A new report by HEPI “Demand for Higher Education to 2030”, projects demand for higher education in England until 2030. The report reviews higher education in the context of the current policy environment, which has recently been overshadowed by Brexit, increased tuition fees and issues around student visas.
Headline data predicts:
- 300,000 more higher education places will be needed in England by 2030. This would be a 25 per cent growth on the 2016/17 total of 1.2m undergraduates.
- 23% rise in the number of 18-year-olds (+50,000), and continued participation growth at the average rate of the last 15 years (+350,000). It also takes into consideration the potential negative impact from factors including Brexit (-56,000).
- If the proportion of males attending higher education meets female demand, there would be a further increase in places by 200,000.
- Based on the above calculations the current finance system is unsustainable, given there would be a rise in those in receipt of publicly subsidised student loans.