HEPI Policy Note investigates the career backgrounds of more than 150 university vice-chancellors
Nearly half of UK vice-chancellors were appointed since 2022, with those from outside the sector performing best in league tables.
Josh Freeman
Who leads our universities? Inside the recruitment of vice-chancellors
This Policy Note sets out the state of higher education leadership today. We review the backgrounds, careers and performance of university vice-chancellors. Drawing on a new dataset of 153 vice-chancellors from across the UK and at different types of institutions, we explore their tenure, their previous roles and institutions, as…
HEPI/Kortext AI survey shows explosive increase in the use of generative AI tools by students
HEPI and Kortext launch the Student Generative AI Survey 2025, showing striking increases in Generative AI usage among students.
Student Generative AI Survey 2025
Building on our 2024 AI Survey, we surveyed 1,041 full-time undergraduate students through Savanta about their use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools. In 2025, we find that the student use of AI has surged in the last year, with almost all students (92%) now using AI in some form,…
New HEPI report investigates whether the school and college curriculum prepares students for university
*** Join us at 12:30pm, Wednesday 5 March for a webinar on how the school and college curriculum can prepare students for higher education – you can sign up here.*** HEPI has published One Step Beyond: How the school and college curriculum in England can prepare young people for higher education by…
One Step Beyond: How the school and college curriculum in England can prepare people for higher education
The school and college curriculum plays a crucial role in preparing students for higher education, but does it always leave them well equipped? This report, which has been kindly sponsored by the University of Chester, draws on fresh student polling and extensive research to show that, while most undergraduate students…
New HEPI report tells the inside story of the pro-Palestine encampments on UK campuses
The HEPI report provides an in-depth analysis of the 2024 student encampments protesting for Palestine, highlighting their motivations, challenges, and institutional responses.
‘There was nothing to do but take action’: The encampments protesting for Palestine and the response to them
The HEPI report provides an in-depth analysis of the 2024 student encampments protesting for Palestine, highlighting their motivations, challenges, and institutional responses.
New HEPI polling shows Labour’s tuition fee rise made more palatable by maintenance support increase
Most students oppose the tuition fee increase, with views split by gender and age, but the maintenance support rise has softened overall opposition.
Boosting UK universities’ impact on global sustainability and the SDGs
UK universities excel in social impact and governance but must improve environmental education to drive greater SDG progress globally.