Franchised provision of higher education has been under the spotlight in recent times. Without shying away from the challenges faced by those delivering successful franchise arrangements, this paper shows how important franchising can be in extending access to higher education. The authors explain what protections need to be in place to ensure…

Short, preparatory 'foundation year' courses have exploded in popularity in recent years, but they have drawn criticism from policymakers. Like Access diplomas, they serve to support people from all backgrounds to enter higher education. This HEPI Report asks whether foundation years are effective tools for widening access -- or whether, when it…

In 2023, the British Academy commissioned 11 members of its Early Career Researcher Network to write about their experiences of life and work in UK higher education. The essay collection shines a light on the voices, perspectives and journeys of early career researchers, poignantly showcasing the realities and challenges faced by researchers at…

This new Policy Note by HEPI and Kortext explores students' attitudes to AI. Based on a poll of 1,250 students through UCAS, we build a picture of the way students use and view generative AI technologies like ChatGPT and Google Bard. We find that the use of generative AI has become normalised in higher education, but that universities have so far…

In this HEPI Report, Nick Petford, Robert Griggs and Terry Neville explore the rationale and development of the University of Northampton's Waterside Campus, one of the UK's most ambitious university relocation projects. They conclude with a series of lessons learned.

Size is the big unspoken problem in UK higher education. Small providers are stifled. Large universities enjoy oligopolistic advantage at the cost of agility. This damages institutional diversity and dynamism: the sector's ability to absorb new concepts, to grow and renew itself. For the first time, this report provides a full picture of small and…

This Report by Nicola Dandridge considers the different approaches taken by higher education institutions, students, academics and policymakers towards the relationship between teaching and research. It notes how frequently the concept of research-informed teaching is invoked, yet how obscurely it is implemented. The relationship appears to mean…

In September 2022, the Institute for Fiscal Studies' Deaton Review drew attention to clear evidence that the UK compulsory education system is failing to tackle inequality. Their analysis demonstrated that attainment gaps between pupils who are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) and those who are not exist across all stages of education.…

The new Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE), due to start in 2025, is a major and positive improvement to how the student support system in England enables lifelong participation in higher education. It also has the prospect of commanding cross-party support, at least in broad design if not in the detail. However, in this timely Policy Note, Rose…

In January 2023, UCAS announced their intention to reform the personal statement to a series of short questions. This built upon UCAS's work with students and providers in 2022/23, as well as academic literature that has documented the challenges and inequalities that surround the personal statement, including the Higher Education Policy Institute…

Several of the key measures in this year's Student Academic Experience Survey have moved in a positive direction, but these movements have tended to be relatively small. Value-for-money perceptions have improved, but not statistically significantly, while there has been no change in the proportion who would choose the same course and institution…

This Policy Note reveals a lack of understanding among employers of the post-study working rights of international students in the UK, even though the Graduate Route visa could provide the answer to many current skills shortages. The Graduate Route visa was introduced in 2021 and allows international students to stay in the UK to work for two…

While universities already play an important role in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the UK, there is a clear opportunity to expand and enhance this role through better collaboration between universities, local growth partners and government. This HEPI Report intends to begin a conversation -- within universities and across local…

The relationship between regulation and quality assurance of higher education in the United Kingdom (UK) has a long and complicated history, which contributed to the foundation of the UK Quality Assurance Agency for higher education (QAA) in 1997. After March 2023, the UK-wide QAA will stop being the Designated Quality Body (DQB) for English…

The lack of a strategic framework for post-16 education provision, combined with a confusing regulatory regime, is resulting in an incoherent and difficult to navigate offer for learners of all ages, as well as employers. In this HEPI report, Professor David Phoenix emphasises that to meet England's ever more pressing skills needs and realise the…