The number of PhD enrolments and awards since 2008/2009 are set out in the tables.
Table 1 shows the number of total PhD enrolments over the past eight years. The year in each instance refers to the academic year. The 2016 returns contain academic year 2015/2016 enrolments and calendar year 2015 graduates (2014/2015 academic year graduates).
Full-time PhD programmes usually span over a three or four year period, part-time PhD programmes can span many more years than this.
Table 1
Course Year
|
2008/2009
|
2009/2010
|
2010/2011
|
2011/2012
|
2012/2013
|
2013/2014
|
2014/2015
|
2015/2016
|
1
|
2,052
|
2,020
|
1,733
|
1,959
|
1,658
|
1,774
|
1,863
|
1,909
|
2
|
1,297
|
2,158
|
1,949
|
1,650
|
1,847
|
1,551
|
1,723
|
1,740
|
3
|
1,511
|
1,623
|
2,211
|
1,950
|
1,611
|
1,829
|
1,488
|
1,672
|
4
|
1,119
|
1,381
|
1,381
|
1,875
|
1,693
|
1,328
|
1,561
|
1,390
|
5
|
319
|
419
|
459
|
457
|
591
|
474
|
454
|
550
|
6
|
193
|
223
|
250
|
294
|
294
|
392
|
389
|
413
|
7
|
121
|
146
|
156
|
153
|
140
|
133
|
144
|
145
|
8
|
47
|
57
|
68
|
58
|
80
|
104
|
100
|
128
|
9
|
17
|
20
|
20
|
35
|
31
|
30
|
27
|
31
|
Other
|
474
|
522
|
510
|
559
|
408
|
495
|
409
|
390
|
Total
|
7,150
|
8,569
|
8,737
|
8,990
|
8,353
|
8,110
|
8,158
|
8,368
|
Table 2 outlines the number of PhD graduates over the past eight years. The graduate numbers in each year refer to enrolments that started between three and nine years ago in most instances.
Table 2
Award
|
2007/2008
|
2008/2009
|
2009/2010
|
2010/2011
|
2011/2012
|
2012/2013
|
2013/2014
|
2014/2015
|
PhD
|
1,048
|
1,210
|
1,222
|
1,447
|
1,532
|
1,737
|
1,749
|
1,429
|