A report provided findings from a survey of students regarding sexualized behaviour, conversations, comments, or images on university campuses. It had found that one-third of women students had experienced unwelcome sexual advances, almost one third of students had overtly sexual conversations directed at them which made them uncomfortable, and two thirds of respondents had witnessed other students experiencing unwanted sexual comments. The survey formed part of ongoing work by the union.
Source: Jo Stanton, Lad Culture & Sexism Survey: August-September 2014, National Union of Students
Links: Report | NUS press release | BBC report
Date: 2014-Sep
A report examined ways in which universities and employers might collaborate to improve higher level skills, presenting case studies from existing collaborations across the United Kingdom in six industrial sectors (advanced manufacturing, construction, creative and digital, energy, IT, and life sciences).
Source: CFE Research, Forging Futures: Building higher level skills through university and employer collaboration, UK Commission for Employment and Skills/Universities UK
Links: Report | UKCES press release
Date: 2014-Sep
A new book examined media, policy, and political discourses around the graduate labour market in Britain, arguing that the assumptions made by many policymakers and media outlets regarding graduate work, skills, and occupations were no longer valid within the changing educational and labour market contexts.
Source: Gerbrand Tholen, The Changing Nature of the Graduate Labour Market: Media, policy and political discourses in the UK, Palgrave Pivot
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Sep
An audit report said that the overall value for money of spending on 16-18 year old learning had increased, and that the Department for Education had reduced risk by changing the basis on which providers were paid from per course to per person. It said that the Department needed better information on the effectiveness of its reforms to inform future decisions.
Source: 16- to 18-Year-Old Participation in Education and Training, HC 624 (Session 2014–15), National Audit Office, TSO
Links: Report | Summary | Appendix 3 | NAO press release
Date: 2014-Sep
A new book examined changes in higher education policy in England, drawing on comparison with the systems in the United States of America and across the European Union. The book concluded that a strategy of marketization needed to be accompanied by state regulation in order to function effectively.
Source: David Palfreyman and Ted Tapper, Reshaping the University: The rise of the regulated market in higher education, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Sep
A report examined the impact on students and higher education institutions of the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS) exchange programme. It concluded that students who studied or trained abroad were more likely to improve their employment prospects, and were around half as likely to experience long-term unemployment as their graduate peers.
Source: Effects of Mobility on the Skills and Employability of Students and the Internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions, European Union
Links: Report | EC press release | BBC report
Date: 2014-Sep
A report examined the impact of the Higher Education Academy Future Directions programme, which aimed to support the enhancement of student learning experiences in Wales through partnerships between students and staff. The report said that the programme had achieved considerable impact at individual, institutional, and sector levels, had influenced policy, and had earned the respect of stakeholders within the higher education sector, extending beyond Welsh borders.
Source: Danny Saunders, The Future Directions Programme for Higher Education in Wales: Impact assessment report for the Higher Education Academy, Higher Education Academy
Links: Report | HEA press release
Date: 2014-Sep
A think-tank report examined educational inequality in England and made a range of recommendations, including for improvement in early years provision, for state boarding school places for disadvantaged children, for schools to share learning, for review of the criteria for targeting the pupil premium, for more free schools, and for changes in the further education system.
Source: Closing the Divide: Tackling educational inequality in England, Centre for Social Justice
Links: Report | CSJ press release
Date: 2014-Sep
A report examined the implications of the removal of controls on university student numbers in England and, in particular, what the changes could mean for the sector and individual institutions. The report said that there were a number of uncertainties and issues, such as how quality controls would be introduced, the impact on alternative providers, and how the expansion would be funded.
Source: Nick Hillman, A Guide to the Removal of Student Number Controls, Higher Education Policy Institute
Links: Report | HEPI press release | Russell Group press release | BBC report | Telegraph report | THE article
Date: 2014-Sep
A report examined recent trends in international student enrolments in the United Kingdom, and the potential impact on universities.
