Research Shows Drop in University Language Degree Uptake

Research Shows Drop in University Language Degree Uptake: New research from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) has shown that the number of students taking a language degree at university is the lowest in a decade. The number of students being accepted on to a degree in modern foreign languages (MFL) dropped by more than a fifth (22%) from the academic years 2010-11 and 2012-13.     (Tweet This )

Additional data, provided by Ucas, shows that the number of acceptances on to MFL courses was in part due to a dramatic fall in applications; offers made by universities to students wishing to study an MFL degree are now at their lowest point for ten years. The drop in acceptances was worse for non-European languages (minus 14%) than for European languages (minus 6%).

Perhaps most worryingly for universities, the fall in degree offers for modern foreign languages – which has seen a drop over time – has now moved from being focussed on part-time students to being more a symptom of full-time applications. Prior to 2012-13, the long-term trend for declining entries to MFL courses was primarily an issue for part-time courses; the data for this most recent academic year suggests a fall of 22% for full-time offers.

The data attributes the decline almost entirely to a drop in UK applicants – rather than a fall in foreign students for instance. Applications from other EU countries appear to have remained relatively level.

Research Shows Drop in University Language Degree Uptake_Education Market Research_VoicED

Research Shows Drop in University Language Degree Uptake in the UK

However, whilst the number of UK students studying languages in the UK is falling, MFL courses remain a popular choice for those travelling to Europe to take up a university place. Languages were the most popular subject choice for UK students studying in France and Germany, and ranked second (behind economics) for those studying in the Netherlands.

In addition to a decline in applications for undergraduate MFL degrees, the data also noted a sharp fall in postgraduate applications. Across both full and part-time streams, there were only 1,000 entrants to taught postgraduate degrees in MFLs. Between 2010-11 and 2012-13, the number of full-time entrants dropped by more than a quarter and the number of part-time entrants by more than a half.

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