Publications

In this HEPI occasional report, Professor Sir David Watson discusses eight myths – category mistakes – concerning higher education that are widely believed, and argues that these need to be exploded if higher education is to maintain its current comparatively healthy state. This report is based on his presentation to…

This report examines the characteristics of the UK higher education system from a number of different dimensions, looking particularly at whether there has been a reduction in diversity over recent years. It concludes that whereas there may have been some minor convergence in some respects, the system remains extremely diverse,…

There is a growing trend – not only in this country – for governments to seek to lighten the burden of regulation by focusing their attention on those bodies that are at greatest risk of regulatory failure. This is the approach to regulation of higher education that is proposed by…

This report analyses the Government’s White Paper on the future of higher education. It concludes that the Government’s policies will succeed in their most important aim – that of reducing the level of tuition fees. However, the price will be much greater government control over universities than in the past,…

This report considers the implications of current developments in the provision of private higher education.  It concludes that private HE is a growing phenomenon, that can bring benefits to students, governments and society more widely, so long as measures are in place to ensure high quality.  However the current regulatory environment has…

This reports considers the question of university governance and suggests that fundamental changes are needed because the balance of interests in our universities is rapidly changing.  Students are increasingly taking  on the full costs of their education, the state is moving towards being a loan facility rather than a granting…

Professor Edward Acton analyses the Government’s proposals to class international students as migrants with the resulting restriction on student visas, and shows the devastating effect this will have on the recruitment of international students and so the financial health of universities, as well as the damage it will cause to…

This is the sixth report on demand for higher education that HEPI has published, updated each year in the light of the most recent information. The previous report considered the extent of latent demand from under-represented groups – particularly males and disadvantaged social groups, as well as regional variations. It also showed…

The government has recently announced its policy intentions towards higher education and student finance, in response to the Browne Review’s recommendations.  In this report we first provide a summary of the differences between the Browne Review and the government’s proposals. We then look at whether these proposals meet the two…

The Independent Review of Higher Education and Student Finance, by Lord Browne, was published earlier this week.  This report is HEPI’s response to the proposals. A new version of the report was uploaded on 19 October 2010.