Source: International Students in Higher Education: The UK and its competition, Universities UK
Links: Report | UUK press release
Date: 2014-Sep
A report provided an outline of findings from an online survey of school and college leavers and existing university students on the subject of post-Level 3 options (after completion of 'A' levels or equivalent) and the information and influences that affected them.
Source: Options 2014, The Student Room
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2014-Aug
A report examined trends in applications for higher education. It said that application rates had recovered in 2013 from a low point in 2012, but there were still fewer applications from mature students. The report said that students who were not eligible for free school meals remained more than twice as likely (as those eligible) to apply for university, and that 9.5 times more advantaged students than disadvantaged students took up places at the thirteen most selective universities. A gender gap also remained, with higher numbers of applications from women than from men, and the gender difference in application rates was said to be larger among students from disadvantaged areas.
Source: Analysis of Trends in Higher Education Applications, Admissions, and Enrolments, Independent Commission on Fees
Links: Report | ICF press release | Sutton Trust press release
Date: 2014-Aug
A report examined recent trends in United Kingdom- and European Union-domiciled undergraduate recruitment to higher education institutions in England, analyzed the factors driving the trends, and considered the consequences for providers.
Source: Trends in Undergraduate Recruitment, Universities UK
Links: Report | UUK press release | OFFA press release
Date: 2014-Aug
A report examined the future of universities and higher education in the United Kingdom, setting out the Labour Party's ideas for future policy in this area, based on greater 'vertical integration' between different levels of the education system.
Source: Liam Byrne, Robbins Rebooted: How we earn our way in the second machine age, Social Market Foundation
Links: Report | Liam Byrne press release | SMF press release | Russell Group press release | Guardian article
Date: 2014-Aug
An article examined class and gender inequalities in the choices and decisions made by young people in their final year of compulsory schooling.
Source: Helene Snee and Fiona Devine, 'Taking the next step: class, resources and educational choice across the generations', Journal of Youth Studies, Volume 17 Number 8
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Aug
A report said that there was strong public support for international student migration, and that the public appeared to understand that they brought economic and educational benefits. The report discussed the migration status of students, and recommended that the government should remove international students from net migration targets, develop an international student growth strategy, and enhance opportunities for qualified international graduates to remain in the United Kingdom.
Source: International Students and the UK Immigration Debate, British Future/Universities UK
Links: Report | UUK press release
Date: 2014-Aug
A think-tank report said that raising the age of compulsory participation in education or training in England to 18 was unlikely to realize its aims of full participation without addressing a number of emerging issues. The report made recommendations to: improve the quality of options available for post-16 learners; improve careers advice and guidance; increase financial support options for learners aged 16-19; and focus on better tracking and monitoring of young people's participation and progress.
Source: Beth Foley, Staying Power: Making the raising of the participation age a policy success, Work Foundation
Links: Report | Work Foundation press release
Date: 2014-Aug
A government department published its strategy for supporting further education colleges and training providers to meet staffing requirements, and to improve the quality of leadership, teaching, and learning.
Source: Further Education Workforce Strategy: The government's strategy to support workforce excellence in further education, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report | DBIS press release
Date: 2014-Jul
An article examined the development of the English university system. It said that the increase in student numbers led to successive governments cutting universities' funding and compelled them to behave like business enterprises. The article discussed the reduction of collegial forms of control and the creation of a 'dysfunctional centralism'. It argued for the development of a 'win-win' form of collegiality, compatible both with rapid centralized decision-making and effective execution of change at the local/departmental level.
Source: Bernard Burnes, Petra Wend, and Rune Todnem By, 'The changing face of English universities: reinventing collegiality for the twenty-first century', Studies in Higher Education, Volume 39 Issue 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jul
A special issue of a journal examined the role and position of universities across the world, and the notion that they were experiencing a period of 'crisis'.
