Category: Report Announcements

  • New HEPI Policy Note: Are students still ‘woke’?

    New HEPI Policy Note: Are students still ‘woke’?

    Author:
    Nick Hillman OBE

    Published:

    A new HEPI Policy Note reveals striking and contradictory attitudes among today’s students towards free speech on campus.

    While support for the principle of free expression has grown stronger over the past decade, a significant minority of students also favour firm limits in practice. Most notably, 35% of full-time undergraduates say Reform UK should be banned from speaking at events held in UK universities – a higher level of support for a political ban than recorded previously for any other group.

    Drawing on data collected for HEPI by the polling company Savanta in November 2025 and building on comparable surveys from 2016 and 2022, the findings paint a complex picture. Students overwhelmingly feel able to express their own views, yet almost half believe universities are becoming less tolerant of diverse viewpoints. Support for free speech in the abstract sits alongside rising strong backing for specific restrictions.

    These results are explored in detail in Are students still ‘woke’? (HEPI Policy Note 68), written by HEPI Director Nick Hillman. The report examines how student attitudes are evolving, why apparent contradictions exist and what this means for policy, regulation and debate in higher education. Click here to read the press release and find the full report.

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  • New HEPI Policy Note: Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Advance Translational Research

    New HEPI Policy Note: Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Advance Translational Research

    Author:
    Rose Stephenson and Lan Murdock

    Published:

    A new report by HEPI and Taylor & Francis explores the potential of AI to advance translational research and accelerate the journey from scientific discovery to real-world application. 

    Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Advance Translational Research (HEPI Policy Note 67), authored by Rose Stephenson, Director of Policy and Strategy at HEPI, and Lan Murdock, Senior Corporate Communications Manager at Taylor & Francis, draws on discussions at a roundtable of higher education leaders, researchers, AI innovators and funders, as well as a range of research case studies, to evaluate the future role of AI in translational research. 

    The report finds that AI has the potential to strengthen the UK’s translational research system, but that realising these benefits will require careful implementation, appropriate governance and sustained investment. 

    You can find the press release and read the full report here.

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  • New HEPI Debate Paper: ‘A Baker’s Dozen: Thirteen years of book reviews on higher education, 2013 to 2025’

    New HEPI Debate Paper: ‘A Baker’s Dozen: Thirteen years of book reviews on higher education, 2013 to 2025’

    Author:
    Nick Hillman

    Published:

    HEPI’s final publication of 2025 takes a timely look back to reflect on a period of profound change in higher education policy and debate.

    A Baker’s Dozen: Thirteen years of book reviews on higher education, 2013 to 2025 (HEPI Debate Paper 42), written by HEPI’s Director Nick Hillman OBE, brings together 30 book reviews published since higher undergraduate tuition fees first came into effect in 2012/13. This moment marked the beginning of an era that reshaped higher education across the UK: from the removal of student number controls to the creation of the Office for Students, with lasting consequences for the sector.

    The collection spans books by leading academics, politicians, commentators and international figures, as well as a cultural perspective from beyond the policy world. Authors reviewed include Peter Mandler, Alison Scott-Baumann, David Cameron, Wes Streeting, David Goodhart, Sam Freedman, Richard Corcoran, Ben Wildavsky and David Baddiel. Together, the reviews chart how debates about higher education, the state, students, institutions and free speech have evolved over more than a decade.

    Organised into five thematic sections, the debate paper offers both a historical record and a platform for renewed discussion. With further reform on the horizon, new leadership at the Office for Students and elections in Wales and Scotland approaching, this Debate Paper offers an important moment to consider how we arrived at the current policy landscape and how debate should develop next.

    You can read the press release and access the full debate paper here.

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  • New HEPI Report: Rethinking student voice: how can higher education design effective student governance?

    New HEPI Report: Rethinking student voice: how can higher education design effective student governance?

    Author:
    Darcie Jones

    Published:

    The new report Rethinking Student Voice: How higher education must design effective student governance (HEPI Report 195), written by Darcie Jones exposes a key issue within university governance: the marginalisation of student governors.

    With financial pressures intensifying across the sector, thee stakes for effective governance have never been higher. Yet, despite being core stakeholders within universities, many students on governing boards feel sidelined by opaque processes and exclusive norms. The evidence within this report reveals a persistent gap between symbolic representation and meaningful participation.

    However it’s not all bad news, the report also highlights what is possible when the student voice is taken seriously. Using examples of effective practice it demonstrates the transformation value of empowered student governance.

    Drawing on extensive evidence and sector insights, the report sets out clear, actionable reforms – from accessible governance culture, to improved recruitment, induction and development. They provide a pathway from why student perspectives and voices can be embedded at the heart of decision-making within universities.

    You can read the press release and access the full report here.

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  • New HEPI Policy Note: Views on University Governance

    New HEPI Policy Note: Views on University Governance

    Author:
    Professor Steven Jones on behalf of the Council for the Defence of British Universitie

    Published:

    HEPI’s new Policy Note finds striking consensus across the higher education community for more ethical, transparent and balanced university governance.

    Summarising responses to the draft Code of Ethical University Governance from the Council for the Defence of British Universities (CDBU), this Policy Note finds that 81% of the 129 submissions received endorse the principle of a new ethical code. This signals a widespread recognition that governance structures must better reflect the educational and public missions that universities serve.

