Books by Claire Callender
Research among prospective UK undergraduates in 2002 found that some students, especially from lo... more Research among prospective UK undergraduates in 2002 found that some students, especially from low social classes, were deterred from applying to university because of fear of debt. This paper investigates whether this is still the case today in England despite the changing higher education landscape since 2002. The paper describes findings from a 2015 survey of prospective undergraduates and compares them with those from the 2002 study. We find that students' attitudes to taking on student loan debt are more favorable in 2015 than in 2002. Debt averse attitudes remain much stronger among lower-class students than among upperclass students, and more so than in 2002. However, lower-class students did not have stronger debt averse attitudes than middle-class students. Debt averse attitudes seem more likely to deter planned higher education participation among lower-class students in 2015 than in 2002.
Sutton Trust, 2018
Part-time undergraduate study has an important role both in widening participation and in develop... more Part-time undergraduate study has an important role both in widening participation and in developing skills. Since 2010, the number of part-time undergraduate entrants living in England attending UK universities and English further education colleges has fallen annually. By 2015, the numbers nationally had decreased by 51%, by 63% at the Open
University, and by 45% at other UK universities and FE colleges. These numbers continue to fall.
This report focuses on the role of the 2012 reforms of student funding, which abolished means-tested fee and course grants, introduced fee loans and reduced teaching grants leading to big increases in tuition fees. Between 2011 and 2012, the Open University increased its fees for English-domiciled students on average from £1,400 to £5,000 per full-time equivalent. At other English universities, the average (median) fee for degree courses was £5,000, with some institutions charging up to the equivalent of the full-time fee cap of £9,000.
This report is based on the findings of a follow-up survey conducted in 2010/11 of 1,021 UK domic... more This report is based on the findings of a follow-up survey conducted in 2010/11 of 1,021 UK domiciled part-time undergraduates who were originally surveyed in 2007/2008 when they were in the final year of HE study. We examine how these individuals have progressed two years after they were first interviewed. Specifically, we focus on the qualifications they achieved, whether they went on to further study and what impact their course has had on their career development. The study was conducted for the Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and undertaken by Prof Claire Callender, Birkbeck and the Institute of Education, University of London and David Wilkinson of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
This report is based on the findings of a follow-up survey conducted in 2010 of 261 UK domiciled ... more This report is based on the findings of a follow-up survey conducted in 2010 of 261 UK domiciled part-time undergraduates who were originally surveyed in 2008 when they were nearing the end of their first year of HE study. We examine how these individuals have progressed two years after they were first interviewed, when they were in their third year of study. Specifically, we focus on their experiences of study, and what impact their course has had on their career development.
This study is one of only a few longitudinal studies of part-time undergraduate students in the UK, which has tracked student progression over time. While the number of students surveyed in this part of study is small and may not be representative of all part-time students, the survey confirms the importance of part-time study and demonstrates its positive effects for employers, employees, and the wider economy and economic prosperity. The skills respondents learn on their part-time undergraduate courses are used effectively in their jobs and bring real, sustainable benefits to the individuals concerned. Among the respondents, part-time study contributes to quantifiable changes such as job moves, higher salaries, and promotion. It also leads to less tangible, qualitative changes to individuals’ working lives which are felt by both respondents who do, and do not, change employer or job. But above all, these benefits start to take effect well before the part-time students surveyed had completed their studies, and graduated. However, there are some worrying early warning signs that part-time students employers’ may be unable or unwilling to meet all of the large increase in tuition fees to be introduced in 2012/13, especially because of financial constraints due to the economic recession. This might restrict opportunities to participate in part-time study, especially for those wishing to re-skill or update their existing skills. Investing in skills development throughout a person’s lifetime is at the heart of skills policies, and part-time higher education study is integral to that. Higher education funding policies need to support that ambition.
This study, undertaken by Birkbeck, University of London and the National Institute of Economic a... more This study, undertaken by Birkbeck, University of London and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, seeks to examine issues concerning skills supply, focusing on the impact of higher education for part-time and full-time undergraduate students. The research consists of secondary analysis of data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s Longitudinal Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (Longitudinal DLHE) survey. The analysis compares how graduates from part- and full-time study fare in the labour market six months and three and a half years after graduation. This is the first time such analysis has been undertaken. The analysis provides evidence to develop a deeper understanding of the role of part-time undergraduate study in the labour market at a time when the government wants to encourage more diverse and flexible higher education provision to meet the skill needs of the economy. It also helps inform the debate regarding who should pay for improving higher level skills.
This document summarises the key findings of the
first major national study of bursaries and
sc... more This document summarises the key findings of the
first major national study of bursaries and
scholarships – exploring the awareness, take-up and
impact of institutional bursaries and scholarships in
England from the perspective of higher education
institutions (HEI), full-time undergraduate students,
their parents, and higher education (HE) advisors in
schools and colleges. The study was commissioned
by the Office for Fair Access and undertaken by
Professor Claire Callender of Birkbeck, University of
London, and the National Institute of Economic and
Social Research.
