A report examined trends in applications for postgraduate study in England, and considered the possible impact of student debt on future trends.
Source: Exploring Student Demand for Postgraduate Study, Research Report 154, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Dec
A think-tank report examined the government s approach to policy on international students. It discussed recent data and trends, and outlined the national and local impact of international students and policy. Recommendations included: that the net migration target should be abandoned; that longitudinal data should be collected to map pathways of students through the immigration system; that prospective international students should be better screened; that a levy should be charged on students for National Health Service services; and that the visitor visa system should be independently reviewed.
Source: Alice Sachrajda and Jenny Pennington, Britain Wants You! Why the UK should commit to increasing international student numbers, Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: Report | IPPR press release
Date: 2013-Nov
An article examined why academics blog. The article reported that academics were found most commonly to write about academic work conditions and policy contexts, share information and provide advice. Rather than being an attempt to expand the audience for their work, the intended audience was often other higher education staff. The article suggested that blogging academics were operating in a 'gift economy', but concluded that the context was changing.
Source: Inger Mewburn and Pat Thomson, 'Why do academics blog? An analysis of audiences, purposes and challenges', Studies in Higher Education, Volume 38 Issue 8
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined factors related to the socio-economic gap in access to 'high status' institutions in the United Kingdom and the United States. It said that children with professional parents were around three times more likely to enter a high status university (rather than a non-high status university) than those with working class parents. The report also said that academic achievement to age 18 did not entirely explain the socio-economic gap in elite university access, and at least one-quarter of the difference in England, the United States of America and Australia was not explained by academic ability. It suggested that interventions between the ages 14 and 18 might reduce socio-economic inequalities in access in the future.
Source: John Jerrim, Family Background and Access to High Status Universities, Sutton Trust
Links: Report | Sutton Trust press release | Russell Group press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2013-Nov
An article examined the activities of one United Kingdom university in attempting to foster interdisciplinary research. It found a range of activities that had supported interdisciplinarity, but noted other areas such as time and workload, motivation and loss of identity that had impeded progress across the institution.
Source: Tony Townsend, John Pisapia, and Jamila Razzaq, 'Fostering interdisciplinary research in universities: a case study of leadership, alignment and support', Studies in Higher Education, Online first
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Nov
A report called for improvements to governance in further education colleges. The report noted a lack of consensus on the most appropriate operating and accountability framework, difficulties in recruiting and retaining governors, and poor communication and support structures. The report recommended that colleges should review their governance arrangements and called for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and sector bodies to support change.
Source: AoC Governors Council, Creating Excellence in College Governance, Association of Colleges
Links: Report | AOC press release
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined approaches to implementing cyber security in higher education institutions. It set out challenges facing university management in evaluating and securing against the risks associated with targeted, unauthorized attempts to access digital information.
Source: Cyber Security and Universities: Managing the risk, Universities UK
Links: Report | UUK press release
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined the benefits of higher education participation for the individual and society.
Source: The Benefits of Higher Education Participation for Individuals and Society: Key findings and reports – "The Quadrants", Research Report 146, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Nov
A think-tank report examined university admissions practices in Russell Group universities. The small-scale study examined practices surrounding the use of personal statements, school references, contextual data, and 'preferred subjects studied'. The report said there was a lack of transparency, clarity, and consistency both across and within university admissions systems. The report discussed the implications for widening participation and social mobility.
Source: Sara Candy, (Un)informed Choices? University admissions practices and social mobility, The Pearson Think Tank
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
The Quality Assurance Agency set out its 'quality code' for higher education. The code set out the expectations that all providers would be required to meet, throughout the higher education system.
Source: UK Quality Code for Higher Education, Quality Assurance Agency
Date: 2013-Oct
A think-tank report examined the impact on demand for full-time higher education as a result of the changes in student support and fee levels introduced in England by the coalition government in 2012. The report considered policy options.
Source: John Thompson and Bahram Bekhradnia, The Impact on Demand of the Government's Reforms of Higher Education, Higher Education Policy Institute
Links: Report | HEPI press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A report (by the minister for higher education) examined the Robbins Report, fifty years on, noting how it remained influential in the field.
