Non-Traditional Student Statistics
As part of the Trinity Inclusive Curriculum (TIC) Project data was collated from across the three access initiatives in Trinity
College Dublin (TCD). These are:
-
The Disability Service
-
The Mature Students’ Office
-
Trinity Access Programmes
Data was also collected from the International Student Affairs Office.
The results are shown in this document.
Aims
-
To clarify the numbers of students currently studying in TCD from non-traditional backgrounds so as to better fit
service to demand.
-
To obtain a breakdown of non-traditional students studying across the faculties and schools of TCD.
-
To gain a picture of the annual figures for new entrants from non-traditional backgrounds entering TCD.
Points of Note:
1. These statistics represent the number of:
a. undergraduate students who entered TCD as mature students,
b. students who are registered with TAP (and current postgraduates who were registered TAP students as
undergraduates),
c. students registered with the Disability Service,
d. non-EU students studying at TCD at undergraduate level.
While it can be assumed that these figures include all undergraduate mature students (under the ‘on age’ category),
they do not include non-EU graduate students, or all students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds or with
disabilities. They are a minimum estimate. It is unknown how many students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds
enter TCD outside of TAP. It is also unknown how many students choose not to disclose their disability. More accurate
information regarding non-traditional student numbers may be achievable via the completion of the HEA Equal Access
questionnaire at annual registration.
2. There is cross over between the student within each cohort. There are students who belong to two or more of the
relevant categories, and this leads to duplication. For example, out of 585 students registered with the Disability
Service there are:
a. 80 students who entered as mature students, via either the mature students’ dispensation scheme or the CAO.
b. 16 students who entered via the TAP Young Adults Foundation course.
c. 15 students who entered via the TAP Mature students Foundation course.
Going into the future, a shared database could overcome the ambiguity that arises here.
2
3. This is the first effort to collate data from across all four student cohorts. As all four areas have historically worked
separately with no shared database or methods for collecting and categorising data, there are some discrepancies in
terminology and modes of data collection.
a. There was ambiguity surrounding the use of certain terminology (for example, ‘progression rate’). An agreed
definition of important terms is given in this document and it is noted anywhere the statistics deviate from this
definition.
4. Whilst TCD calculates completion rates based on cohort (e.g. following a cohort through the four/five years of a
degree programme), these statistics show figures on an annual basis unless otherwise stated. Due to database
limitations it was not always possible to calculate completion based on cohort.
5. Students enter TCD from the different cohorts thus:
a. The majority of TAP students enter TCD via the TAP alternative admission routes (TAP foundation courses,
HEAR, CDVEC courses). Some, however, enter TCD via the CAO and are referred to the TAP service (usually
via the Tutorial Service).
b. Students with Disabilities can enter TCD either via the disability access route or via the common points system.
One’s admission route does not affect one’s right to register with the service upon acceptance of a place in
TCD.
c. Whilst ‘registered’ mature students entered TCD via the mature students’ dispensation scheme, a ‘mature
student’ is one who is twenty three or older at the beginning of the calendar year in which they are admitted to
TCD. Many mature students enter TCD via the common points system. The Mature Students’ Office has limited
access to the data of students who enter via the common points system and so they are not included on all
tables.
3
d. There is no alternative access route for international students.
6. Students from each cohort study at different levels.
a. The TAP figure covers level eight undergraduates, students registered on TAP pre-entry foundation courses,
(both in TCD and in the related CDVEC college courses), and TAP alumni who reported that they are currently
engaged in postgraduate study in TCD,
b. The Disability Service figure covers all levels of study in TCD,
c. The mature student figure covers certificate/diploma courses and level eight undergraduates,
d. The International student figures covers level eight students.
Recommendations
-
It is recommended that uniform data collection procedures be agreed across the areas in order to ensure that data
can be collated quickly and accurately in the future.
o In line with TCD practice, a system should be created to ensure future data is collected on a cohort basis rather
than an annual basis.
-
Uniform data collection procedures for these student cohorts should be an objective of the College E-strategy.
-
Steps should be taken to ensure a higher response rate to the HEA Equal Access Questionnaire at registration.
4
Terms
Completion Rate – All level eight final year students who successfully passed their final year assessments in 07/08.
Level Eight Programme – This is an honours undergraduate degree programme. It is of at least four years in TCD,
though it can be longer (e.g. medicine).
Mature Student: On age – A student who commenced an undergraduate programme in TCD via any admission route
and was twenty three on, or before, January 1st in their year of admission.
Mature Student – Dispensation Scheme – A student who entered an undergraduate programme in TCD via the Mature
Students’ Dispensation scheme.
Progression Rate – All level eight students, excluding final year students, who successfully passed their assessments
and progressed onto the next year in 07/08
Year on Year Increase – The annual numbers of new entrant students registering with the relevant service.
