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Latest Blogs

Beyond Rankings: Redefining University Success in the AI-Era

1 July 2025 by Somayeh Aghnia

University rankings have long been a trusted, if controversial, proxy for quality. Students use them to decide where to study. Policymakers use them to shape…

The proposed international student levy could be the tipping point for a fragile sector

30 June 2025 by Duncan Ivison

A proposed 6% levy on international student fees could cost the University of Manchester £43 million annually and risk sector-wide harm.

“It stays with us”: Leading change in diversity and inclusion for professional services staff

27 June 2025 by Leena Dattani-Demirci and Claire Toogood

Ethnically minoritised careers staff face burnout, exclusion, and microaggressions, yet structural reform and inclusive leadership offer hope.

ResearchPlus: a manifesto for a new collaborative of universities

ResearchPlus unites leading research-focused UK universities to boost innovation, skills, and regional and national prosperity.

Higher Education: 10 Questions from a Year 10

* To declare an interest, Ben Hillman is the son of Nick Hillman, HEPI’s Director.

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Latest News

What the next generation of entrepreneurial university leaders need to know

The higher education sector is navigating one of the most challenging periods in its history, marked by financial uncertainty, rapid technological transformation, demographic shifts and…

Thank you

This note is by HEPI Director, Nick Hillman. I’m over the moon and completely surprised to have had my work in higher education policy since…

More than two-thirds of full-time students now undertake paid work during term time, major survey reveals

A record 68% of students now work during term time, reshaping study habits amid rising cost-of-living pressures.

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…

Outgoing Student Support Champion outlines 10 trends likely to change higher education in the coming years

In a report to mark the end of his tenure as the Government’s Higher Education Student Support Champion, Professor Edward Peck has laid out his…

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