Annual funding allocations

Funds for 2011-12

The total HEFCE grant available for the 2011-12 academic year is £6,507 million.

This page breaks down this figure and provides links to all key documents and publications relating to the announcement of annual allocations throughout the year.

We have included grant tables for the higher education sector as a whole, and model covering letters and funding agreements for universities and colleges.

The knowledge exchange allocation of £150 million was confirmed by the HEFCE Board in January 2011. 

Figures in the adjacent chart are correct as of March 2011.

Documents for institutions

In March each year universities and colleges receive a set of individualised grant tables along with a grant letter and technical guidance which give a comprehensive explanation of the contents of the tables.

In July institutions receive another set of  tables, incorporating any changes since the March announcement, along with funding agreements. The funding agreements should be read alongside 'HEFCE grant adjustments 2011-12'.

In October, institutions that have a change to their grant and/or funding targets since July receive a grant letter and revised grant tables.

Student number control

In 2010-11 we introduced a student number control relating to full-time undergraduate and Postgraduate/Professional Graduate Certificate in Education entrants. Its purpose has been to reduce the risk of over-recruitment that might lead to a transfer of HEFCE grant back to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to meet consequent unanticipated student support costs.

We described our approach to determining institutions' student number control limits for 2011-12 in January and we wrote to institutions in February to provide a provisional limit.

Note on available documents

The recurrent grant tables differ slightly for higher education institutions and further education colleges but the grant tables given below are for the sector as a whole.

The teaching funding templates form a subset of these tables and contain extra sheets that institutions can use to model outcomes of different patterns of student recruitment (including potential indicative grant adjustments).

Queries from institutions should be addressed to the HEFCE higher education policy adviser for their institution. Contact details are available in our searchable staff list.

Teaching funding

 Core funding

Core funding is the core ‘recurrent’ funding derived from the previous year’s core. It includes mainstream additional funded places for new places allocated through additional student number exercises.

Non-mainstream funded places

This shows funds for co-funded employer engagement students.

Widening participation

Widening participation shows allocations of funding for teaching to recognise the extra costs associated with recruiting and supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds currently underrepresented in higher education, or widening access and improving provision for disabled students.

Teaching enhancement and student success (TESS)

Teaching enhancement and student success shows allocations of funding to recognise the extra costs associated with: improving the retention of students most at risk of not completing; research-informed teaching; and institutional learning and teaching strategies. 

Other targeted allocations

This comprises funding for:

• part-time undergraduates
• accelerated/intensive provision
• institution-specific costs
• very high-cost and vulnerable science subjects
• maintaining capacity in SIVS following the
• introduction of the ELQ policy.

Other recurrent teaching grants

This comprises funding for:

• Clinical academic consultants’ pay
• Senior academic GPs’ pay
• NHS pensions scheme contribution
• Transitional funding for ELQs.



Research funding

Our mainstream QR funding is allocated selectively according to quality. The documents below provide a more detailed breakdown of these funds.

We have also provided the source data we have used to calculate mainstream QR funding for 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12.