Source: Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Volume 7 Number 2
Links: Table of contents
Notes: Articles included:
Peter Scott, 'The reform of English higher education: universities in global, national and regional contexts'
John Goddard, Mike Coombes, Louise Kempton, and Paul Vallance, 'Universities as anchor institutions in cities in a turbulent funding environment: vulnerable institutions and vulnerable places in England'
David Charles, Fumi Kitagawa, and Elvira Uyarra, 'Universities in crisis? New challenges and strategies in two English city-regions'
Date: 2014-Jul
A report by a committee of MPs said that there were a number of weaknesses in the management of the student loans system, and that the committee was concerned that the system was rapidly approaching a tipping point for its financial viability. The report called for an urgent review of the sustainability of the system and recommended that the government should look abroad for examples of best practice.
Source: Student Loans, Third Report (Session 2014–15), HC 558, House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Committee press release
Date: 2014-Jul
An article examined the consequences of the expansion of higher education in Europe on two goals of the education system – promoting equity of educational opportunities, and providing credentials that facilitated the matching of labour supply and demand. It tested the hypothesis that educational expansion could have different, and possibly opposite effects on the two goals.
Source: Fabrizio Bernardi and Gabriele Ballarino, 'Participation, equality of opportunity and returns to tertiary education in contemporary Europe', European Societies, Volume 16 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined the redistributive effects of subsidies to higher education in the United Kingdom. It said that the system was regressive with respect to graduate income.
Source: Elizabeth Mishkin and John Straub, 'The redistributive effects of British subsidies to higher education', Social Policy and Society, Volume 13 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined the reasons for the apparent decline in Welsh admissions to Oxford and Cambridge universities, and considered ways to increase the number of successful applications in the future. The report presented recommendations, including for the development of a network of twelve hubs of expertise across Wales and the promotion of collaborative working between schools and colleges.
Source: Final Report of the Oxbridge Ambassador for Wales, Welsh Government
Links: Report | Welsh Government press release | University of Cambridge press release | BBC report
Date: 2014-Jun
A paper summarized the findings from research into the impact of Scottish independence on higher education funding and, in particular, views on the funding regimes in England and Scotland and the potential impact on cross-border student numbers.
Source: Sheila Riddell, David Raffe, Linda Croxford, Elisabet Weedon, Sarah Minty, and Susan Whittaker, Briefing 5: Summary of research findings, Centre for Research in Education Inclusion and Diversity (University of Edinburgh)
Links: Paper | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined the changes experienced by universities as a result of the global financial crisis, change in national government, changes in higher education policy, and austerity measures. It outlined the implications for universities in Newcastle and Greater Manchester, in the north of England.
Source: David Charles, Fumi Kitagawa, and Elvira Uyarra, 'Universities in crisis? New challenges and strategies in two English city-regions', Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Volume 7 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
A paper examined research assessment systems and their impacts on academic work in universities in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Denmark.
Source: Susan Wright, Bruce Curtis, Lisa Lucas, and Susan Robertson, Research Assessment Systems and their Impacts on Academic Work in New Zealand, the UK and Denmark, Working Paper 24, EPOKE (Aarhus University)
Links: Paper
Date: 2014-Jun
The government began consultation on proposals to expand the availability of loans in the further education sector to provide access to learning, simplify the existing funding system, strengthen incentives for learners engaging in training and skills development, and strengthen alignment with higher education funding. The consultation would close on 21 August 2014.
Source: Further Education – Future Development of Loans: Expanding and simplifying the programme, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Consultation document | DBIS press release
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined the effects of different models of cost-sharing in higher education (defined as the split between public and private contributions to higher education funding) on students and higher education institutions. It discussed trends in participation and completion, and factors such as system structure, institutional revenue, and strategy over the previous fifteen years in nine case study higher education systems (including England). It said that the introduction of tuition fees usually made the system better-off overall, although new fee-derived income was not always invested in ways that would be expected to improve perceptibly the student experience. The report said that, unless the magnitude of change was exceptionally large, increases in fees appeared to have no detectable negative effect on aggregate demand and enrolment, but student support systems (such as student loans or grants) were important in offsetting negative impacts on enrolment, particularly from vulnerable groups.