Source: David Willetts, Robbins Revisited: Bigger and better higher education, Social Market Foundation
Links: Report | SMF press release | BBC report | Guardian report | UCU press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined recent trends in, and demand for, part-time and mature higher education. It highlighted a need for immediate action to improve recruitment and support for students and highlighted a need for further information to inform policy direction.
Source: The Power of Part-Time: Review of part-time and mature higher education, Universities UK
Links: Report | Summary | UUK press release | THE report | 1994 Group press release | DBIS press release | Guardian report | NIACE press release | OFFA press release | UCU press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined higher education drop-out and completion rates across Europe among students from under-represented groups.
Source: Jocey Quinn, Drop-out and Completion in Higher Education in Europe among Students from Under-Represented Groups, Network of Experts on Social Aspects of Education and Training (European Commission)
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
The government published the final report of an independent review of the role that universities could play in supporting growth.
Source: Encouraging a British Invention Revolution: Sir Andrew Witty s review of universities and growth, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report | DBIS press release | Russell Group press release | UUK press release | UCU press release | CBI press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Oct
A government report outlined the findings from a literature review of evidence on the wider benefits of higher education.
Source: John Brennan, Niccolo Durazzi, and Tanguy Sene, Things We Know and Don't Know About the Wider Benefits of Higher Education: A review of the recent literature, Research Report 133, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
A literature review examined recent literature on teaching in higher education, to inform the development of a framework for teaching excellence. The report made next-step recommendations for research and policy, including analyzing the links between teaching excellence and student learning outcomes.
Source: Vicky Gunn and Anna Fisk, Considering Teaching Excellence in Higher Education: 2007-2013 – a literature review since the CHERI report 2007, Higher Education Academy
Links: Report | HEA press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A report (by a group of disabled campaigners) highlighted continuing barriers for people with disabilities who were looking to access higher education courses. The report called for more support to make all aspects of university life accessible.
Source: Trailblazers, University Challenge 2013: Improving access to university life for students with disabilities, Muscular Dystrophy Campaign
Links: Report | ECU press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined competition in the further education sector, providing practical information and guidance on competition issues for providers.
Source: , Competition Issues in the Further Education Sector, Research Report 141, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
A paper examined the impact of information about student satisfaction on university choice. Using data from the United Kingdom's National Student Survey (NSS) it showed that the NSS had a small, statistically significant effect on applications at the university-subject level, with greater impact among the most able students, for universities with entry standards in the upper-middle tier, and for subject-departments facing more competition.
Source: Stephen Gibbons, Eric Neumayer, and Richard Perkins, Student Satisfaction, League Tables and University Applications, Discussion Paper 142, Spatial Economics Research Centre (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Oct
An article examined the concept of meritocracy, and the relationship between meritocracy and fairness, in elite university admissions. It considered whether, in a deeply unequal society where academic achievement correlated with family income and social class, meritocracy was a satisfactory admissions framework.
Source: Rebekah Nahai, 'Is meritocracy fair? A qualitative case study of admissions at the University of Oxford', Oxford Review of Education, Volume 39 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined the outcome of an independent review that examined postgraduate medical education and training. It argued that training needed to be changed to equip doctors to provide general care in broad speciality areas across a range of different settings.
Source: Securing the Future of Excellent Patient Care: Final report of the independent review, Shape of Training
Links: Report | Annexes | Summary | Shape of Training press release | RCGP press release | GMC press release | NHS Employers press release | Telegraph report | Academy of Medical Sciences press release
Date: 2013-Oct
The report of an independent commission examined the regulation of the higher education sector. It made recommendations for legislation and a common regulatory framework.
Source: Regulating Higher Education: Protecting students, encouraging innovation, enhancing excellence, Higher Education Commission
Links: Report | OFFA press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined the evidence base for contextualized admissions decisions to undergraduate courses at higher education providers.
Source: Joanne Moore, Anna Mountford-Zimdars, and Jo Wiggans, Contextualised Admissions: Examining the evidence – research into the evidence base for the use of contextual information and data in admissions of UK students to undergraduate courses in the UK, Supporting Professionalism in Admissions
Links: Report | Telegraph report | BBC report | UUK press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A literature review examined recent research into widening participation in higher education.
