Second Straight Quarter of Stabilised International Student Demand for a UK Study Visa
UK study visa applications rose 32% in Q1 2025, signaling sector recovery amid policy shifts and global competition.
Policy area: Funding and finance
UK universities are trapped in a box. Here’s what that means in practice
Explaining the challenges facing UK universities today is not easy. The pace of change is rapid, the policy pressures are competing and the landscape is shaped by complex interplays between funding, regulation, mounting costs and increasing expectations. This makes the job of university governors particularly taxing. Many governors come from…
Universities are boxed in: Is there a way out?
In a new HEPI Debate Paper, Universities are boxed in: Is there a way out?, Professors Diana Beech and André Spicer of City St George’s, University of London, argue UK higher education institutions are boxed in on six sides: The authors outline the many ways in which university leaders are responding…
Securing the Future: The case for Pension Reform in Post-92 Institutions
Portsmouth’s innovative pension reforms and cost-saving measures have stabilised finances, but systemic change remains urgently needed.
Everything Must Change So Everything Can Stay the Same: Internationalisation at a Crossroads
UK universities risk collapse as cosmetic reforms mask deep strategic failures in internationalisation, warns Vincenzo Raimo.
HEPI / Interpath webinar: ‘What does ‘efficiency’ look like in higher education?’
**UPDATE: A recording is available below** Higher education institutions across the UK are facing difficult decisions on how and where to save costs, as well as balancing short-term financial needs with their long-term ambitions. How should institutions set themselves up for success? What does a successful cost reduction programme look…
University Finance and Managing the Margins of Error
UK universities face stark financial contrasts, with sustainability hinging on margins, international student flows and course-level economics.
Are EU students about to be treated like British students once more – and, if so, what will it mean for UK universities and students?
Responding to reports in the weekend’s newspapers that the negotiations between the UK and the EU could lead to big changes for universities and students, Nick Hillman, Director of HEPI, said: ‘The idea that students from the EU might come to be treated, once again, as home students when it…
The Immigration White Paper — an Indian student’s perspective
The UK’s immigration reforms must protect international students, whose presence boosts skills, innovation and the economy.
New Government, familiar problems – By Chris Husbands
Universities face stark choices as financial pressures mount, political support wanes, and sector-wide reform looms.