Source: Dominic Orr, Alex Usher, and Johannes Wespel, Do Changes in Cost-sharing Have an Impact on the Behaviour of Students and Higher Education Institutions? Evidence from nine case studies – Volume I: Comparative report, European Commission
Links: Volume I | Volume II National Reports | Summary | EU Reporter article
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined the extent to which higher education (HE) participation and subsequent degree outcomes varied by school, and the reasons for any differences. It said that there were substantial differences in HE participation rates overall, with pupils attending selective state schools more than 40 percentage points more likely to go to university and over 30 percentage points more likely to go to a high-status institution than pupils attending non-selective state schools. It said that there were also large differences in university outcomes by school, with fewer drop outs and greater likelihood to graduate with a first or a 2:1 for pupils from non-selective state schools, as compared with peers with similar background characteristics from other schools. The report considered the implications for widening participation activities and university selection procedures.
Source: Claire Crawford, The Link between Secondary School Characteristics and University Participation and Outcomes, Research Report DFE-RR353, Department for Education
Links: Report | IFS summary | Russell Group press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined the vulnerability of cities and universities to funding changes in higher education in England.
Source: John Goddard, Mike Coombes, Louise Kempton, and Paul Vallance, 'Universities as anchor institutions in cities in a turbulent funding environment: vulnerable institutions and vulnerable places in England', Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Volume 7 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined the experiences and perceptions of young adult carers who were in further and higher education, including those at sixth form college. It said that many young adult carers went on to college or university but experienced considerable difficulties (such as lateness or absence, balancing their responsibilities, and a high prevalence of self-reported mental health problems), and many considered dropping out because of their caring role. The report said that over three quarters of the young adult carers in this study had communicated their caring role to their college or university, but nearly half (45 per cent) still felt that no one there recognized them as a carer and helped them. Outside of the education setting, the report said only a minority had received a formal assessment of their needs in their caring roles and almost one-third (30 per cent) reported that their family was not receiving good services and support. The report concluded that young adult carers required support in order to be able to participate fully in education, and that colleges and universities needed to improve their response for carers.
Source: Joe Sempik and Saul Becker, Young Adult Carers at College and University, Carers Trust
Links: Report | Carers Trust press release
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined recent debates about ethnic differences in United Kingdom university offer rates. Drawing on cross-classified multi-level modelling of admissions data for 2008, it said that, controlling for variables that sought to capture the academic quality of applications, there were significant differences between offer rates for different ethnic groups. It said that the lower rates also remained for the main ethnic groups when social class background, gender, and school type were taken into account.
Source: Philip Noden, Michael Shiner, and Tariq Modood, 'University offer rates for candidates from different ethnic categories', Oxford Review of Education, Volume 40 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined flexibility within higher education. It was the final report from a project that had examined four aspects of flexible learning (part-time learners and learning; employer engagement; new pedagogical ideas; and technology-enhanced learning) and brought the strands together to consider the future of flexibility within the United Kingdom higher education sector.
Source: Ronald Barnett, Conditions of Flexibility: Securing a more responsive higher education system, Higher Education Academy
Links: Report | Project | HEA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined quality assurance in the higher education system in England. It said that the sector was undergoing rapid change and that the assurance system needed to evolve to ensure the maintenance of qualities such as high educational standards and the independence of the sector. It said that the assurance system needed to balance the risk of stifling innovation with the risk of the growth of poor quality provision, in a system complicated by United Kingdom-level reference points alongside England-specific funding, policy, and regulatory changes. The report made recommendations.
Source: How Do We Ensure Quality in an Expanding Higher Education System?, University Alliance
Links: Report | University Alliance press release
Date: 2014-May
A new book examined the key similarities and differences in higher education in Great Britain and the United States over the previous thirty years, to ascertain whether there existed a specific 'Anglo-Saxon model'. Chapters examined topics including: the economics and marketization of higher education; access and admittance to universities; and the student experience of higher education.
Source: Sarah Pickard (ed.), Higher Education in the UK and the US: Converging university models in a global academic world?, Brill
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-May
A report provided findings from longitudinal research into the progression to higher education of six cohorts of advanced level apprentices over a seven year period. Reporting a wide range of complex detail, the report said that 18.8 per cent of advanced level apprentices progressed to higher education, but rates had dipped between the 2005-06 and 2009-10 cohorts, and there were differences in progression rates at regional and framework level that indicated the importance of clear pathways to accessible provision.
Source: Hugh Joslin and Sharon Smith, Progression of Apprentices to Higher Education Cohort Update, Research Report 176, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report | Previous report | DBIS press release
Date: 2014-May
An article said that a student's gender, ethnicity, and year of study played an important role in determining their expected debt. Students in receipt of financial support from their parents, and those with part-time jobs, anticipated a lower level of debt. The higher a student discounted future income, the greater their expected debt; and the more risk-averse a student, the lower the expected debt.
Source: Ray Bachan, 'Students' expectations of debt in UK higher education', Studies in Higher Education, Volume 39 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-May
A paper outlined the role and purpose of the Further Education Commissioner, how the FE Commissioner process operated in resolving underperformance in the sector, and lessons learned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills from such interventions.
Source: Intervention in Further Education, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Paper | DBIS press release
Date: 2014-May
A report examined the day to day experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) students in higher education, their access to services, and factors that influenced their academic success and the completion of their studies. It said that: 20 per cent had experienced at least one form of bullying or harassment on campus (this rose to one third in the case of trans students); few trans students felt completely safe on campus; and 25 per cent of heterosexual students had seriously considered dropping out of their course, compared with 27.7 per cent of gay, 26.6 per cent of lesbian, 30 per cent of bisexual students, and over half of trans respondents. The authors called for the enforcement of zero tolerance policies on campus regarding homophobic and transphobic behaviour, harassment, and bullying. The report also recommended more staff training on LGBT issues, more peer to peer support, and improved access to information and services on campus for LGBT students.
Source: Education Beyond the Straight and Narrow: LGBT students' experience in higher education, National Union of Students
Links: Report | NUS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-May
A report provided the findings from a review of literature and evidence on a range of methodological issues encountered in estimating the economic value of higher education, further education, and skills interventions.
Source: Lynn Gambin, Rachel Beaven, Terence Hogarth, Mike May-Gillings, and Katy Long, Methodological Issues in Estimating the Economic Value Added of HE, FE and Skills: A review of relevant literature, Research Report 166, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report
Date: 2014-May
A think-tank report examined the role of higher education in facilitating social mobility in the United Kingdom. It argued that government policy had led to a focus on recruiting more students from disadvantaged backgrounds, rather than on the outcomes they achieved. It said that students from areas of high disadvantage had a relatively lower level of success in degree performance and employment outcomes, and that better outcomes could be achieved by adding systematically delivered and assessed skills training to the academic programme. The report proposed an additional, new measure of graduation and employment outcome (the Social Mobility Graduate Index) for use alongside other policy mechanisms such as control of student numbers or levels of tuition fees.
Source: Michael Brown, Higher Education as a Tool of Social Mobility: Reforming the delivery of HE and measuring professional graduate output success, CentreForum
Links: Report | CentreForum press release | Russell Group press release | University of Derby press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-May
A report evaluated the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, which was introduced in September 2011 to provide financial support to young people who faced significant financial barriers to participation in education or training post-16. It said that the flexibility of the fund was welcomed, and that providers valued being able to use funds in the way they thought would best meet the needs of students. However, it said that many young people were not aware of the fund when making post-16 choices, and there were still some unresolved administrative problems. The report made a range of recommendations for the government and education providers.
