It was recommended in 'A blueprint for fairness: the final report of the Commission on Widening Access, March 2016' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 123.1221] that the Commissioner for Fair Access should consider what further work is required to support equal outcomes after study for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This paper is part of the programme of work being undertaken to address this recommendation and focuses on Scottish domiciled students undertaking postgraduate study at Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). In some professions, postgraduate qualifications may neither
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It was recommended in 'A blueprint for fairness: the final report of the Commission on Widening Access, March 2016' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 123.1221] that the Commissioner for Fair Access should consider what further work is required to support equal outcomes after study for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This paper is part of the programme of work being undertaken to address this recommendation and focuses on Scottish domiciled students undertaking postgraduate study at Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). In some professions, postgraduate qualifications may neither be required, nor be the typical route into a career. However, inequality of access to postgraduate provision may lead to sizeable access issues in certain professions, such as the legal profession, which typically require a postgraduate certification. Postgraduate study, as considered in this paper, includes study leading to higher degrees, diplomas and certificates, and generally requires a first degree upon entry.
This paper aims to answer, from an analytical perspective, the following questions: Are students from deprived areas underrepresented in postgraduate study and if so, to what extent is this linked to other factors, such as subject studied, that have an effect on whether a graduate progresses from first degree to postgraduate study? Are postgraduate leavers from deprived areas less likely than other students to find a professional level job and if so, is this true when accounting for institution attended, subject studied and qualification type?
Key points include: (1) Representation of full-time entrants from deprived areas (SIMD20) is lower at postgraduate level than first degree level. This reflects the lower progression rates from first degrees to postgraduate degrees among leavers from these areas; (2) Differences in progression rates between students from the least and most deprived areas can be accounted for by differences in first degree outcomes, subject studied and institution attended between these groups; and (3) Differences in leaver destinations between SIMD20 leavers and other leavers at postgraduate level are starker than those observed at first degree level and persist when subject studied, institution attended and qualification type are accounted for.
Edited excerpts from publication.
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