What can the UK learn from the US when it comes to Higher Ed?

New report on US higher education shows tuition income has been falling while funding from the 50 US states has been rising. There has been…

Why a fresh approach is needed for university drop-out rates

The Higher Education Policy Institute has published a new paper on student non-continuation rates. ‘Dropouts or stopouts or comebackers or potential completers?’: Non-continuation of students…

The Pressing Challenge of Sustainable Higher Education Funding

Amid political silence on the issue, a new HEPI report explores the costs and impacts of potential funding models for higher education in the UK.…

New HEPI report - How should undergraduate degrees be funded?

The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) today publishes a new report entitled How Should Undergraduate Degrees be Funded? – a compendium of essays edited by Rose Stephenson,…

New HEPI Report explores the impact of technology on universities and students

The Higher Education Policy Institute has published a collection of essays on educational technology, edited by Mary Curnock Cook CBE. Technology Foundations for 21st Century…

How to Make Student Accommodation More Affordable

In a new paper from the Higher Education Policy Institute (www.hepi.ac.uk), Student Accommodation: The State of the Nation in 2024. Martin Blakey, the former Chief…

New HEPI Policy Note finds more than half of students have used generative AI for help on assessments – but only 5% likely to be using AI to cheat

In a new HEPI Policy Note, Provide or punish? Students’ views on generative AI in higher education (HEPI Policy Note 51) by Josh Freeman, HEPI…

The state of higher education at the end of 2023

The end of 2023 is a good moment to be addressing the state of higher education. We have witnessed considerable political turmoil, marked by a…

Neoliberal or not? English higher education in recent years

The Higher Education Policy Institute has published a new Debate Paper, Neoliberal or not? English higher education (Debate Paper 34), which includes two contrasting chapters…

A new report calls for a skills strategy to coordinate post-16 provision

The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) is today publishing a new paper, Connecting the Dots: The Need for an Effective Skills System in England (HEPI…

University leaders must rethink how they design institutional change

The higher education sector in the UK is facing a need to deliver change on multiple fronts as it grapples with how to deliver more…

Former Vice-Chancellor calls for major rethink on assessing research

In a new HEPI Policy Note, REF2028: Outputs Matter, Professor Sir Nigel Thrift, the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick, argues the Research Excellence…

Should policymakers use the 60th anniversary of the Robbins Report to announce a major new review of higher education?

The Robbins report of October 1963 has been compared in importance to the Beveridge Report (1942). Its recommendations for a big expansion of higher education…

Three university leaders reveal their hopes for the next election

In a new report from the Higher Education Policy Institute being launched at a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference, three university leaders in…

New report finds more than a quarter of universities have a food bank and one-in-ten distributes food vouchers

A new report by the Higher Education Policy Institute explores how universities are responding to the severe effects of the cost-of-living crisis on students. The…

New report discusses the scapegoating of vice-chancellors' pay and probes the question of how to fairly set the rate of vice-chancellors' remuneration

The Higher Education Policy Institute has published a new report, Because you’re worth it: Are vice-chancellors worth the pay they get? (HEPI Debate Paper 33,…

Over one-quarter of the world’s countries are headed by someone educated in the UK – HEPI 2023 Soft-Power Index

The Higher Education Policy Institute has published the results of its seventh annual Soft-Power Index. The Index measures the number of serving world leaders (monarchs,…

New report explores the relationship between teaching & research in UK universities – and why it matters

The paper considers the different approaches taken by higher education institutions, students, academics and policymakers towards the relationship between teaching and research, noting how frequently…

University governance reformed: The transformation of a ‘self-governed’ to a ‘regulated’ university system

With annual tuition fees of up to £9250 for undergraduate degree-level course in England, we understandably hear a lot about financial pressures on students. But…

NEW REPORT ON THE LAST 20 YEARS OF HE POLICY

Despite some huge changes, the last 20 years of higher education policy have left some big questions unresolved To mark its 20th anniversary, the Higher…

<strong>Inequality in higher education is becoming entrenched</strong> 

Key findings of HEPI’s Student Academic Experience Survey in 2023:  – more students are struggling with the cost of living and feel lonely  – student wellbeing has improved but remains worse…

Students’ improving academic experience overshadowed by cost-of-living crisis

Advance HE and HEPI publish the annual Student Academic Experience Survey (SAES) today. This year’s Survey shows that students are working harder, have more assignments…

How do Admissions Professionals use the UCAS personal statement? Sector Response

A survey of 113 higher education admissions professionals from over 30 higher education providers shows the average time spent reading a UCAS personal statement is…

Lessons from Australia for the regulation of English higher education

The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) has published a new paper on the regulation of English higher education by Anthony McClaran, the Vice-Chancellor of St…

Gaps in outcomes among Free School Meal students

The Higher Education Policy Institute has published a new paper on educational outcomes across different universities for students formerly eligible for Free School Meals. The…

NEW REPORT ON WORKING CONDITIONS IN HIGHER ED

The Higher Education Policy Institute is publishing a new report, Comparative Study of Higher Education Academic Staff Terms and Conditions, which was commissioned from SUMS Consulting.…

International students boost UK economy by £41.9 billion

New data reveals that the intake of international students in the 2021/22 academic year contributed a huge £41.9 billion to the UK economy. A new…

Does the Lifelong Loan Entitlement Meet its own Objectives?