Source: Meg Callanan, Emma Drever, Alexandra Fry, Gemma Lewis, Cheryl Lloyd, and Ivonne Wollny, The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund: Year 2 process evaluation, Research Report 345, Department for Education
Links: Report | Brief | Earlier reports
Date: 2014-May
A report examined the needs of people who were considering a return to postgraduate study in the United Kingdom after some years away from higher education. The report considered how this group made decisions about postgraduate study and identified existing good practice by higher education institutions. The report said that returners were a diverse group, but often had their choices constrained by pre-existing factors and many were concerned first with addressing personal and financial concerns. The report proposed a model of decision making and presented good practice case studies.
Source: Robin Mellors-Bourne, Tristram Hooley, and John Marriott, Understanding How People Choose to Pursue Taught Postgraduate Study: Report to HEFCE by CRAC and iCeGS, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Links: Report
Date: 2014-May
A report by a committee of the National Assembly for Wales examined issues regarding higher education. The report made a range of recommendations, including: for the Welsh Government to commission more detailed modelling on overall student debt and the student loan book to estimate the long-term implications of student debt; that the Welsh Government should increase awareness of the tuition fee grant at an earlier stage in students' education; and for the Welsh Government to commission research into the balance of students' financial concerns.
Source: Higher Education Funding, Finance Committee, National Assembly for Wales
Links: Report | Assembly press release
Date: 2014-May
Two reports outlined the influences on demand for part-time higher education in England. The first examined the influence of economic and public policy factors and drew comparisons with other countries. The second looked more specifically at macroeconomic influences.
Source: Pressure from All Sides: Economic and policy influences on part-time higher education, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Links: Report | HEFCE press release | AoC press release | OFFA press release
Source: Macroeconomic Influences on Part-Time Higher Education Demand, Higher Education Funding Council for England/Oxford Economics
Links: Report | HEFCE press release
Date: 2014-Apr
A report by a committee of peers said that evidence given over the course of its inquiry strongly suggested that the government's immigration rules contributed to a recent fall in student numbers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects. The report called on the government to rethink their immigration policy.
Source: International Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Students, 4th Report (Session 2013–14), HL 162, House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Committee press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Apr
A report examined the situation, plans, and opinions of final year students on three year undergraduate courses, drawing on data from the Futuretrack study. Futuretrack was a longitudinal study of all people who applied to enter full-time higher education in the United Kingdom during the autumn of 2006. The report focused on students from Northern Ireland studying at higher education institutions (HEIs) in Northern Ireland, students from Northern Ireland studying at HEIs in Great Britain, and students from Great Britain studying in Northern Ireland. It looked particularly at the experiences of students studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects, and those from different socio-economic backgrounds.
Source: Gaby Atfield and Kate Purcell, Northern Ireland's Students: Key findings from the Futuretrack survey of final year students on three year courses, Department for Employment and Learning
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Apr
The government began consultation on proposals to introduce an alternative finance product for student loans, based on the principles of Islamic finance and intended to be compliant with Sharia law. The consultation would close on 12 June 2014.
Source: Shariah-Compliant Student Finance: Consultation on a Sharia-compliant alternative finance product, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Consultation document | DBIS press release | Ministerial speech
Date: 2014-Apr
A report reviewed existing evidence on how prospective higher education students in the United Kingdom used information to decide whether, what, and where to study. It said that the decision-making process was complex, personal, and nuanced, drawing on varying types and sources of information over a long period of time, and that greater amounts of information did not necessarily lead to people being better informed, or able to make better decisions.
Source: Abigail Diamond, Jennifer Roberts, Tim Vorley, Guy Birkin, James Evans, Jonathan Sheen, and Tej Nathwani, UK Review of the Provision of Information About Higher Education: Advisory study and literature review, CFE Research
Links: Report | Ministerial speech | HEFCE press release | Russell Group press release | THE report
Date: 2014-Apr
A think-tank report examined the long-run cost of providing student loans, how this varied across the graduate earnings distribution, the uncertainty around the estimates, and the impact of potential changes to the terms of student loans. It said that the 2012 reforms to higher education funding in England might do little to reduce the total taxpayer contribution per student, although the outcome remained uncertain and would depend upon future graduate earnings.
