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].
Published last week, HEPI’s report A Minimum Income Standard for Students highlighted the ‘bleak picture’ painted by the latest research on the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis, with more than a quarter of universities now hosting food banks, seven in ten students having considered giving up their studies in the…
Higher education is not just broken right now: it is heading into an existential crisis. The current funding model is being shown to be completely unsustainable on an institutional level and on a personal level for students. Tuition fees are plunging hundreds of thousands of students a year into huge…
The Plateglass Universities, a phrase sanctified by its inclusion in Wikipedia, were founded in a time of optimism- the swinging sixties-of which they were themselves an emblem. Decades on, the durability of the Magnificent Seven, is shown by their tenancy, in the latest British University rankings by the Times Educational…
We have – finally – today achieved something I have long wanted HEPI to do: we have taken a blank sheet of paper and worked out how much money students need to live on. By ‘need to live’ we don’t mean just avoiding poverty; nor do we mean living in…
*** We are hosting a webinar on student maintenance support next Thursday 9th May: you can sign up here. *** Published last month, a HEPI Policy Note on ‘Non-continuation of students in the UK’ observed that continuation rates differ according to such factors as ethnicity, disability, deprivation and free school meals status. Also last…
As Co-chair and members of the UK Committee on Research Integrity, we are here to support research integrity in the UK. Our role includes the articulation of views about areas where there are good reasons to focus on research integrity. One such area is research assessment, for which plans for…
As 13 nations across the Commonwealth head to the ballot box this year, and families, parents and citizens consider their priorities for the ensuing decade, attention turns towards the global effort to tackle world challenges, outlined in the UN sustainable development goals and slated for achievement by 2030 and beyond.…
Businesses are hungry for AI-powered growth, students eagerly adopt new tools, and the ethical compass risks getting lost in the scramble. But in the midst of an artificial intelligence gold rush, can universities ensure everyone plays fair? AI is no longer a buzzword in lectures. Nearly 80% of students surveyed…
Incoming Vice Chancellors (VCs)- who are also Chief Executive Officers in the UK – face a chorus of voices jockeying for position, stakes and interest. It is sometimes also the case that the university has run into difficulty, for example with student outcomes, research, or financial metrics and these may…
Since the first hint last year of proposed changes to key parts of the next Research Excellence Framework (REF2029), many in the sector have been eagerly awaiting further details. Working in a small, specialist institution, I welcome the proposed shift in REF2029 away from the existing Environment Statement narrative and…