    The revised CDBU Code directly responds to the concerns raised in the consultation and offers practical ways to reduce power imbalances, avoid insular decision-making and bring greater transparency to governor recruitment.

    For anyone interested in how universities can strengthen trust and increase transparency, the report makes for important reading. You can find the press release and link to the full text of the policy note here.

    The author of this report, and the author of a second report HEPI is publishing on governance in the run-up to Christmas will be at a free webinar on governance issues running on Thursday, 11 December 2025 from 10am to 11am. Sign up now to hear our speakers explore the key issues.

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  • New HEPI and the University of Central Lancashire Report: Student Working Lives

    New HEPI and the University of Central Lancashire Report: Student Working Lives

    Author:
    Professor Adrian Wright, Dr Mark Wilding, Mary Lawler and Martin Lowe

    Published:

    A new major report from HEPI and the University of Central Lancashire reveals the realities of UK student life and highlights how paid work is increasingly an everyday part of the student experience.

    Student Working Lives (HEPI Report 195), written by Professor Adrian Wright, Dr Mark Wilding, Mary Lawler, Martin Lowe, draws on extensive research to show how students are juggling study, employment and caring responsibilities in the midst of a deepening cost-of-living crisis. The findings paint a striking picture of students for whom paid work has become a necessity, not a choice. Findings suggest two-thirds of students work to cover their basic living costs, and 26% of students work to support their families.

    The report looks at the type of work students are employed in, as well as the impact this has on their study. It calls for systemic reform across the higher education sector to design a higher education that moves away from assuming a full-time residential model, and supports student realities.

    You can read the press release and access the full report here.

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  • New HEPI and University of London Report: Rethinking Placement: Increasing Clinical Placement Efficacy for a Sustainable NHS Future

    New HEPI and University of London Report: Rethinking Placement: Increasing Clinical Placement Efficacy for a Sustainable NHS Future

    Author:
    Professor Amanda Broderick and Robert Waterson

    Published:

    The NHS faces a growing clinical placement crisis that threatens the future of its workforce. A new HEPI and University of London report calls for bold, system-wide reform to ensure students get the real-world experience they need to deliver safe, high-quality care.

    HEPI and the University of London’s new report, Rethinking Placement: Increasing Clinical Placement Efficacy for a Sustainable NHS Future, which has been published with the support of the Council for Deans of Health, warns that the NHS cannot meet its ambitious workforce goals without bold reform of how students gain real-world experience. Co-authored by Professor Amanda Broderick and Robert Waterson of the University of East London, the report calls for a shift from simply creating more placements to delivering better ones—equitable, flexible, digitally enabled and aligned with the future of healthcare.

    Drawing on innovation across London and beyond, the authors propose practical steps including simulation-based learning, new supervision frameworks and community-based models that can expand capacity without compromising quality. With over 106,000 vacancies across secondary care, the report urges policymakers, universities and NHS providers to act now to secure a sustainable, skilled and compassionate workforce for the next decade and beyond.

    You can read the press release and access the full report here.

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  • New HEPI Debate Paper: Higher Education for a Sustainable Economy

    New HEPI Debate Paper: Higher Education for a Sustainable Economy

    Author:
    Professor Tim Blackman

    Published:

    Too many students studying full-time honours degrees at university are causing higher education to be ‘over-consumed’.

    A Call for Radical Reform: Higher Education for a Sustainable Economy by Professor Tim Blackman argues that full-time honours degrees were created when universities were small and elite institutions. They were rolled over into the modern mass system of higher education we have today, with little thought about the appropriateness and affordability of providing such a large volume of learning straight after school, with the educational content expected to last a lifetime.

    Instead, Professor Tim Blackman says more people need to be studying shorter courses, spreading the cost over time while encouraging lifelong updating of skills and knowledge.

    You can read the press release and access the full report here.

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  • ‘Right here, right now’: New report on how AI is transforming higher education

    ‘Right here, right now’: New report on how AI is transforming higher education

    Author:
    Edited by Dr Giles Carden and Josh Freeman

    Published:

    A new collection of essays, AI and the Future of Universities published by HEPI and the University of Southampton, edited by Dr Giles Carden and Josh Freeman, brings together leading voices from universities, industry and policy. The collection comes at a point when Artificial Intelligence (AI) is projected to have a profound and transformative impact on virtually every sector of society and the economy, driving changes that are both beneficial and challenging. The various pieces look at how AI is reshaping higher education – from strategy, teaching and assessment to research and professional services.

    You can read the press release and access the full report here.

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  • New HEPI Policy Note: Universities’ role in global conflict

    New HEPI Policy Note: Universities’ role in global conflict

    Author:
    HEPI

    Published:

    With the UK Government moving to a posture of ‘war fighting readiness’ amid intensifying global conflict, a new HEPI Policy Note warns higher education remains an untapped asset in national preparedness.

    The Wartime University: The role of Higher Education in Civil Readiness by Gary Fisher argues UK universities must be recognised as central pillars of national security and resilience. The paper highlights how higher education institutions represent a ‘composite capability’ to enhance and sustain civil readiness, spanning defence, health, skills, logistics and democratic continuity, but warns this potential remains under-recognised and poorly integrated into emergency planning frameworks.

    You can read the press release and access the full report here.

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