Source: Claire Crawford, Rowena Crawford, and Wenchao Jin, Estimating the Public Cost of Student Loans, Institute for Fiscal Studies
Links: Report | IFS press release | Russell Group press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2014-Apr
A report examined knowledge exchange performance in the English higher education sector and the estimated impact of the Higher Education Funding Council for England's knowledge exchange funding.
Source: Tomas Coates Ulrichsen, Knowledge Exchange Performance and the Impact of HEIF in the English Higher Education Sector, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Links: Report | HEFCE press release | CBI press release | Durham University press release | Russell Group press release
Date: 2014-Apr
A report examined the financial implications of the 2012 student finance reforms for graduates, in particular the differences between graduating under the new 2012-13 system and the old 2011-12 system. It said that, under the new system, students would graduate with much higher debts, averaging more than £44,000. This would result in higher repayment levels for most graduates, but the lowest earners would pay back less. The report said that, under the old system, almost half would have cleared their student loan debt by the age of 40 (compared with about 5 per cent under the new system), and that, under the new system, almost three-quarters would not earn enough to pay back their loans in full.
Source: Claire Crawford and Wenchao Jin, Payback Time? Student Debt and Loan Repayments: What will the 2012 reforms mean for graduates?, Institute for Fiscal Studies
Links: Report | Sutton Trust press release | Russell Group press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report | THE report
Date: 2014-Apr
A report examined early career sector mobility in graduate jobs and considered which degree subjects prepared their graduates better for internal or external occupational mobility.
Source: David Docherty and Rosa Fernandez, Career Portfolios and the Labour Market for Graduates and Postgraduates in the UK: A report to the Higher Education Funding Council of England, National Centre for Universities and Business
Links: Report | NCUB press release | HEFCE press release
Date: 2014-Apr
A national strategy for access and student success in United Kingdom higher education (commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) was published. It said that the strategy aimed to build on existing good practice to create a more coherent, collaborative, and co-ordinated approach, driven by evidence and adopting a whole student lifecycle approach.
Source: Office for Fair Access and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, National Strategy for Access and Student Success in Higher Education, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report | Ministerial speech | HEFCE press release | OFFA press release | University of Derby press release
Date: 2014-Apr
A report provided an overview of recent shifts, longer-term trends, and anticipated future activity in higher education in England.
Source: Higher Education in England 2014: Analysis of latest shifts and trends, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Links: Report | Summary | Data | HEFCE press release
Date: 2014-Apr
A report examined factors associated with dropout from higher education, using data from the Futuretrack study. Futuretrack was a longitudinal study of all people who applied to enter full-time higher education in the United Kingdom during the autumn of 2006. The report said that multiple factors were associated with the probability of leaving higher education during the first year of study. The most common reasons given by students for dropout were either 'personal' or that they were unsure what they wanted to do. More than one-third of respondents who had not entered higher education mentioned 'costs' or not wanting to 'incur debt', although just over one-quarter mentioned that they did not know what they wanted to do or did not want to go to university. The report said that important questions remained about the processes that influenced student outcomes, but that the results of the study suggested a need for greater intervention to raise achievement and to provide better career advice and guidance prior to university entry.
Source: Learning from Futuretrack: Dropout from higher education, Research Report 168, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined the operationalization of co-production through the application of service blueprinting. It presented an example from within higher education, where staff were brought together with students to produce a blueprint for the design of student enrolment.
Source: Zoe Radnor, Stephen Osborne, Tony Kinder, and Jean Mutton, 'Operationalizing co-production in public services delivery: the contribution of service blueprinting', Public Management Review, Volume 16 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
A study examined the characteristics and outcomes of students who lived at home and away from home while at university, drawing on data from the Futuretrack longitudinal study of all people who applied to enter university in the United Kingdom during the autumn of 2006. It said that students who lived at home and those who lived away from home tended to report largely similar experiences of higher education. Although younger students who lived at home were more likely to receive lower class degrees and were less likely to report that their post-graduation job was appropriate to their skills, regression analyses indicated that the association of poor outcomes and living at home mainly reflected pre-existing characteristics of respondents.
