Weekly focus

Value for money research released by the Office for Students

This week the Office for Students released research into how students perceive value for money in higher education. The report is published in a backdrop of the government’s review of post-18 study in England, which also focuses on the cost of going to university. The research was undertaken by a group of students’ unions and… Read more » about Value for money research released by the Office for Students

Office for Students regulatory framework revealed

On Wednesday the Office for Students regulatory framework was published, following the recent consultation. Wonkhe provided an insightful ‘what you need to know’ overview of the documents to date: Despite passing the research brief on to UKRI, OfS will cost more overall than HEFCE The Basic category of providers has been dropped as too risky,… Read more » about Office for Students regulatory framework revealed

Review of Post-18 Education and Funding announced

On Monday Theresa May launched the highly anticipated Review of Post-18 Education and Funding. The review aims to focus on four areas; Access to tertiary education for all, including maintenance support for disadvantaged students. More informed choice (and competition) between the options available. Delivering the skills that the economy needs, to support the industrial strategy…. Read more » about Review of Post-18 Education and Funding announced

“Review of post-18 education and policy” announcement expected on Monday

The “major review of higher education funding and student finance” announced by Teresa May at the Conservative Party Conference in October 2017 is expected to be confirmed as the “review of post-18 education and funding” by the Prime Minister on Monday. As part of the announcement it is expected that the terms of the review… Read more » about “Review of post-18 education and policy” announcement expected on Monday

Student’s in Higher Education Data

This week HESA published a range of data on students in higher education. Headline data revealed: Nearly 130,000 out of 760,000 students in 2016-17 qualified in the subject areas of business and administrative studies. Overall, there was 8% year-on-year growth in postgraduate numbers – 39% of postgraduate entrants were non-UK domicile students, three-fifths were female,… Read more » about Student’s in Higher Education Data

Slow progress in widening student participation

On Thursday HESA’s released the latest data on widening participation to higher education. The purpose of the indicators is to provide an objective measure of how the UK higher education (HE) sector is performing. This year’s data reveals progress has slowed overall, and there continues to be a variation in performance between providers: Overall, 11.4%… Read more » about Slow progress in widening student participation

UCAS releases undergraduate data by sex, area background, and ethnic group for 2017 entry

This morning UCAS published the full institutional breakdown for the 2017 admissions cycle. Headline data reveals: Entry to university Overall demand for university places fell by 2.6% caused by a reduction in the size of the 18-year-old population. However, young people were more likely to win a place because universities responded by accepting a higher… Read more » about UCAS releases undergraduate data by sex, area background, and ethnic group for 2017 entry

New report confirms benefits of international students studying in the UK

The Higher Education Policy Institute and Kaplan International Pathways have published a new report, The costs and benefits of international students by parliamentary constituency, conducted by London Economics. The study shows analysis of both the costs and the benefits to the UK of welcoming 231,000 new international students each year. The research based on the… Read more » about New report confirms benefits of international students studying in the UK

Social mobility at the heart of education

The Department for Education on Thursday published two reports which aim to put social mobility at the heart of education policy: “Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential: A plan for improving social mobility through education” and its single departmental plan. Both reports share four ambitions: Ambition 1: Closing the word gap – Boosting access to high quality… Read more » about Social mobility at the heart of education