20th May 1999

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A research team headed by the University Ulster's Professor Bob Osborne has revealed the human cost behind Northern Ireland's student brain drain.

The joint UU/QUB Research Report, called 'To Stay or To Leave: The Migration of Northern Ireland Students' was sponsored by the Northern Ireland Higher Education Council.

Every year, thousands of Northern Ireland's brightest young people are forced to leave the province because of the Government's cap on the number of student places available in Northern Ireland.

In a survey of 1200 A-level and GNVQ students in schools and further education colleges across the province, the researchers found that the present cap on places, combined with the withdrawal of maintenance grants and the introduction of a £1000 tuition fee charged to all university students, has a number of important effects on young people's decisions about where - and whether - they enter a degree course.

The researchers identified two major categories: the reluctant leaver, and the reluctant stayer.

Reluctant leavers are students who feel forced to leave Northern Ireland to study at GB institutions because of the cap on places in the two local universities.
Reluctant stayers are people who do not enter higher education because they cannot afford to leave Northern Ireland to study in GB, and at the same time cannot get into UU or QUB because of the cap on places. These students may, say the researchers, despite having qualifications good enough to get into GB universities, re-sit their A-levels in the hope of achieving the higher grades that will allow them into UU or QUB. Or some may simply abandon the idea of a university education entirely.
63% of students surveyed expressed a desire to go to university in Northern Ireland, a figure which increased as the full weight of financial and family consequences of studying in GB became clearer.

The students were surveyed in two stages, so researchers were able to assess how opinions changed over time, as the university entrance application deadline neared.

They found that the desire to study in Northern Ireland became stronger as the students approached the deadlines for a decision on where to study.

Almost half the respondents who described themselves as reluctant leavers of Northern Ireland were students at FE colleges.

The report's authors also looked at the reasons why young people choose to leave Northern Ireland.

The main reasons given for wanting to leave Northern Ireland were: * Wanted to get away from parents for a while * Better career opportunities outside Northern Ireland * Ease of entry to GB universities * Availability of specialist education (eg veterinary courses)

The main reasons given for wanting to stay and study in Northern Ireland were: * Cost * Family ties * A positive perception of higher education in Northern Ireland

Commenting on the report findings, Professor Bob Osborne said:

"The fact that so many students leave Northern Ireland for study - and that many of them would prefer to stay, raises two major issues. Firstly, it places a significant financial burden on students and their families, and secondly, it represents a loss of talent to Northern Ireland.

"These questions are substantial issues for the incoming Minister in the proposed Department of Higher and Further Education".

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk