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The UK's only independent think tank devoted to higher education.

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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].

  • The value of independents and independence

    11 January 2023 by Rob Stroud

    This blog was kindly contributed by Rob Stroud, Director of Quality Assessment, England at the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. In their recent HEPI blog, Professor Sir Malcolm Grant and Mary Curnock Cook rightly highlight some of the challenges that independent challenger institutions have faced entering the higher education…

  • Leicester – A super diverse-city

    10 January 2023 by Professor Nishan Canagarajah

    Not for the first time, Leicester lays claim to be a unique place in the UK. According to the 2021 Census data, it has emerged as the first plural city in the UK where no ethnic group has a majority. In the blog below, Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President & Vice-Chancellor…

  • Why not a graduate tax?

    9 January 2023 by Nick Hillman

    Like many people, I am sceptical that a graduate tax is a good answer to either the funding crisis affecting higher education institutions and students or the political challenges faced by Keir Starmer and others who have spoken of getting rid of tuition fees in England. Promising a big new tax…

  • Where will the teachers come from? By Pam Tatlow

    6 January 2023 by Pam Tatlow

    This week, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to make Maths compulsory to the age of 18, which would need a lot of extra Maths teachers… Here, writing in a personal capacity, Pam Tatlow looks at the current state of teacher training in England. Pam is on Twitter @Pam_Tatlow. The…

  • Working together to maximise the sector’s impact: What we need from Government in 2023 – By Sarah Stevens of the Russell Group

    4 January 2023 by Sarah Stevens

    This blog was kindly contributed by Sarah Stevens, Director of Policy at the Russell Group (@RussellGroup).  Many would say that the UK higher education system dodged a bullet at the recent Autumn Statement, with the deferral of significant fiscal restraint until after the next election meaning no immediate shift to austerity-style…

  • Was 2022 a bumper year for books about education?

    3 January 2023 by Nick Hillman

    It has sometimes felt like the past year has seen a torrent of valuable books on education, including higher education, even if there has not always been the time to read and digest them properly – there are good reasons why HEPI papers are designed to be read in one…

  • What were people reading about higher education in 2022?

    30 December 2022 by Nick Hillman

    Below is our annual round up of the most popular HEPI blogs from the past year. She may only blog for us occasionally, but HEPI Trustee Mary Curnock Cook bags the top spot – and not for the first time. She got to number 16 in 2021, reached number 9…

  • Hello … Are you there? Or have you gone home for Christmas?

    23 December 2022 by The Unite Foundation and Paige Mackenzie

    This blog was kindly contributed by The Unite Foundation and Paige Mackenzie. This year’s John Lewis Christmas advert highlighted different notions of family and belonging at this time of year. As you may know, many care experienced and estranged students will be staying at university over the holidays, either in…

  • Five Ideas for Careers Services (AKA Universities and Colleges)

    22 December 2022 by Lucy Haire

    This blog was kindly contributed by Lucy Haire, Director of Partnerships at HEPI. On the eve of the publication of the HEPI Policy Note with Handshake, How can you help me? Students’ perspectives on careers services and employment, a group of university careers service and mission group leaders, an Office for Students…