HEPI’s Annual Review, 2019/20

@HEPI_news was established in 2002 ‘to promote research into and understanding of all aspects of higher education and to disseminate the useful results of such research for the education of policy makers and the general public in the United Kingdom’. As we approach our 18th birthday (in November 2020), we are publishing our Annual Review for 2019/20.

During this period (August 2019 to July 2020), there were significantly more HEPI publications (34) than in any previous year and much more engagement with our work online, including our daily blog (especially after the current COVID-19 crisis began).

Some highlights of the year included:

• the annual HEPI / Advance HE Student Academic Experience Survey;
• a major study of Postgraduate Education in the last decade;
• a report on the PhD student experience, written by a PhD student;
• a review of cross-subsidies from teaching to research;
• a report written by a Classics student on the decline of language learning;
• a collection of essays on UK/China relations and higher education; and
• reports produced in conjunction with HEPI Partners on student accommodation (with UPP), the use of student data (with Tribal) and young people’s aspirations (with Unite Students);
• a more detailed look at graduate employment.

We ran a successful in-person events programme until March 2020, since when our events have moved online (with forthcoming free-to-attend events on access with Chris Millward and modern universities and the pandemic – in conjunction with MillionPlus – where we will hear from Gavin Williamson). Like other organisations, however, we continue to be buffeted by the unprecedented challenges that have hit higher education since March.

HEPI is funded by higher education institutions and other organisations that wish to see a vibrant higher education policy debate shaped by evidence. We are very grateful for this continuing support and always welcome feedback on our work. We hope that publishing this short summary of our work in 2019/20 will prompt comments on what we do well, what we could do better and what we might do differently. If you would like to work more closely with us, please do get in touch via our website.

Given the challenges everyone in higher education faces, our goal for 2020/21 is to become more efficient without losing our impact.