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The UK's only independent think tank devoted to higher education.

Nick Hillman

  • How students could most influence the referendum

    9 May 2016

    Universities are fighting a lively campaign collectively and individually in favour of the UK remaining part of the European Union. They have come in for a little criticism as a result from some, but many Vice Chancellors – as Michael Arthur of UCL has pointed out – regard it as…

  • New report shows employer-sponsored degrees are around six times cheaper for taxpayers

    21 April 2016

    On Thursday, 21st April 2016, the Higher Education Policy Institute will be publishing a new report entitled Making a Success of Employer Sponsored Education by Professor Dave Phoenix, Vice-Chancellor of London South Bank University and Chair of million+. Nick Hillman, Director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said: ‘One-in-ten students is currently…

  • Making a Success of Employer Sponsored Education

    21 April 2016 by Dave Phoenix

    What are Employer Sponsored Degrees? What benefits do they offer students, employers, universities and taxpayers? How do they differ from Degree Apprenticeships? What does the Apprenticeship Levy mean for Employer Sponsored Degrees? All these questions and more are answered in this paper by the Vice-Chancellor of London South Bank University. He also…

  • Criticising Whitehall from the safety of an ivory tower?

    1 April 2016

    Ian Menter, Emeritus Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Oxford and Vice-President of the British Educational Research Association, has written a furious blog post condemning the Department for Education of misusing his research, which went live earlier today. On page 29 of the recent white paper on, it says: ‘We know that when…

  • Would leaving the EU really mean fewer EU students coming to study in the UK?

    28 March 2016

    HEPI is a registered charity, regulated by the Charity Commission. It does not take a position on the UK’s continued membership of the European Union. Instead, it exists to promote healthy debate on issues associated with higher education. In relation to the referendum, this has so far included: commissioning a…

  • HEPI / Times Higher EU referendum essay-writing competition

    18 March 2016

    At the time of the 2014 referendum on independence for Scotland, HEPI and the Times Higher jointly ran an essay-writing competition looking at the potential impact on higher education. The winning entries were by Hugh Pennington, Emeritus Professor of Bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen, and Thomas Swann, a PhD candidate…

  • HEPI / DMU seminar on the Government’s higher education reforms

    16 March 2016

    The School of Allied Health Sciences at De Montfort University is hosting a seminar by the HEPI President, Bahram Bekhradnia, on ‘The Government’s higher education reforms – the next instalment’, on Wednesday, 16th March from 2pm. For full information, see here.