Since the 1980s, the landscape of higher education in the UK has undergone significant transformation, with the internationalisation of universities emerging as a central theme. This evolution, particularly in the context of international student recruitment, is often viewed through the lens of financial necessity and strategic financial planning. Yet, this…
Enter the inverted snob Last Wednesday, I set my first-year Creative Non-Fiction class the task of embarking on an experience that pushed them out of their comfort zones (safely, legally, and in accordance with their moral compasses, of course), and, in a show of solidarity, I foolishly promised them I…
A good university funding system for England should have three primary goals: Measured against these objectives, the system Tony Blair introduced 25 years ago – a time-limited and income-contingent graduate contribution towards the repayment of heavily-subsidised loans – is the least bad option. There is nothing wrong with the present…
The REF team recently announced updates on the development of People, Culture and Environment (PCE) for REF 2029 and opportunities for the research community to engage with the development of this aspect of the exercise. The REF has always been a shared endeavour with the sector and our focus continues…
As the custodians of academic inquiry, universities themselves are well-placed to take difficult decisions to secure free speech, academic freedom, and protection from harassment on campus. At a time when student protests are on the rise, new legislation and case law are emerging, and regulatory frameworks evolving, higher education leaders…
*** Next Tuesday 21st May, we are hosting a webinar discussing non-continuation in UK universities, following the publication of a HEPI Policy Note on the issue. You can sign up to the webinar here. *** In Cry Freedom, published last week by University of Buckingham Press, I presented an argument…
In current discussions of the value of humanities research, two concerns come across most strongly: the extent to which humanities research creates skills, and the extent to which humanities research is financially lucrative for individuals, the government and the economy. By contrast, the potential for humanities research knowledge to contribute…
Published last week, HEPI’s report A Minimum Income Standard for Students highlighted the ‘bleak picture’ painted by the latest research on the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis, with more than a quarter of universities now hosting food banks, seven in ten students having considered giving up their studies in the…
Higher education is not just broken right now: it is heading into an existential crisis. The current funding model is being shown to be completely unsustainable on an institutional level and on a personal level for students. Tuition fees are plunging hundreds of thousands of students a year into huge…
The Plateglass Universities, a phrase sanctified by its inclusion in Wikipedia, were founded in a time of optimism- the swinging sixties-of which they were themselves an emblem. Decades on, the durability of the Magnificent Seven, is shown by their tenancy, in the latest British University rankings by the Times Educational…