This document explores:
• how HEIs have responded to the call to introduce
bursaries and scholarships for full-time
undergraduates in England
• how students, their parents, and HE advisors in
schools and colleges have reacted to bursaries
and scholarships
• whether bursaries and scholarships are promoting
student choice and influencing student behaviour
• whether students’ HE decisions are influenced by
both the availability and generosity of
institutional financial support, and if so how?
This report is about part-time students and part-time study, and the factors facilitating and inh... more This report is about part-time students and part-time study, and the factors facilitating and inhibiting the supply and growth of undergraduate part-time higher education. The study consists of three components. First, a statistical review of the 2007/08 HESA data which charts the scale and nature of both the undergraduate and postgraduate part-time student population in the UK. This review also maps the geography of part-time higher education highlighting regions with high and low-levels of part-time provision. Secondly, case studies of 15 English universities located in regions with high and low-levels of provision. These case studies sought to explain the regional distribution of part-time undergraduate courses and to understand the external and internal factors that promote and hinder part-time undergraduate higher education. Thirdly, an analysis of part-time student funding and finances which calls upon the findings of a recent survey of 3,704 part-time UK undergraduates.
This report is based on the findings of a survey of 3,704 part-time undergraduate UK domiciled st... more This report is based on the findings of a survey of 3,704 part-time undergraduate UK domiciled students conducted in 2007/08. This survey forms part of a larger longitudinal study that will track these students over time through a series of surveys. It is the first study of its kind involving a nationally representative sample of part-time undergraduates from across the UK. The initial survey reported here, aimed to explore students’ career intentions and ambitions and to collect data on their career development and decision making – issues that have tended to be ignored in other research on part-time students.
Papers by Claire Callender
Equity and Access attempts to unravel the complex narrative of why inequities in the health secto... more Equity and Access attempts to unravel the complex narrative of why inequities in the health sector are growing and access to basic health care is worsening, and the underlying forces that contribute to this situation. It draws attention to the way globalization has influenced India’s development trajectory as health care issues have assumed significant socio-economic and political significance in contemporary India. The volume explains how state and market forces have progressively heightened the iniquitous health care system and the process through which substantial burden of meeting health care needs has fallen on the individual households. Twenty-eight scholars comprising social scientists, medical experts, public health experts, policy makers, health activists, legal experts, and gender specialists have delved into the politics of access for different classes, castes, gender, and other categories to contribute to a new field of ‘health care studies’ in this volume. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach within a broader political-economy framework, the volume is useful for understanding power relations within social groups and complex organizational systems.
Abstract One of the greatest and most glossed-over injustices in the English higher education sys... more Abstract One of the greatest and most glossed-over injustices in the English higher education system is the fact that part-time undergraduate students, who are older and from less traditional academic backgrounds, have a much worse deal than their full-time ...
Department for Education and Skills eBooks, 2003
This report is based on the findings of a follow-up survey conducted in 2010 of 261 UK domiciled ... more This report is based on the findings of a follow-up survey conducted in 2010 of 261 UK domiciled part-time undergraduates who were originally surveyed in 2008 when they were nearing the end of their first year of HE study. We examine how these individuals have progressed two years after they were first interviewed, when they were in their third year of study. Specifically, we focus on their experiences of study, and what impact their course has had on their career development. This study is one of only a few longitudinal studies of part-time undergraduate students in the UK, which has tracked student progression over time. While the number of students surveyed in this part of study is small and may not be representative of all part-time students, the survey confirms the importance of part-time study and demonstrates its positive effects for employers, employees, and the wider economy and economic prosperity. The skills respondents learn on their part-time undergraduate courses are used effectively in their jobs and bring real, sustainable benefits to the individuals concerned. Among the respondents, part-time study contributes to quantifiable changes such as job moves, higher salaries, and promotion. It also leads to less tangible, qualitative changes to individuals’ working lives which are felt by both respondents who do, and do not, change employer or job. But above all, these benefits start to take effect well before the part-time students surveyed had completed their studies, and graduated. However, there are some worrying early warning signs that part-time students employers’ may be unable or unwilling to meet all of the large increase in tuition fees to be introduced in 2012/13, especially because of financial constraints due to the economic recession. This might restrict opportunities to participate in part-time study, especially for those wishing to re-skill or update their existing skills. Investing in skills development throughout a person’s lifetime is at the heart of skills policies, and part-time higher education study is integral to that. Higher education funding policies need to support that ambition.
This report is about the income, expenditure and debt of full time students in higher education (... more This report is about the income, expenditure and debt of full time students in higher education (HE) and further education (FE) in Scotland in 2004/05. It is based on research, commissioned by the Scottish Executive, conducted by Professor Claire Callender of London South Bank University, the Policy Studies Institute, and NOP Research Ltd. While studies in the past have examined the finances of undergraduates attending Higher Educational Institutions in Scotland, this is the first study also to explore in-depth the finances of FE college students taking undergraduate and non-advanced courses. The main aims of the study were to collect comprehensive data on full time students' income, expenditure and debt, and to identify any differences by students' socioeconomic and institutional characteristics. The interviews with students were conducted between January and May 2005. Main findings I Over half HE students and FE students had not thought about the costs of going to university or college before they started their course, nor sought information or guidance about these costs. By contrast, the vast majority had obtained information about financial help with the costs of studying.
