AGCAS’s strategy for social mobility is to enhance and equalise access to all careers, institutions and organisations and to help students develop the awareness, confidence and skills needed to unlock their career potential. More...

Once the preserve of the brightest and best, pupils heading for mediocre A-Level grades are increasingly being bribed by lower- ranking universities with these highly questionable offers, with the proviso that they make it their firm choice. More...

If we were really committed to improving access to top universities, we would bite the bullet and introduce class-based quotas. Progress on this front has been pathetically slow: yes, young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are going to universities in greater numbers than before, but they remain disproportionately shut out of the highest-ranking institutions. More...

Beyond matters immediately within the control of the Office for Students, there are important areas that risk limiting positive progress on fair access that deserve attention. First, there needs to be greater exploration of the way in which university league tables are constructed: for example, they typically disadvantage institutions operating contextual admissions (because entry tariff is considered a proxy for student quality). More...

The recent Brightside and HEPI report for the new Director of Fair Access and Participation got me thinking: at university I was on a course that had additional costs that I had no knowledge of when I signed up. More...

This time last week saw the 2018 HEPI Annual Conference take place in London, with keynote speeches from Sam Gyimah MP, Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research & Innovation, and Lord Mandelson. More...

The issue of mental health is rising high on the higher education policy agenda across the country. The harsh realities of poor mental health were brought home this week at the University of Buckingham’s Festival of Higher Education. More...

A HEPI press release that discusses the findings of their recent survey on students’ attitudes towards drugs makes for interesting reading. There are many useful insights that readers can glean from the data. More...

All eyes are on the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding and the independent panel of experts headed by Philip Augar that is feeding into the Review. More...

An odd title for a HEPI blog post perhaps, but a reflection of the frustration I feel at the current approach to debate on this subject – lots of heat and noise, bravado and good intent, but too little appreciation of the nuance of the subject and the expertise and knowledge that already exists in the sector amongst service managers and student-facing practitioners. More...