Opinion on higher education policy is starkly divided across the political spectrum. What should be on offer, where, when and who pays for it – every position appears hotly contested. On one issue, however, there is near universal agreement, but little tangible action: the UK’s approach to international students. More...
Universities have lost the country: Here’s how UUK must reform to win it back
Universities in the UK have lost the country. If not the entire country, the elites at least have given up on us. Sometime, earlier this decade, their perception of us began to change from being what we are, the most vital organs of innovation, economic drive, social cohesion and cultural energy in Britain, into self-serving oligarchies. More...
Inclusion and Diversity in higher education – key thoughts from the HEPI / Oracle roundtable
On Monday, 4th of March HEPI, with the support of Oracle hosted a roundtable on Equality, diversity and inclusion in higher education. The scale of the problem – particularly with regard to race – will be familiar to many, including the statistic that of 19,000 professors in the UK, only 115 are black and only 25 are black women. More...
What ever happened to Open Data?
Once upon a time the UK government took pride in the fact that it was a world leader in open data. Back in 2012 the Cabinet office released a White Paper entitled ‘Unleashing the potential’ with a foreword by Paymaster General, Francis Maude boldly declaring ‘the future is Open’. The document proclaimed that ‘unfettered access to anonymised data should be extended to support improvements in the quality, choice and efficiency of healthcare, education, transport and a whole host of other public services’. More...
Degrees of inequality
Degree classification and inequalities in higher education are the focus of two recent Office for Students reports and regulations. Both these issues are informed by statistical analyses by the OfS that make much of ‘unexplained variation’. However, very different approaches are taken depending on the issue. More...
Just one cohort of international students who stay in the UK to work pay £3.2 billion in tax – and they aren’t taking jobs
The UK’s tax revenues from international students post-graduation shows the tax and National Insurance payments of just one cohort of international students who stay in the UK to work after their studies amounts to £3.2 billion. More...
Why today’s International Education Strategy is welcome but guaranteed to fail unless we adopt more ambitious policies
Today’s new educational exports strategy is welcome. It puts hard numbers on what we can achieve, which usefully focuses minds. There is a new target of £35 billion in education exports, including 600,000 international higher education students in the UK, by 2030. More...
Students back bailouts – new poll shows students want Government action if their university fails
The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) has released the only dedicated study on what UK students think about the financial health of universities, Students back bailouts: Students’ views on the financial health of universities (HEPI Policy Note 11). More...
Universities’ data can be obtained by hackers in under two hours: HEPI / Jisc call for urgent action
The paper highlights areas of concern, pinpoints the sources of cyber attacks and proposes specific actions universities should take to tackle the issue, including the adoption of a new British Standard on cyber risk and resilience. More...
Want to be a leader in accessibility?
Cool wayfinding initiatives help Portland Community College lead the way in accessibility. More...