Student Numbers.

Provision of geoscience in schools across the UK

In the UK, it is possible to study geosciences at school at both GCSE (age 14-16) and A-Level (age 16-18) with ‘geology’ available as a standalone qualification in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Since 2015, there has been no formal Geology course in Scotland’s schools, with geoscience topics instead incorporated into other curriculum subjects including geography, chemistry, and more.

However, geoscience education in schools across the United Kingdom is less widely offered than it once was. In the 1980’s around 4,000 students took geology at A-level, but this had fallen to around 1,400  by 2020, with only two exam boards (OCR and EDUQAS – part of WJEC) offering the subject. 

Though the majority of schools within the Schools Affiliates Scheme do not teach geology as a standalone subject, the large number of schools signed up to the Schools Affiliates Scheme demonstrates that many more are committed to ensuring that geoscience content is suitably represented in their teaching.

The above figure illustrates fluctuations in student entries to A-level geology over time at both AS level (age 16-17) and A2 level (age 17-18). Between 2011 and 2014, a-level entries increased overall, whereas from 2014 to 2018 a notable decline was observed. Despite this reduction in total numbers, the data indicates that over 50% of students who entered AS Geology progressed to A2, which is not typical of A-level study. 

It is, however, also important to note barriers to entry of AS and A2 Geology. The main barrier is that not all schools provide Geology as a subject (GSCE, AS or A level). Students who are interested in the subject may not live close enough to a school that has geology provisions and therefore do not have the option to study geosciences before university level. 

Provision of geoscience at HE level across the UK 

In 2025, 34 UK higher education institutions offer geoscience programmes at undergraduate degree level, including one geoscience degree apprenticeship. These programmes include geology, geophysics, applied and/or environmental geology, palaeontology, earth and planetary sciences, geochemistry, and physical geography & geology. Over 80% of these are accredited by the Geological Society, with accreditation renewed every six years, allowing the Society to monitor changes in, and the diversity of, geoscience degree programmes within the UK. 

The Geological Society launched its accredited degree scheme for first degrees in 1997. The scheme ensures that programmes are evaluated to align with the skills and knowledge required for a career in the geosciences. It provides assurance to prospective students that a department's teaching is high quality and has been approved by an independent body of academics and industrial partners. There are currently 204 (196 undergraduate and 9 masters) accredited degree programmes in the UK, and a further 13 (12 undergraduate and 1 masters) accredited degree programmes globally. 

The total number of accredited degrees available for students has risen dramatically over time. In 2000, 12 UK departments taught 57 accredited undergraduate degrees. By 2010, 24 departments taught 133 accredited undergraduate degrees: an increase of ~200 %. By 2020, 29 departments were teaching 183 accredited undergraduate degrees – an increase of more than 300 % since degree accreditation was introduced 23 years prior, highlighting a diversification in higher education geoscience provision. 

The steady increase in degree provision since 1997 paints a positive picture of the increasing accessibility of geoscience courses, but the most recent data highlight a forthcoming risk that is already being felt across UK higher education; the funding landscape is changing, with departments facing significant restructures or potential closures, risking our future geoscience pipeline.

A recent informal survey by University Geoscience UK (UGUK) to its members concluded that five undergraduate degree departments had closed, or were in the process of closing, in recent years; the University of Nottingham, University of Sussex, University of the West of England, Kingston University and Newcastle University.  Five further departments had closed whole programmes, though some retained content in other degree titles/programmes elsewhere. 

Evolution of a Geoscience Degree

Geoscience is a broad discipline, containing traditional aspects of geology such as mineralogy, petrology, and geophysics, applied topics such as hydrogeology and engineering geology, environmental and climate themes, as well as palaeontology, evolution, and planetary science. Undergraduate degree titles have diversified over time to accommodate this variety, and themes and focus of course materials are regularly revised to ensure that they remain attractive to today’s – and tomorrow's – students. 

UK universities have adapted to these changing passions by introducing new or modified programmes.  Since 2000, accredited undergraduate degrees have shifted focus from the traditional and applied subjects to more environmental and/or ecological alternatives,. They have also shifted towards broader themes including Earth & Planetary Science rather than focused courses such as Geochemistry, and the number of joint or combined honours subjects, e.g. Geology with Ocean Science, has declined. 

In the last 25 years, undergraduate degree programmes have also diversified the additional opportunities and skills offered to students. In 2000, only 4 % of accredited undergraduate degree programmes formally offered sandwich years or years in industry. By 2025, this had risen to 18 %. Similarly, undergraduate courses offering a year of study at an international partner institution now constitutes 28 % of all courses offered, whilst in 2000, this was just 2 % of the accredited courses offered to students, demonstrating a shift to value-add degree programmes for students.