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Books by Claire Callender
University, and by 45% at other UK universities and FE colleges. These numbers continue to fall.
This report focuses on the role of the 2012 reforms of student funding, which abolished means-tested fee and course grants, introduced fee loans and reduced teaching grants leading to big increases in tuition fees. Between 2011 and 2012, the Open University increased its fees for English-domiciled students on average from £1,400 to £5,000 per full-time equivalent. At other English universities, the average (median) fee for degree courses was £5,000, with some institutions charging up to the equivalent of the full-time fee cap of £9,000.
This study is one of only a few longitudinal studies of part-time undergraduate students in the UK, which has tracked student progression over time. While the number of students surveyed in this part of study is small and may not be representative of all part-time students, the survey confirms the importance of part-time study and demonstrates its positive effects for employers, employees, and the wider economy and economic prosperity. The skills respondents learn on their part-time undergraduate courses are used effectively in their jobs and bring real, sustainable benefits to the individuals concerned. Among the respondents, part-time study contributes to quantifiable changes such as job moves, higher salaries, and promotion. It also leads to less tangible, qualitative changes to individuals’ working lives which are felt by both respondents who do, and do not, change employer or job. But above all, these benefits start to take effect well before the part-time students surveyed had completed their studies, and graduated. However, there are some worrying early warning signs that part-time students employers’ may be unable or unwilling to meet all of the large increase in tuition fees to be introduced in 2012/13, especially because of financial constraints due to the economic recession. This might restrict opportunities to participate in part-time study, especially for those wishing to re-skill or update their existing skills. Investing in skills development throughout a person’s lifetime is at the heart of skills policies, and part-time higher education study is integral to that. Higher education funding policies need to support that ambition.
first major national study of bursaries and
scholarships – exploring the awareness, take-up and
impact of institutional bursaries and scholarships in
England from the perspective of higher education
institutions (HEI), full-time undergraduate students,
their parents, and higher education (HE) advisors in
schools and colleges. The study was commissioned
by the Office for Fair Access and undertaken by
Professor Claire Callender of Birkbeck, University of
London, and the National Institute of Economic and
Social Research.
This document explores:
• how HEIs have responded to the call to introduce
bursaries and scholarships for full-time
undergraduates in England
• how students, their parents, and HE advisors in
schools and colleges have reacted to bursaries
and scholarships
• whether bursaries and scholarships are promoting
student choice and influencing student behaviour
• whether students’ HE decisions are influenced by
both the availability and generosity of
institutional financial support, and if so how?
Papers by Claire Callender
University, and by 45% at other UK universities and FE colleges. These numbers continue to fall.
This report focuses on the role of the 2012 reforms of student funding, which abolished means-tested fee and course grants, introduced fee loans and reduced teaching grants leading to big increases in tuition fees. Between 2011 and 2012, the Open University increased its fees for English-domiciled students on average from £1,400 to £5,000 per full-time equivalent. At other English universities, the average (median) fee for degree courses was £5,000, with some institutions charging up to the equivalent of the full-time fee cap of £9,000.
This study is one of only a few longitudinal studies of part-time undergraduate students in the UK, which has tracked student progression over time. While the number of students surveyed in this part of study is small and may not be representative of all part-time students, the survey confirms the importance of part-time study and demonstrates its positive effects for employers, employees, and the wider economy and economic prosperity. The skills respondents learn on their part-time undergraduate courses are used effectively in their jobs and bring real, sustainable benefits to the individuals concerned. Among the respondents, part-time study contributes to quantifiable changes such as job moves, higher salaries, and promotion. It also leads to less tangible, qualitative changes to individuals’ working lives which are felt by both respondents who do, and do not, change employer or job. But above all, these benefits start to take effect well before the part-time students surveyed had completed their studies, and graduated. However, there are some worrying early warning signs that part-time students employers’ may be unable or unwilling to meet all of the large increase in tuition fees to be introduced in 2012/13, especially because of financial constraints due to the economic recession. This might restrict opportunities to participate in part-time study, especially for those wishing to re-skill or update their existing skills. Investing in skills development throughout a person’s lifetime is at the heart of skills policies, and part-time higher education study is integral to that. Higher education funding policies need to support that ambition.
first major national study of bursaries and
scholarships – exploring the awareness, take-up and
impact of institutional bursaries and scholarships in
England from the perspective of higher education
institutions (HEI), full-time undergraduate students,
their parents, and higher education (HE) advisors in
schools and colleges. The study was commissioned
by the Office for Fair Access and undertaken by
Professor Claire Callender of Birkbeck, University of
London, and the National Institute of Economic and
Social Research.
This document explores:
• how HEIs have responded to the call to introduce
bursaries and scholarships for full-time
undergraduates in England
• how students, their parents, and HE advisors in
schools and colleges have reacted to bursaries
and scholarships
• whether bursaries and scholarships are promoting
student choice and influencing student behaviour
• whether students’ HE decisions are influenced by
both the availability and generosity of
institutional financial support, and if so how?