This is the third annual edition of the regional profiles of higher education. As in previous editions, this report sets out a range of data on the pattern of higher education in each of the nine regions of England. The regional dimension of higher education continues to grow in importance. Higher education in England retains its core academic and intellectual purposes of teaching students and undertaking research, but there is a growing recognition that universities and colleges do not operate in isolation from the communities in which they are located. As the regions gain in significance as a focus for economic regeneration and development activity, appreciation of the regional contribution of higher education institutions increases correspondingly. Data are presented in charts and graphs for each of the nine regions. Three appendixes list data sources, regional consultants for the Higher Education Funding Council for England, and useful addresses. (Contains 167 figures and 10 maps.) (SLD)