Undergraduate student numbers within the UK

Student numbers on undergraduate degree pathways in the UK have increased over time, reflecting the increased number of programmes offered at higher education institutions from 1997 to now. Prior to 2009, geoscience entries at university remained constant at ~4,500 students per year. However, between 2009 and 2014 entries rose sharply to 6,645; an increase of almost 150 %. 

2014 was the peak in undergraduate student recruitment in England & Wales with 6,875 students across universities in England & Wales, before numbers tailed off between 2016-2020. From 2021, student numbers began to increase again. Whilst absolute numbers have declined in UK universities since 2014, the numbers today remain higher than the pre-peak average of 4,500. 

Whilst geoscience student numbers have fluctuated over the last ~20 years, so have the total potential students available to choose geoscience degrees. Anecdotally, higher education institutions have described a “demographic dip” following the 2014-2015 peak in student numbers, stating that there were simply fewer 18-year-olds going to university in the years that followed, which was expected to improve again from 2021 onwards. 

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) allows us to produce a snapshot of the potential student population for both A-level and university-level enrolments in any given year. A ‘demographic dip’ in apparent from 2016-2020, beginning to pick up again from 2021 and continuing to rise until 2030. A future peak in 2028 is also higher than any previously seen peak in the reporting period, which may be good news for universities and other higher education institutions. 

However, we do not see a demographic high in 2014-2015 as seen in geoscience enrolment data for the same period. This suggests that geoscience bucked the trend in this period, with higher-than-average enrolment onto geoscience programmes. Whilst not all students are 18 when they go to university, and not all students go to university immediately after leaving school, the consideration of demographics raises an interesting challenge to student enrolment data; can we normalise geoscience enrolments to account for fluctuations in total available student populations? 

Total student numbers for the UK at a given point in time are difficult to quantify owing to variations in reporting between devolved nations and the point at which assessments are made throughout the academic year within universities. However, if we assume that the total number of 18-year-olds is indicative of the total student population in any given year, we can normalise the geoscience student data as a percentage of the whole student population and consider any resultant demographic trends that may impact these enrolment numbers that wasn’t previously apparent. 

Over a 22-year period from 2001-2024, the total number of students studying geoscience at degree level has increased, with the average for the last ten years higher than the preceding 10 years. When normalised, this trend is also visible in terms of the percentage of the potential student population studying geoscience; 0.91 % in 2023 compared to 0.70 % twenty years earlier. We can also see the demographic high in 2015 (1.07 %) and following slump in 2017 (0.88 %) before climbing again.

It seems that the availability of geoscience courses, accredited or not, does not have a significant impact on the number of students choosing to study geoscience at undergraduate degree level, and that some fluctuations are always going to be present owing to demographic changes in the overall student population each year. The total number of geoscience students at university is higher today than it was 20 years ago within England and Wales, but is this the case elsewhere?

Initial international student comparisons 

Anecdotally, the challenge in recruiting geoscience students at university is seen as a global issue. Following the analysis of UK student enrolment data, we sought to investigate the international position on geoscience recruitment at undergraduate degree level. Via our partners and international memberships, we released a call in 2022-23 for comparable data; national level reporting on total student population numbers and those studying for geoscience degrees. 

Not all data received was directly comparable; some countries do not collect geoscience enrolment data centrally, others do not collate enrolment data at all, instead focusing on graduate numbers upon completing their degree. Some countries run degree programmes that are not directly comparable (e.g., joint majors) or had only three or four institutions offering geoscience programmes that did not return statistically relevant datasets. These differences presented challenges for making international comparisons. However, all returning countries shared a reduction in the number of geoscience enrolments and/or graduates in recent years. 

Assessing the comparable data reveals that the 2014 peak in student numbers seen in England & Wales was not necessarily seen across Western Europe. In Germany, a peak was seen in 2011 followed by a period of decline, and in Switzerland, numbers peaked far later, in 2018, since which numbers have been relatively constant. Normalising international data against total student populations, highlights true trends; a general decline in Switzerland over the last 20 years, a stable position in Germany, and a general increase in England & Wales.

Whilst data may reveal trends over decadal periods, and though the decline may not be as significant as first feared, this does not change the fact that we need more geoscience students entering university to produce the number of qualified geoscientists we need to enter the workforce. 

A recent survey by the American Geosciences Institute highlighted that the number of geoscientists required in the workforce will increase by an estimated 5.6 % from 2023 to 2033, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024 . Although no directly comparable projections currently exist for the UK workforce, as noted in a recent Geoscientist article, many geoscience jobs appear on the UK Government’s 2023 shortage occupation list for science and engineering , highlighting the international nature of this issue.

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