Source: Joanne Moore, John Sanders, and Louise Higham, Literature Review of Research into Widening Participation to Higher Education, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Links: Report | Summary | HEFCE press release
Date: 2013-Sep
A report examined how universities in England were using the income from variable fees. It said that universities were investing in financial aid, improving teaching, creating new facilities to support student learning, and taking measures to help graduates secure good jobs.
Source: Where Student Fees Go, Universities UK
Links: Report | UUK press release
Date: 2013-Sep
A report by an independent commission said the total number of applicants to higher education institutions in England in 2013 had recovered from the depressed level of the previous year, increasing by around 2 per cent. But this remained 5.7 per cent lower than in 2010, before the introduction of the new tuition fee regime. The number of older university applicants had continued to decline. Although there had been some growth in applicants from less privileged neighbourhoods to higher education generally, this growth had been less noticeable in applications to highly selective institutions.
Source: Analysis of University Applications for 2013/2014 Admissions, Independent Commission on Fees
Links: Report | ICF press release | Sutton Trust press release | Guardian report | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2013-Sep
A report presented the results of a survey of 2,000 unemployed adults who had studied a further education course in the academic year 2010 to 2011. Many people without a job were motivated to learn to improve their job prospects. They often found out about learning by themselves or with the help of Jobcentre Plus. Learners were very satisfied with their course and felt it had helped them get a job and improved their confidence and motivation to learn in the future.
Source: London Economics and Ipsos MORI, The Economic and Social Benefits Associated with Further Education and Skills: Learning for those not in employment, Research Report 127, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Aug
A study examined how higher education affected earnings, including the percentage increase in earnings from having a degree (over and above those who had two or more A-levels but no degree), and additional lifetime net earnings gained as a result – the 'graduate premium'. It confirmed previous estimates that degrees provide substantial private benefit.
Source: Ian Walker and Yu Zhu, The Impact of University Degrees on the Lifecycle of Earnings: Some further analysis, Research Report 112, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report | DBIS press release | UCU press release | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2013-Aug
A think-tank report examined how the total student debt burden imposed in England compared with other developed (OECD) countries. It was found that England charged students twice as much interest on student loans as the OECD average – 6.6 per cent under the new student finance regime, compared with an average across the OECD of 3.3 per cent. England had the highest rate of interest on government-backed student debt of any country in western Europe, and the third-highest across the whole OECD. Middle-income graduates would need to earn an annual salary of £51,000, more than twice the national average wage, in order to be able to begin paying off any capital on an average £40,000 student loan.
Source: Josh White, Squeezing Our Students? The student finance burden: an English and OECD comparison, Intergenerational Foundation
Links: Report | Intergenerational Foundation press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jul
A think-tank report examined the socio-economic, demographic, and parental drivers of young people's financial concerns about going to university, as well those factors that supported them to decide in favour of participating in higher education. A linked discussion paper considered the potential for using alternative criteria besides household income for targeting financial support, and reviewed the importance of parental factors in shaping young people's financial concerns: it identified the need for more research on subjective influences on the perceived rewards to investment in higher education.
Source: Andy Ross and James Lloyd, Access for All: An investigation of young people s attitudes to the cost of higher education using the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, Strategic Society Centre | James Lloyd, Achieving Access for All, Strategic Society Centre
Links: Report | Discussion paper | OFFA press release | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2013-Jul
An employers' organization said that relying on traditional university courses alone would not meet the growing demand for degree-level, technical skills in key sectors of the economy. The government needed to remove a series of barriers to better co-operation between higher education and industry. There were not enough courses with business links; patchy understanding of student finance; and poor careers advice on options open to young people. A new vocational UCAS-style system could bridge the gap.
Source: Tomorrow s Growth: New routes to higher skills, Confederation of British Industry
Links: Report | CBI press release | AOC press release | ATL press release | Million+ press release | NASUWT press release | NIACE press release | 157 Group press release | Universities UK press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Jul
An article examined the fairness of England's new scheme for funding higher education through student fees. It said that the highest-paid graduates paid back less towards the cost of higher education than those on middle incomes: the 'squeezed middle' paid back more than those on both higher and lower incomes. They also contributed more to the costs of widening participation programmes, which all universities charging more than £6,000 per annum were required to fund.
Source: Ron Johnston, 'England's new scheme for funding higher education through student fees: "fair and progressive"?', Political Quarterly, Volume 84 Issue 2
Links: Abstract | Bristol University press release
Date: 2013-Jul
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published its annual report for 2012-13.
