ABSTRACT
The characteristics and experiences of part-time study and students are therefore foregrounded. The chapter argues that a contemporary theorising of belonging in higher education (HE) relevant to the complex lives of a diverse student population as a whole. Part-time undergraduates are more likely than full-time to have lower or no prior educational qualifications and a majority enter HE without General Certificate of Education. They are also more likely than full-time undergraduates to have higher entry qualifications, including first degrees. Part-time study has always been a part of the UK HE system. The Robbins Report was published when, encouraged by a complex system of advanced further education and evening provision funded by local government, levels of part-time participation in HE closely matched full-time participation. Part-time HE in England is in crisis. A perfect storm of changes to HE funding, rising fees, limited eligibility to funding support, economic recession and greater debt aversion among older learners has carved a bleak contemporary landscape.
