or subjects.

In 2008 its then chief executive, Peter Williams, called the system "arbitrary and unreliable".

'Encouraging'

A review commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce), published last October, called for changes.

It endorsed the Burgess group's proposals for students' exam results to be supplemented with more detailed information about their achievements.

But the Higher Education Funding Council for England rejected concerns that degrees were becoming easier.

England's universities minister, David Lammy, said the government's vision was of a continued expansion of higher education through a wider range of types of study.

"So it's especially encouraging to see more people being awarded foundation degrees," he said.

"These help both full-time and part-time learners develop their skills and careers whilst helping businesses ensure they get, develop and retain the talent needed to remain strong in these challenging economic times."

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