Total number of students in FE colleges in 1995/96: 323,052, of which

* 37,495 studied for nonvocational courses

* 60,718 studied higher education courses

* 224,539 studied for further education courses

* Student numbers have increased by 20 per cent in the past two years

* Proportion of students over 25 has risen to 54 per cent

Higher education numbers in FE colleges

* FE colleges offer over per cent of all Scottish higher education, compared with only 13 per cent in England and Wales, (over 60,000 students) and nearly 30 per cent of undergraduate provision

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* Most (ie students studying higher education programmes) are studying for HNC/D - 94 per cent of full time, 62 per cent of part-time

* In 1994/95 - 55 per cent of students who had studied for HNC or HNCs in FE went on to further, full-time study, largely for degrees at HE institutions.

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* 17 per cent of all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate study in Scotland is in further education colleges

* 42 per cent of all part-time provision in Scotland is offered at further education colleges

* 40 per cent of Scottish domiciled students entering HE for the first time do so in an FE college

* Almost 30 per cent of undergraduate study is on a part-time basis. Of these nearly 78 per cent were enrolled in a further education college or the Scottish Open University.

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* Women make up 76 per cent of full-time students at colleges

Student Awards

* 31 per cent of higher education awards made in Scotland in 1994/95 were HNC/HND level

* Nearly 70 per cent of full-time HE students in Scottish FE colleges in 1995/96 received the maximum level of maintenance award.

Funding

* Scotland's 46 colleges receive Pounds 290 million in government grant

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