The effect of postgraduate loans

Disability

Summary

Disabled students have seen a larger increase in entrant numbers, transition rates and realisation of intentions than students without a reported disability. They also have a higher loan take-up rate than students without a disability.

Analysis has shown that disabled students and students without a disability are equally likely to realise their intentions to study at postgraduate level six months after graduation.

Entrants to eligible courses

Disability is identified by whether or not the student has declared a disability to their institution; therefore the number of disabled students could be underreported. However, there has been a large increase in the proportion of students declaring a disability. The number of entrants who declared a disability and started an eligible course has increased by 56 per cent between 2015-16 and 2016-17. For students without a disability, entry increased by 27 per cent.

This means that the composition of postgraduate entrants has changed. The proportion of students reporting a disability increased from 12 per cent in 2015-16 to 15 per cent in 2016-17.

One-year transition rates

There has been a 3.1 percentage point increase in the transition rate for students who have declared a disability. This compares with a 2.8 percentage point increase in transition rates among students who have not declared a disability.

Loan take-up

The rate of loan take-up is different depending on whether or not a student has declared a disability. Of eligible students who reported a disability, 71 per cent took out a loan compared with 63 per cent who did not have a disability reported.

Realisation of intentions

In terms of the proportion of students realising their intentions to study at postgraduate level, 59 per cent of 2015-16 qualifiers who declared a disability realised their intentions, compared with 52 per cent of 2014-15 qualifiers who declared a disability.