Source: Jane Artess, Andrew McCulloch, and Pearl Mok, Learning from Futuretrack: Studying and living at home, Research Report 167, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Mar
A report examined the extent to which a student's background affected their chance of obtaining an upper second or first class degree. It said that, when comparing students with similar prior educational attainment, the findings included: that there was significant variation in degree outcomes for students from different ethnicities; that female students were more likely to achieve higher degree classifications; that students from disadvantaged areas tended to do less well than those from more advantaged areas; and that state school students tended to do better than students from independent schools.
Source: Differences in Degree Outcomes: Key findings, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Links: Report | HEFCE press release | OFFA press release | Russell Group press release | Sutton Trust press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Mar
A government department published its response to the Witty review of the role of universities in driving economic growth in the United Kingdom.
Source: British Invention: Global Impact – The government's response to Sir Andrew Witty's review of universities and growth, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report | Witty review | Newcastle University press release
Date: 2014-Mar
A study examined the strategies used to raise aspirations for higher education among high achieving disadvantaged pupils, areas of good practice and where practice might be improved, and whether the pupil premium was being used to fund such activity. The report said that there was wide support in schools and colleges for raising aspirations, but that the study found a range of approaches and varied methods of defining disadvantage. It noted a lack of activity at Key Stage 3 (age 11-16), and low levels of evaluation and monitoring in around half of the institutions. The report made recommendations.
Source: Alex Thornton, Emily Pickering, Mark Peters, Carole Leathwood, Sumi Hollingworth, and Ayodele Mansaray, School and College-level Strategies to Raise Aspirations of High-achieving Disadvantaged Pupils to Pursue Higher Education Investigation: Research report, Research Report 296, Department for Education
Date: 2014-Feb
A report evaluated the construction of the Participation of Local Areas (POLAR3) classification, a United Kingdom-wide area-based measure that grouped geographical areas according to the proportion of young people living in them who participated in higher education by the age of 19 (known as the 'young participation rate'). It examined how the classification related to other forms of deprivation affecting young people, and how the characteristics of 2011-12 higher education entrants from different POLAR3 quintiles varied. The report said that, although concerns had been raised about the level of measurement, wards were a suitable geography on which to base the measure. However, the POLAR3 classification captured a particular type of (educational) disadvantage, and the report noted that it was therefore not necessarily an appropriate substitute for other measures of disadvantage.
Source: Further Information on POLAR3: An analysis of geography, disadvantage and entrants to higher education, Issues paper 2014/01, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Links: Report | Summary | HEFCE press release
Date: 2014-Feb
The fair trading watchdog said that academic sanctions, such as the withholding of degrees or the prevention of progression into the next year of study, were used by many universities in the United Kingdom. The watchdog said that such practices may, however, be deemed unfair and capable of legal challenge if used as sanctions for the non-payment of students' debts. The OFT subsequently wrote to universities to advise them to reconsider their rules and regulations, and the terms of their contracts with students.
Source: Universities' Terms and Conditions: An OFT report, Office of Fair Trading
Links: Report | Case summary | Letter | OFT press release | NUS press release
Date: 2014-Feb
A report provided the findings from a literature review on what works in widening access to higher education. It made recommendations for universities in Scotland.
Source: Action on Access: Recommendations to achieve further progress on widening access to higher education in Scotland, Universities Scotland
Links: Report | Universities Scotland press release
Date: 2014-Jan
A government report outlined early results from a matched database of records on training, benefits and employment, showing immediate post-study earnings and employment outcomes for learners completing further education in the 2009 to 2010 academic year. It said that the datasets were highly experimental, and work was continuing to understand the most suitable way to interpret the results, given the current limitations within the data.
Source: Further Education Learners: Average earnings – Initial outputs of emerging results from earnings analysis of matched data, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jan
