The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education
29 Harley Street
London W1G 9QR
T: +44 (0) 207 380 6773
F: +44 (0) 207 387 2655
Email: info@obhe.ac.uk
Key Resource, November 2003
The following is a selection of free online sources of national and international statistics on higher education. A short description about the data collecting body and countries listed is provided, followed by the years of coverage and a list of some data sets found on the site.
OECD Online Education Database
About: The OECD Education Database provides internationally comparable data on OECD member country education systems, and countries participating in the World Education Indicators (WEI) programme (includes Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Malaysia, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe).
Years of Coverage: 1998-2005
Data Sets: Enrolments, graduates and new entrants, education expenditures, number of foreign students, number of graduates, educational personnel. Advanced query options allow the user to limit by level of education, age, program of study, and gender.
Internet Resources for Institutional Research
About: The Association for Institutional Research's (AIR) website, 'Internet Resources for Institutional Research', is a portal to a broad range of reports, statistics, and other higher education resources. The Stats/Research Methods link provides a list of statistical sources, many of which are education related. Much of the information is U.S. focused but there is also a good collection of international sources. Subject headings include: Data, Government, Technology in Higher Ed, and Internet Related.
About: Developed by the World Bank's Education Group of the Human Development Network (HDNED) and the Development Economics Data Group (DECDG) in collaboration with the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), OECD and other agencies. 'Country Data' is a basic introduction to general education statistics for over 200 countries. 'Thematic Data' gives more in-depth statistics on particular issues, some of which pertain to higher education.
Years of Coverage: 'Country Data' 1980-2007 (bidecadal). 'Thematic Data' 1999-2003.
Data Sets: 'Country Data': Tertiary Gross Enrolment Ratio (% of population), Public Expenditure per Tertiary Student (% of per capita GDP). 'Thematic Data': Entry rates to tertiary education, Ratio of students to teaching staff and estimated class size, Public subsidies to the private sector as a percentage of total government expenditure on education and GDP for tertiary education.
About: UNESCO Institute for Statistics' 'Statistical Tables' provide similar data to that listed in EdStats. Options for viewing the data include Excel, HTML, or an interactive web interface to create online tables.
Years of Coverage: 1999-2006
Data Sets: Similar to above.
World Higher Education Database (WHED)
About: The International Association of Universities supports this website that compiles 'Higher Education Systems' country profiles. While not a statistical website per se it does provide quick facts on national higher education systems.
Years of Coverage: 2006
Information Available: Laws governing higher education, stages of study, recognition of foreign studies, grading system, overall education structure, etc.
A good source for national information on higher education is the education department or statistical department of the national government. Access to these sources may be found through WWW Governments on the Web (last updated June 2002).
Department of Education, Science and Training
About: This government department produces detailed statistics and reports on Finance, Research Expenditure, Staff, Students, and Overall Performance indicators throughout the 40 higher education institutions in Australia.
Years of Coverage: 1995-2005
Data Sets: Finances: Operating Expenses, Operating Revenue, Financial Performance, and Financial Position. Funding, Total Revenue, Total Expenses, Current and Non-Current Assets and Liabilities.
Students: All Overseas Students by Country of Birth, Mode of Attendance, Type of Attendance, program of study, institution, and gender.
About: Eurydice covers the education systems of the Member States of the European Union, the three countries of the European Free Trade Association which are members of the European Economic Area, and the EU candidate countries involved in the Socrates Programme. It provides a good introduction to European national education systems from pre-primary to higher. All information is in English, as well as the language of the country concerned (in most cases). Eurydice publications may be broadly divided into descriptions of national education systems, comparative studies devoted to specific topics, and indicators and statistics. Follow the 'Eurybase' link for country specific statistics and the 'Publications' link 'Indicators and Statistics' for cross comparisons of these countries.
Years of Coverage: 1994-2005
Data Sets: Eurybase addresses: Number of students and graduates, Cost per graduate in higher education, Percentage enrolled in higher education, Percentage of student population by cycle, Completion rate, Number of teachers in higher education, Number and size of institutions.
The 'Indicators and Statistics' section provides reports on 'Key data on education in Europe' which gives comparative statistics, with text analysis, for a wide range of issues (over 145 education indicators) including gender differences in area and level of enrolment, number of students in technology based courses, etc.
About: HOLIS Compare is provided by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), an organisation set up following the 1993 UK government white paper that outlined the need for more coherence in higher education statistics. HOLIS Compare allows comparisons to be drawn between higher education institutions in the UK. Comparative figures are shown as an average of the selected institutions, therefore enabling an institution to benchmark against what they consider to be their "peer group".
Years of Coverage: 1993-2007
Data Sets: Compare institutions by students' mode of study, subject, age group, level of study, ethnicity, first year marker (first year or other year), highest qualification on entry, and gender.
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
About: DIUS provides free statistics on higher education in the UK. Listed under 'Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom', the site also has links to a number of related reports. Some statistics are from HESA.
Years of Coverage: 1998-2002
Data Sets: Enrolments, staff, finance, applicants via UCAS, student support, and performance results. Learning and Training at work.
National Center for Education Statistics
About: The NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting and analysing U.S. data on all levels of education. Numerous statistical tables on postsecondary and international students in higher education are available.
Years of Coverage: 1980-2002
Data Sets: 'Quick Tables and Figures' allow access to the following tables amongst others: 'Foreign students enrolled in institutions of higher education in the United States and outlying areas, by continent, region, and selected countries of origin', 'Bachelor's, master's, and doctor's degrees conferred by degree-granting institutions, by sex of student and field of study', 'Undergraduate and graduate/first-professional students who participated in distance education', 'Full-time, full-year undergraduates attending private not-for-profit 4-year comprehensive and baccalaureate institutions'.
About: The Institute of International Education conducts a survey annually of 2,700 accredited U.S. higher education institutions. The results are based on a response rate of approximately 90%, and published in the Open Doors Report. Some of the data on foreign students in the U.S. is available for free.
Years of Coverage: 1993-2003
Data Sets: Foreign students in the U.S. by Total Enrolment, Source of Funds, Leading Countries of Origin, All Countries of Origin, Enrolment by leading Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), Fields of Study, Leading Institutions, Leading Institutions by Carnegie Type, All Institutions, by Country and Level. International students enrolled in Intensive English Programs (IEP) by country and state.
