The HEPI Blog aims to make brief, incisive contributions to the higher education policy landscape. It is circulated to our subscribers and published online. We welcome guest submissions, which should follow our Instructions for Blog Authors. Submissions should be sent to our Blog Editor, Josh Freeman, at [email protected].
This blog is part of a short blog series on freedom of speech, and practical implications for universities. Part One discussed the ‘objective harassment’ test, and why it is difficult to objectively consider such a subjective issue. Part Two discussed the difficulties universities face in judging whether a proposed speech…
QAA has the privilege of a UK-wide remit, with varying roles across the nations. With this comes a bird’s-eye view of approaches to higher education quality. While the exact way in which higher education is governed, funded and regulated may differ, the devolved nations share a number of key principles…
This blog is part of a short blog series on freedom of speech, and practical implications for universities. This is based on this information we have about university expectations to date, including the Office for Students’ (OfS) Insight Brief: Freedom to Question, Challenge and Debate. Yesterday’s blog discussed the ‘objective…
The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act became law on 11 May 2023. The new statutory duties on free speech for universities and colleges, and for relevant students’ unions, will come into force on 1 August 2024 and the new conditions of registration (rules that universities have to follow) on…
A recent report highlighted that a large part of the UK Higher Education sector had seen a decline in enrolments from both India and Nigeria in their September 2023 intakes. The news prompted a swathe of internal reviews amongst universities, keen to understand such unexpected shifts. It is now important…
With September marking the beginning of the new academic year, most students will now be settled into their accommodation for the year and beginning their studies at universities across the country. However, with demand for affordable housing increasing, some students must commute to university from their hometowns, couch surf, or…
There is no shortage of commentators on higher education. Academics and administrators, students and parents, politicians and union leaders, regulators and employers, all have points of view that they want to share. With so many voices already speaking, hearts might sink at the idea of yet another one. Nevertheless, the list above…
During the last decade, English universities have become increasingly focused on addressing the ethnicity awarding gap – that is, the difference in the proportion of White students achieving the highest degree grades (first or upper-second class) compared to their counterparts of other ethnicities. National evidence shows that, across the country,…
The funding system for undergraduate teaching in UK universities has drifted into crisis. Bolder changes might now be worth the risk. One option is to recast the system as students investing in their education through an advance of their anticipated higher pay. Graduates would pay much more than now, but…
There are currently 53 institutions of higher education whose TEF results are marked as “pending” on the official OfS website. These cater for over 420,000 students, or 15% of the total UK student population. It’s a reasonable assumption that many of these have been (provisionally) given “Requires Improvement” status. This…