5
Table One - Student Numbers
581
4%
Mature on
age
1044
6%
Mature –
Dispensation Scheme
432
3%
52
19%
457
4%
118
42%
452
4%
35
13%
1009
9%
0**
0%**
432
4%
76
1%
11*
>1%*
0**
0%**
0**
0%**
TCD total
Disability
TAP
No. of register students
As % of total population
16301
100%
585
4%
Cert/Dip#
As % of cert/dip population
Undergrads (level 8)
As % of undergraduate
population
Postgrads (levels 9 and 10)
As % of postgraduate
population
279
100%
10918
100%
5104
100%
International
Students##
1638
12% from outside
Ireland (including N.
Ireland)
* TAP does not include postgraduates who originally entered TCD via TAP in their numbers. However, eleven TAP alumni who confirmed that they
are current postgraduates in TCD have been included.
** Mature Students’ office only counts those who are studying on certificate/diploma or level 8 undergraduate programmes. The figure includes 55
students on part time post registration nursing courses.
# Cert/Dip includes all courses in TCD below level 8 (e.g. Diploma in Deaf Studies, TAP foundation course, Certificate in Contemporary Living).
## International Students only include full time students from outside 32 counties. % is % of total full time TCD students (13506)
Total TCD data as per SIS on 01/12/08, Disability as per Disability Database (DIS) 17/04//09, TAP as advised by TAP 6/02/09 (and 23/04/09 for
postgraduate), Mature as per MSO 27/11/08 (updated and amended 19/03/09).
This table has five columns indicating how many students:
-
are currently in TCD and at which level they currently study,
-
are registered with the Disability Service, and their percentage of the total cohort,
-
are TAP students, and their percentage of the total cohort,
6
-
are undergraduate, mature students, and their percentage of the total cohort, and
-
entered via the Mature Students’ dispensation scheme, and their percentage of the total cohort. This column indicates
those students who qualify as ‘mature students’ based on age and entry route to TCD (via the Mature Students’
Dispensation Scheme).
7
Table Two - Undergraduate Outcomes:
TCD total~
Disability #
Level 8
TAP#
Completion Rate
97%
97%
97%
Mature –
Dispensation
Scheme~
Unknown
Progression Rate
91%*
82%
91%
87%**
* JF only
** JF from 06/07 who entered SF in 07/08
# Annual Basis, ~Cohort
Total TCD data as per Senior Lecturer report 07/08, Disability as calculated using information on DIS, November 08, TAP as reported from TAP
Database 6/2/09, Mature progression provisional results from MSO 23/01/09,
This table shows progress rates for four distinct groups:
-
the total TCD undergraduate community,
-
those registered with the Disability Service,
-
those registered with TAP, on a level eight programme,
-
those who entered a level eight programme via the Mature Students’ Dispensation scheme.
Points of note:
-
While TCD bases the above rates on cohort this was not possible for the access programmes. The Disability Service
database is under four years old and so cannot follow a single cohort over a four year period. Hence the Disability
Service follows the definitions given at the beginning of the document.
8
Table Three – Faculty Breakdown
Total
Disability
TAP
Mature –
Dispensation
Scheme
Mature - All
Total
16301
(100%)
585 (4%)
570 (3%)
432 (3%)
1005
AHSS and TSM
Eng, Maths and
Sys Sci
Health Sciences
Other/Cross
Faculty
7827 (100%)
358 (5%)
283 (4%)
4113 (100%)
119 (3%)
65 (2%)
3757 (100%)
100 (3%)
114 (3%)
604 (100%)
8 (1%)
119 (20%)
285 (4%)
410 (5%)
51 (1%)
64 (2%)
94 (3%)
539 (14%)
2 (<1%)
31 (5%)
Total as per SIS 01/12/08, Disability as per DIS 17/4/09, TAP as advised 07/04/09 (graduates as advised 23/04/09), Mature students as per MSO
19/03/09. Mature students figure includes 55 students on post registration nursing courses.