A new paper (Thursday 11th May) from Higher Education Policy Institute discusses if the government’s Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE) is likely to meet its own…

Small, specialist and practice-based universities are vital to competition and innovation in higher education

The Higher Education Policy Institute (www.hepi.ac.uk) has published the first holistic picture of small and special-focus universities in Size is Everything: What small, specialist and…

Humanities education is a UK strength

New report shows it is a mistake to set up a humanities vs STEM contest A new report published today by the Higher Education Policy…

How to turn around a university

The Higher Education Policy Institute has published a new report by Professor Susan Lea, the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull, entitled Turning Around…

London students are more satisfied with their experience than those elsewhere in England

A new report published by HEPI and London Higher, Living and Learning in London: What the HEPI / Advance HE Student Academic Experience Survey tells…

Unleash the levelling up potential of universities by attracting foreign investment into UK innovation

A new report was launched today (7 March) in London by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and Midlands Innovation, supported by the National Centre…

Where do we go from here? Quality assurance in English higher education

After March 2023, the UK-wide Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) will stop being the Designated Quality Body for English higher education, as the QAA wants to…

New Polling On Attitudes To Higher Education

Two-thirds of the public in England want the reintroduction of maintenance grants for the poorest students – but only 10% think students should be prioritised…

How to talk to policymakers about research

A new report published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (www.hepi.ac.uk), with support from Loughborough University, looks at how policymakers currently interact with research and…

‘Not heard of this’: Just 3% of employers have knowingly used the Graduate Route visa to tackle their skills shortages

A new HEPI Policy Note reveals a lack of understanding among employers of the post-study working rights of international students in the UK, even though…

New HEPI Policy Note addresses the challenge of making research accessible outside of academia

In a new HEPI Policy Note, Why open access is not enough: Spreading the benefits of research (HEPI Policy Note 42), Victoria Gardner, Director of…

New HEPI Policy Note compares students’ expectations with reality when it comes to digital learning resources 

In a new HEPI Policy Note, The Future of Digital Learning Resources: Students’ Expectations versus Reality (HEPI Policy Note 41) by Dr Laura Brassington, HEPI…

UCAS personal statements create inequality and should be replaced by short-response questions

The UCAS personal statement is a 4,000 character / 47-line essay that applicants submit when applying for UK undergraduate programmes. There is growing recognition that the…

To encourage a sense of belonging among students, avoid excessive focus on identity differences and increase engagement with local communities

A new Policy Note published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (www.hepi.ac.uk), Student belonging and the wider context (Policy Note 39, attached) by Dr Richard…

New HEPI report identifies opportunities for enhancing university governance in England

In a new paper, Opportunities to improve university governance in England (HEPI Report 155), Dr Alison Wheaton considers how university governing body members in England…

Tackling the ‘research leadership vacuum’

In a new report, Research Leadership Matters: Agility, Alignment, Ambition (HEPI Report 154), Matthew Flinders, Professor of Politics at the University of Sheffield, asks what…

The Research Excellence Framework: A hydra-headed beast or an effective policy tool?

A web of intricate complexity When I attend events on higher education policy with more than a handful of academics present, the conversation invariably descends…

HEPI-The past, present and future of research assessment

The Higher Education Policy Institute (www.hepi.ac.uk) has published a new collection of pieces entitled Research Evaluation: Past, present and future (HEPI Report 152), edited by…

2022 HEPI Soft-Power Index: UK slips further behind the US for the fifth year running

The Higher Education Policy Institute (www.hepi.ac.uk) has published its annual Soft-Power Index, which shows how many serving world leaders were educated in countries other than…

Universities ‘should do more to prevent student homelessness’

A new report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (www.hepi.ac.uk), Could universities do more to end homelessness? (HEPI Debate Paper 30) by Greg Hurst, argues…

WHY UNIVERSITY GOVERNORS SHOULD DO MORE TO PROTECT ACADEMIC QUALITY

A new report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (www.hepi.ac.uk), Why it is time for university governors to do more on academic quality (HEPI Policy…

Ensuring the most disadvantaged minorities in UK education - Gypsies, Roma and Travellers - have fairer opportunities

The Higher Education Policy Institute (www.hepi.ac.uk) has published a new report on access to education among Gypsies, Roma and Travellers (GRT), kindly supported by the…