Source: Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13, HC 35, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jul
A think-tank report said that large further education colleges in England where most students were studying higher education courses could be eligible to apply for polytechnic status. It also recommended: new £5,000 'fee only' degrees, focused on vocational learning and higher-level apprenticeships offered to local students who would be eligible for fee loans but not maintenance support; a new 'student premium' of £1000 extra per student from a low participation area or who had received free school meals to create an incentive to recruit such students; and more widespread use of contextual admissions data so that lower offers could be made to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Source: A Critical Path: Securing the future of Higher Education in England, Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: Report | IPPR press release | AOC press release | Progress blog post | UCU press release | BBC report | Public Finance report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jun
The Scottish Parliament approved a Bill designed to widen access to university, and improve governance and accountability in colleges and universities. Widening access agreements would have legal backing.
Source: Post-16 Education (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Government, TSO | Scottish Parliament Debate 26 June 2013, columns 21691-21722, Official Report, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Policy memorandum | Research briefing | Official Report | Scottish Government press release | SNP press release | UCU press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Jun
A report said that postgraduate education was becoming increasingly exclusive, amid rising tuition fees and cuts in research and funding council support. It called on the government to implement a loans scheme for postgraduate taught courses. It also urged universities to expand their endowment capacity, and access financial markets to enable postgraduate students to draw loans.
Source: Tom Frostick and Tom Gault (eds), Postgraduate Education: Better Funding and Better Access, CentreForum
Links: Report | CentreForum press release | BBC report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jun
A think-tank report said that Scotland's further education sector was too centralized. Legislation was required to remove colleges' status as public bodies and enshrine them as fully independent charities. Young people between 16 and 19 should receive an annual entitlement (equal to the average cost of educating a child in their local authority area), which they would be free to use to access education at any college or school in Scotland.
Source: Ben Thomson, Geoff Mawdsley, and Alison Payne, A New Deal for Scotland s Colleges, Reform Scotland
Links: Report | Reform Scotland press release
Date: 2013-Jun
A report examined the impact of changes in higher education funding since 2011, include the introduction of new fee levels in 2012-13 and changes to the funding of undergraduate students, as well as immigration reforms. Universities had shown a readiness to embrace change, adapting their financial strategies to prepare for uncertain times ahead. However, they were facing short-to-medium term challenges in funding capital expenditure; and there was evidence to suggest that the sector's ability to expand in the medium term had been significantly constrained.
Source: The Funding Environment for Universities: An Assessment, Universities UK
Links: Report | UUK press release | Million+ press release | OFFA press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jun
A report (by an official advisory body) said that the proportion of state-educated pupils attending the elite 'Russell Group' universities had declined since 2002, and that the universities had 'a long way to go' to ensure that all potential students had a chance of gaining a place. Universities should make more use of 'contextual data' about student backgrounds in their admissions decisions, and consider incentivizing less advantaged school pupils to apply by offering guaranteed interviews and, where appropriate, lower entry requirements.
Source: Higher Education: The Fair Access Challenge, Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission
Links: Report | OFFA press release | Russell Group press release | Sutton Trust press release | Universities UK press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Public Finance report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jun
A study found that the introduction of tuition fees in universities had only served to reinforce established admission patterns rather than widen access. Between 1996 and 2010, traditional hierarchies among universities had remained strong. The proportions of students from different social backgrounds had remained static. Privately educated students remained unevenly distributed across universities, especially in England where they had actually increased their concentration in older universities. Similarly, the children of parents from the managerial class were more likely to get a place in older universities.
Source: Linda Croxford and David Raffe, Social and Ethnic Inequalities and Institutional Differences in Entry to UK Higher Education (1996-2010), Centre for Educational Sociology (University of Edinburgh) | Linda Croxford and David Raffe, Participation in Full-Time Higher Education 1996-2010: A 'home international' perspective, Centre for Educational Sociology (University of Edinburgh)
Links: Paper (1) | Paper (2) | Nuffield Foundation press release
Date: 2013-Jun
An article reported a survey of sixth-form students in England on participation decisions relating to higher education. The results suggested that financial issues were key influences: the English higher education system might be confronted with significant changes in student choice patterns, given the finding that students showed high levels of anxiety and consequently considered a much broader range of study options – within or outside higher education; in publicly funded or for-profit institutions; and in the United Kingdom or elsewhere.