9
Table Four - Course Breakdown:
School: History and Humanities
369
17 (5%)
12 (3%)
Mature –
Dispensation
Scheme
11 (3%)
School: Religion and Ecumenics
232
9 (4%)
5 (2%)
10 (4%)
30 (13%)
School: Business
420
8 (2%)
5 (1%)
4 (1%)
6 (1%)
School: Ling, Speech and Comms
261
17 (7%)
3 (1%)
13 (5%)
23 (9%)
School: Drama, Film, Music
201
12 (6%)
4 (2%)
17 (8%)
21 (10%)
School: Lang, Literature and Cultural (inc
282
8 (3%)
15 (5%)
14 (5%)
16 (6%)
School: Education
1931
14 (1%)
43 (2%)
0
41 (2%)
School: English
256
10 (4%)
6 (2%)
10 (4%)
10 (4%)
School: Law
576
27 (5%)
27 (5%)
School: Psychology
386
21 (5%)
21 (5%)
30 (8%)
31 (8%)
School: Social Science and Philosophy
327
19 (6%)
8 (2%)
11 (3%)
15 (5%)
School: Social Work and Social Policy
319
19(6%)
25 (8%)
41 (13%)
42 (13%)
History and Politics Programme
92
8 (9%)
4 (4%)
7 (8%)
7 (8%)
Sociology and Social Policy Programme
101
11 (11%)
12(12%)
14 (14%)
17 (17%)
TSM Programme
1276
83 (7%)
67 (5%)
66 (5%)
75 (6%)
BESS Programme
826
38 (5%)
26 (3%)
21 (3%)
29 (4%)
Course
Total TCD
Disability
TAP
Mature All
13 (4%)
European Studies)
15 (3%)
21 (4%)
10
B.Mus.Ed
39
0
2 (5%)
1 (3%)
1 (3%)
Business and Information Technology
31
1 (3%)
0
1 (3%)
30 (97%)
Computer Science, Linguistics and a Language
18
0
0
1 (6%)
1 (6%)
NIID
37
37 (100%)
0
0
12 (32%)
School: Chemistry
190
5 (3%)
1 (1%)
2 (1%)
2 (1%)
School: Comp Science and Statistics
903
24 (3%)
2 (<1%)
15 (2%)
31 (3%)
Biochemistry and Immunology
64
1 (2%)
2 (3%)
0
0
School: Genetics and Microbiology
108
3 (3%)
0
0
0
School: Physics
223
5 (2%)
0
0
School: Maths
138
10 (7%)
4 (3%)
4 (3%)
4 (3%)
School: Engineering
1225
25 (2%)
12 (1%)
8 (1%)
12 (1%)
School: Natural Science
2178
44 (2%)
38 (2%)
21 (1%)
28 (1%)
Physics and Chemistry of Advanced Materials
35
1 (3%)
1 (3%)
3 (9%)
3 (9%)
School: Pharmacy
436
10 (2%)
11 (3%)
17 (4%)
18 (4%)
School: Nursing and Midwifery
1329
40 (3%)
39 (3%)
0
325(24%)
School: Medicine
1725
47 (3%)
53 (3%)
56 (3%)
150 (9%)
School: Dentistry
318
3 (1%)
10 (3%)
19 (6%)
30 (9%)
8
119
0
0
TAP/Interdisciplinary Misc/ Erasmus-Year Abroad
2 (1%)
Total results as per SIS, 23/2/09 - 25/02/09, Disability as per DIS 17/4/09, TAP as per TAP 19/03/09, Mature as per MSO 19/03/09. Mature
students include 55 students registered on post registration nursing courses.
11
Points of note:
-
Total school populations were calculated using the Undergraduate and Postgraduate flexible lists on SIS. Registered
students, those off books and taking exams, and SU sabbatical officers from all levels were included for calculation
purposes.
-
There are some interschool programmes. Sometimes they are lists separately on the above table and sometimes they
are included with the primary school. For example:
o
The School of Business figure on the above table includes business and a language.
o
The School of Law figure on the above table includes Law and a Language.
o
The Social Sciences and Philosophy figure on the above table includes Philosophy and Politics (listed
separately on the SIS system).
o
The School of Chemistry figure on the above table includes Chemistry with Molecular Modeling.
o
The School of Physics figure on the above table includes Theoretical Physics.
o
The School of Natural Science figure on the above table includes TR071.
12
Table Five - Year on Year Increase
Disability TAP Mature –
Total – Non trad
Dispensation Scheme
87
77
146
310
International
Students
Unknown
Year
Total TCD
03
15428
04
15264
82
95
177
354
Unknown
05
15322
131
101
220
452
Unknown
06
15492
101
110
216
427
Unknown
07
15716
176
118
239
533
547
08
16301
195
137
198
530
457
Total as per annual reports 03/04 - 07/08 plus SIS for 08 numbers 01/12/08, Disability as per DIS 25/11/08, TAP as per TAP 6/2/09, Mature as
per MSO 27/11/08.
There are four columns here showing the annual figures for:
o the total TCD student population, including all years and levels,
o the new registrations to the Disability Service from incoming first years,
o students entering TCD through TAP,
o students entering TCD through the Mature Students’ Dispensation scheme.
Whilst this table displays the numbers of new entrants only for the non-traditional student categories, the total new
entrants to level eight courses throughout TCD was not available. Thus, the ‘Total TCD’ column indicates all students
registered in TCD in a given year while the other three columns look only at new entrants.
13
Year on Year Increase in Non-Traditional Entrants
550
500
450
400
350
300
03
04
05
06
07
08
Figure 1 – excluding international students
Other Figures
17% of students are part time.
There are two students from the Travelling Community currently studying on the TAP foundation course.
14