Student Income and Expenditure Survey 2011/12: English-domiciled Students

The 2011/12 Student Income and Expenditure Survey (SIES) was jointly commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Welsh Government. The study was conducted in partnership by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the Institute for Employment Studies (IES). This report presents the findings for students from England. A separate report covers students from Wales.

The aim of the survey was to provide an authoritative report on the financial position of HE students in England and Wales in the academic year 2011/12, and provide a baseline against which to measure changes to the student financial support package from 2012/13.

The 2011/12 survey covered both full-time and part-time students at higher education institutions (HEI) and further education colleges (FEC), including the Open University (OU), participating in undergraduate courses during the 2011/12 academic year.

Data were collected between February and June 2012 via:

• A thirty minute online survey or telephone interview with a randomly selected sample of 2,986 full-time and 927 part-time English-domiciled students at 96 institutions in England and Wales (including the OU).
• Online expenditure diaries detailing the expenses incurred by these students over the course of seven days, completed by 2,060 English-domiciled students.