Source: Stephen Wilkins, Farshid Shams, and Jeroen Huisman, 'The decision-making and changing behavioural dynamics of potential higher education students: the impacts of increasing tuition fees in England', Educational Studies, Volume 39 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
A report examined the costs and benefits of two alternative funding proposals for higher education in England. The first involved lowering fees to £6,000 per annum, and the second involved a new graduate tax system. It said that these alternatives were both financially viable. Lowering fees was likely to increase participation, lower inflation, and bring wider economic benefits to taxpayers. Graduates would leave university with lower debts, but they would not necessarily contribute less overall to the costs of their higher education.
Source: Pam Tatlow and Gavan Conlon, Higher Education Funding in England: Do the Alternatives Add Up?, Million+
Links: Report | Million+ press release | UCU press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-May
An interim report from a Labour party taskforce said that action was needed to improve the quality of teaching in the further education sector in England.
Source: Skills Taskforce Interim Report: Talent Matters – Why England needs a new approach to skills, Labour Party
Links: Report | Labour Party press release | AOC press release | NUT press release | UCU press release
Date: 2013-May
An article used data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England to examine the relationship between social background, educational attainment, and university participation. Differences in school-level attainment associated with social background were by far the most important explanation for social background differences in university attendance. Early intentions for higher education participation were highly predictive of actual participation. There might be some scope for universities to act to improve participation by people from less advantaged backgrounds: but a much more important focus of action was on improving the school-level achievement of these students.
Source: Paul Croll and Gaynor Attwood, 'Participation in higher education: aspirations, attainment and social background', British Journal of Educational Studies, Volume 61 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
An article examined the extent of fair access to prestigious Russell Group universities. Access was found to be far from fair, and little had changed following the introduction of tuition fees in 1998 and their initial increase to £3,000 per year in 2006. Throughout this period, applicants from lower-class backgrounds and from state schools remained much less likely to apply to Russell Group universities than their comparably qualified counterparts from higher-class backgrounds and private schools. Applicants from state schools and from Black and Asian ethnic backgrounds remained much less likely to receive offers of admission in comparison with their equivalently qualified peers from private schools and the white ethnic group.
Source: Vikki Boliver, 'How fair is access to more prestigious UK universities?', British Journal of Sociology, Volume 64 Issue 2
Links: Abstract | Durham University press release | DE press release | Russell Group press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-May
An article said that the expansion of higher education raised the risk environment for school-leavers, as more occupations became partially graduate, and as more of the cost of higher education was transferred to the individual. A rising proportion of graduates received only average pay, thus raising the risks associated with educational investments even further.
Source: Malcolm Brynin, 'Individual choice and risk: the case of higher education', Sociology, Volume 47 Issue 2
Links: Abstract | Daily Mail report
Date: 2013-May
An article examined whether the expansion of higher education led to greater economic growth. Neither the increase nor the initial level of higher education was found to have had a statistically significant relationship with growth rates in developed (OECD) countries. There was some evidence that levels of technical skills at the end of compulsory education did matter; and the employment of higher-level technical skills was also a strong predictor of growth. This gave a possible mechanism linking the output of (some) of the higher education sector with economic growth. However, it did not imply that mass higher education necessarily led to higher growth.
Source: Craig Holmes, 'Has the expansion of higher education led to greater economic growth?', National Institute Economic Review, Volume 224 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
An article described a case study that examined a small group of female students', and their parents', perceptions of the purpose of a university education. Initially there was a belief that higher education was primarily a route to economic gain: but, three years after graduation, the respondents considered their time spent at the university as primarily a period of personal growth and fulfilment.
Source: Angela Shaw, 'Family fortunes: female students' perceptions and expectations of higher education and an examination of how they, and their parents, see the benefits of university', Educational Studies, Volume 39 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
A study highlighted 'potentially worrying inequalities' in access to postgraduate degrees. Women progressed to a higher degree at a lower rate than men, even when accounting for differences in attainment and subject choice. Some minority-ethnic groups had very low rates of progression, and there were inequalities between graduates of different social class backgrounds. There were also 'stark differences' in progression to higher degrees across different types of university.
