Universities UK has published this year’s Pattern and Trends in UK Higher Education 2015 report, which is a thorough document covering how the UK HE sector has changed over the past decade. The take home message is that there is plenty of uncertainty within the sector over the past decade, particularly as funding, participation, and international students numbers significantly change.
Some key patterns and trends highlighted in the document are:
- Universities are still adapting to their new funding system for undergraduates introduced in 2012-13
- Income from funding body grants has fallen 19% while income from tuition fees has increased by 20%
- The student body is now made up of more full-time students than part-time students
- The student body is younger, and more cosmopolitan
- International students have increased by 4%, although particularly nations have seen a decline (i.e. India)
- There is a growing awareness that international students contribute a considerable amount to the UK economy
- An increase of 42% in students from disadvantaged backgrounds was observed
While many of these patterns and trends seem positive, significant changes to how universities will be funded i.e. the merging of particular HE bodies, the new difficult processes set on international students, the introduction of TEF, mean that the future of UK HE is difficult to predict and unsettling. Further concern towards the HEI role as key actors in catering for UK business demands for skilled labour has led some to think the value of higher education is changing.
The real implications of how these changes (outlined in the HE Green Paper, as well as the restructuring of BIS post-CSR) will cause the reshaping of the HE landscape, as well as how universities rethink their strategy and approach. Meanwhile, it is worth gathering data on best practice both at home and abroad, so that we can explore how best to face the challenges that lie ahead.