Dear Austin Li
I acknowledge receipt of your email received by this office on 3 September 2023.
Your request will now be dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and has been allocated reference FOI23-356 which should be quoted in all correspondence. We will respond to your request within 20 working days starting the next working day after receipt, therefore you can expect to receive a response no later than 29 September 2023.
In some circumstances a fee may be payable and, if that is the case, we will let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you, and you will be required to pay before we will proceed to deal with your request.
Yours sincerely

Swyddfa Ysgrifenydd y Brifysgol
Prifysgol Caerdydd
Ebost : [email address]

Mae'r Brifysgol yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg neu'n Saesneg. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn creu unrhwy oedi.

University Secretary's Office
Cardiff University
Email: [email address]

The University welcomes correspondence in Welsh or English. Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to any delay.

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Dear Austin Li

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information request dated 3^rd
September 2023.

For ease of reference, I have reproduced your questions below and set out
our corresponding responses.

I would be very grateful if you can kindly provide the following data
(hopefully & ideally in .xlsx sheet format) for 2023/24 admission cycles
(i.e. Sept/Oct 2023 intake), until the date you reply to me:

 

 1. List of all postgraduate taught programmes

 

The information that you have requested is already in the public domain
and is available at
[1]https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgrad....

 

A copy of our postgraduate prospectus can be downloaded here:
[2]https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgrad...

 

Accordingly, this information is reasonably accessible to you by other
means and is exempt from disclosure under section 21 of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

 

2. Numbers of all applications (for each specific programme)

3. Numbers of all offers made (for each specific programme)

4. Numbers of Chinese nationality applications (for each specific
programme)

5. Numbers of Chinese nationality offers made (for each specific
programme)

 

Whilst the University holds this information, we consider it exempt from
disclosure under S43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act entitled
“Commercial Interests”. Section 43(2) states that information is exempt if
its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice the
commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding
it).

 

The recruitment of both Home and International postgraduate students is a
very competitive environment where UK universities face competition not
just from each other but also from other institutions around the world.
Students are highly mobile and have wide choices over where they may
study. 

 

The release of information on applications and offers for postgraduate
courses into the public domain would be highly likely to prejudice the
University’s commercial interests, by allowing competitor institutions to
undermine the University’s recruitment activity by responding with
different approaches to offer making. We further consider that releasing
this information would be likely to influence admissions practices of
individual applicants, and this would be likely to impact on recruitment
offers and outcomes and potentially disrupt the admissions processes
across the sector and undermine the principles of competition law.

 

Disclosure of this information would reveal details of the outcome of the
University’s recruitment activities and strategy and to release this
information into the public domain would enable our competitors to benefit
by adapting their offer making strategies and altering their behaviour in
the run up and during confirmation and clearing; as well as benefitting by
copying our strategy or programmes. In so doing this will affect the
University’s ability to distinguish itself from its competitors in a
highly competitive market.

 

Any loss of market share and reduction in enrolled student numbers would
have a significant impact on the University’s student fee income and would
further impact the University’s long term financial sustainability. As
public funding sources for higher education have declined, student fee
income has become an increasingly important source of income and is a key
factor in ensuring the University’s long term financial sustainability.
The ability for the universities in general, and Cardiff University in
particular as a major research intensive university in Wales, to compete
effectively in a global market is an important strategic objective as set
out by the Welsh Government in Post-Compulsory Education and Training
(PCET) Principles for Change which is available at 
[3]principles-for-change-post-compulsory-education-and-training.pdf
(gov.wales). It is also important that Cardiff University is able to
continue competing on an equal footing with similar large,
research-intensive institutions in the UK and overseas.

 

Based on the above it is considered that the commercial interest of the
University would be likely to be prejudiced by release and as such the
Section 43(2) exemption is engaged.

 

In applying the Section 43 exemption the University has taken account of
the public interest as required by the Act. The University has reviewed
the arguments in favour of disclosing the information (openness and
transparency in public life) and found them to be outweighed by the
greater general public interest in protection of the University's
competitive edge and market positioning.

 

The University must consider the public interest test when applying this
exemption and this is considered below.

 

Public Interest Test

 

Factors in Favour of Disclosure

It is in the public interest to release information that provides a
greater public understanding of the way the University operates and its
provisions for future delivery of its services.

 

Factors in Favour of Non-disclosure

It is not in the public interest to release information that would be
likely to damage the commercial interests of the University by undermining
its ability to compete in the marketplace.

 

It is not in the public interest to release information that would reduce
the efficiency and effectiveness of the University by having the effect of
damaging the ability of the University to pursue its recruitment
strategies on an equal footing to other public and privately funded
education institutions.

 

On balance it is considered that it would not be in the public interest to
release this information and therefore the information will not be
released at this time.

I trust this information satisfies your enquiry. Should you feel
dissatisfied with this response or the way in which your request was
handled you can request an Internal Review. This should be made in writing
within 40 working days of the date of this email. Please provide your
unique reference number of your request, information on why you are
dissatisfied and any detail you would like us to consider as part of the
Internal Review process. Email your request to
[4][email address] where it will be forwarded to the Head of
Compliance and Risk who will be responsible for overseeing the review.

If you remain dissatisfied following the outcome of your complaint, you
have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for
consideration. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at the
following address: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House,
Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Cardiff University. If you require further assistance, please feel free to
contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Ian Johnson                                                               
             Ian Johnson  

  Swyddog Cydymffurfiaeth                                    
              Compliance Officer 

  

Swyddfa Ysgrifennydd y Brifysgol    University Secretary’s Office 

Prifysgol Caerdydd    Cardiff University 

42 Park Place      42 Park Place  

Caerdydd    Cardiff 

CF10 3BB    CF210 3BB 
Ffôn: 029 208 79633  Phone: 029 208 79633 

E-bost: [5][email address]  E-mail: [6][email address] 

     

Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth trwy’r We welcome correspondence in Welsh or
Gymraeg neu’r Saesneg. Ni fydd gohebu    English. Corresponding in Welsh will
yn Gymraeg yn creu unrhyw oedi.  not lead to any delay. 

     

Ysgrifennwch ataf yn Gymraeg neu’n Please write to me in Welsh or
Saesneg  English 

   

 

 

 

References

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1. https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgrad...
2. https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgrad...
3. https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/pu...
4. mailto:[email address]
5. mailto:[email address]
6. mailto:[email address]