Source: Paul Wakeling and Gillian Hampden-Thompson, Transition to Higher Degrees Across the UK: An analysis of national, institutional and individual differences, Higher Education Academy
Links: Report | HEA press release | York University press release
Date: 2013-Apr
The report of an independent commission said that the gap between working-class boys and girls going to university widened in the first year of the new tuition fees regime in England. In the 40 per cent of English neighbourhoods where university participation was lowest, 5.4 per cent fewer boys aged 19 and under had been accepted for places in 2012 than in 2011, compared with a 3.7 per cent fall among women.
Source: Analysis of UCAS Acceptances for 2012/2013 Admissions, Independent Commission on Fees
Links: Report | Commission press release | Sutton Trust press release | UCU press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Apr
An article used concepts of social segregation to analyze data on the social and demographic characteristics of entrants to higher education. Levels of segregation were relatively high in relation to ethnicity and private schooling, lower in relation to age, and lowest in relation to gender, disability, and social class. Over time there had been a decline in the segregation of non-white ethnic groups and a small increase in segregation of private school students. Levels of segregation differed across the four United Kingdom countries, and tended to be highest in England.
Source: Linda Croxford and David Raffeo, 'Differentiation and social segregation of UK higher education, 1996-2010', Oxford Review of Education, Volume 39 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
A paper said that maintenance grants had a positive impact on degree participation in England, with a £1,000 increase in grants leading to a 3.95 percentage point increase in participation.
Source: Lorraine Dearden, Emla Fitzsimons, and Gill Wyness, Money for Nothing: Estimating the impact of student aid on participation in higher education, Working Paper 13-04, Department of Quantitative Social Science, Institute of Education (University of London)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Apr
The coalition government published a revised strategy on skills in England. It included plans to intervene where further education colleges were failing learners. A new FE Commissioner would step in as soon as a college fell into the 'inadequate' category or failed financially; it would report directly to ministers, and could propose a new 'administered college' status, under which colleges would lose freedoms over staff changes, expenditure, or transfer of assets.
Source: Rigour and Responsiveness in Skills, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Strategy | DBIS press release | BCC press release | IOD press release | NIACE press release | 157 Group press release
Date: 2013-Apr
A think-tank report said that the traditional relationship between universities, students, and local and national economies was increasingly being challenged by a massive diversification in the range of providers, methods, and technologies delivering tertiary education worldwide. There was a need to challenge complacency in traditional higher education institutions in the face of these pressures.
Source: Michael Barber, Katelyn Donnelly, and Saad Rizvi, An Avalanche Is Coming: Higher education and the revolution ahead, Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: Report | Summary | Public Finance report
Date: 2013-Mar
A report examined the impact of the 2012 changes to higher education funding in England. Student demand appeared to be recovering after an initial fall: but there were sharp drops in recruitment to part-time courses, and a related decline in mature entrants. Positive trends in widening participation appeared to have been sustained following the reforms: but disparities in the recruitment and retention of students by social background and gender remained 'unacceptably stark'.
Source: Higher Education in England: Impact of the 2012 Reforms, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Links: Report | HEFCE press release | AOC press release | Million+ press release | NIACE press release | 1994 Group press release | UCU press release
Date: 2013-Mar
A study found that there was a strong commitment and passion for widening participation on the part of higher education bodies in England, and a widespread perception among them that progress had been made in access, retention, and disability provision: but there was still a lack of evidence on its outcomes and impact.
Source: Lindsey Bowes, Stephen Jones, Liz Thomas, Rachel Moreton, Guy Birkin, and Tej Nathwani, The Uses and Impact of HEFCE Funding for Widening Participation, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Links: Report | Summary | Edge Hill University press release
Date: 2013-Mar
Universities needed to reach out to children in primary schools if they wanted to increase the number of people from disadvantaged backgrounds benefiting from higher education, according to an interim report on promoting fair access.
Source: National Strategy for Access and Student Success: Interim Report, Higher Education Funding Council for England/Office for Fair Access
Links: Report | HEFCE press release | DBIS press release | Open University press release | WEA press release
Date: 2013-Mar
A paper examined participation in postgraduate higher education, and the extent to which tuition fees affected demand. It found that there was substantial variation in tuition fees across and within institutions, and that tuition fees reduced demand for postgraduate places. A 10 per cent increase in tuition fees reduced the probability of progression by 1.7 per cent.
