HEFCE’s recent analysis of the wellbeing of graduates finds that graduates are, on average, happier over their lifetime than non-graduates. The analysis also shows that graduates’ sense of wellbeing is more resilient in the face of difficult circumstances such as divorce, unemployment and ill-health. More...

A research user from industry reflects on the experience of being a main panel member in the 2014 REF exercise, and the difference the REF has made. More...

In 1968, Robert F. Kennedy lamented that using income to measure progress “does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education,[…] the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. […It] measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.”
Had Kennedy lived to see the 21st century he may have been heartened by the great strides social scientists have made towards measuring that elusive quality. More...

In terms of background characteristics, BTEC students are more likely to be from black or other ethnic minority groups, or to come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. They are also less likely to be as successful at university as those students from more advantaged backgrounds that have entered higher education with traditional A level qualifications. More...

We know that many people are keen to understand more about the REF 2021 rules, and to begin planning and considering the ways they may best be implemented for their institution. There are several aspects of the high-level framework that continue from the previous exercise; but there are also key changes to the submission process that will need a bit of a mindset change to fully get to grips with. More...