Source: Philip Wales, Access All Areas? The impact of fees and background on student demand for postgraduate higher education in the UK, Discussion Paper 128, Spatial Economics Research Centre (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined students' perceptions of the impact of bursaries on their higher education decisions and choices. Most students did not think that their choices were affected by bursaries. The reconfiguration of institutional aid from 2012-13 might overcome some perceived barriers to the effectiveness of financial support: but it was likely to exacerbate others, and create new impediments and inequalities.
Source: Claire Callender and David Wilkinson, 'Student perceptions of the impact of bursaries and institutional aid on their higher education choices and the implications for the National Scholarship Programme in England', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 42 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
A report said that a surge in the number of people taking postgraduate qualifications was making it harder for young people who simply had primary degrees to compete in the professional labour market. Graduates from low- and middle-income backgrounds were increasingly priced out of postgraduate study, with the result that these changes could widen income differentials and reduce opportunities for social mobility.
Source: Stephen Machin and Joanne Lindley, The Postgraduate Premium: Revisiting trends in social mobility and educational inequalities in Britain and America, Sutton Trust
Links: Report | Sutton Trust press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Feb
A think-tank paper said that universities were too often stifled by unnecessary government regulation and 'misguided' interventions from quangos. They should be encouraged to build up endowments to generate investment income, gradually reducing the need for government grants. They should be encouraged to offer more flexible study options and to develop two-year courses, reducing costs. Central government should withdraw from directing funding of research; and it should not set targets for universities, such as the ambition for 50 per cent of all young people to go to university.
Source: John Glen MP, Completing the Reform, Freeing the Universities, Free Enterprise Group
Links: Paper | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Feb
A report said that the short-term economic benefits resulting from changes to higher education funding in England would be outweighed by the long-term costs of the system, which would be potentially 6.5 times greater.
Source: London Economics, Are the Changes to Higher Education Funding in England Cost-Effective?, Million+
Links: Report | Million+ press release | UCU press release | New Statesman report | Times Higher Education report
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined the role of English universities within regional economies.
Source: Allan Cochrane and Ruth Williams, 'Putting higher education in its place: the socio-political geographies of English universities', Policy & Politics, Volume 41 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
A new book examined the consequences of introducing or extending market competition in universities core activities of teaching and research.
Source: Roger Brown and Helen Carasso, Everything for Sale? The marketisation of UK higher education, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jan
A study assessed the rates of return for the government, taxpayers, and individuals arising from investment in higher education. It concluded that the Treasury reaped very high rates of return on its initial investment, amounting to a rate of return of 10.8 per cent for an undergraduate degree and 25 per cent for a Master's degree.
Source: London Economics, What's the Value of a UK Degree?, Million+
Links: Report | Million+ press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Jan
A paper examined the potential for using the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England to address research questions regarding access to higher education. There were many positive features of the data: but these might be undermined by a large overestimation of the proportion of young people who entered higher education (as much as 10 percentage points). There was also some evidence of underreporting of family income.
Source: Jake Anders, Using the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England for Research into Higher Education Access, Working Paper 12-13, Department of Quantitative Social Science, Institute of Education (University of London)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jan
A study examined the financial, personal, and social benefits of further education learning. One-third of men and nearly one-third of women who participated in further education got a better job as a result.
Source: London Economics/Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute, The Impact of Further Education Learning, Research Report 104, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report | DBIS press release
Date: 2013-Jan
An article examined the determinants of participation in higher education (HE) among individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds. Although there were large differences in participation rates, these differences were substantially reduced once prior achievement was included. This suggested that poor achievement in secondary schools was more important in explaining lower participation rates among pupils from low socio-economic backgrounds than barriers arising at the point of entry to HE. There was a need for earlier policy intervention to raise HE participation rates among pupils from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Source: Haroon Chowdry, Claire Crawford, Lorraine Dearden, Alissa Goodman, and Anna Vignoles, 'Widening participation in higher education: analysis using linked administrative data', Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A, Volume 176 Issue 2
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Jan
A new book examined the role of universities as urban institutions, and their impact on employment, the built environment, business innovation, and society at large.
Source: John Goddard and Paul Vallance, The University and the City, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jan
