The Higher Education Policy Institute was established in 2002 to shape the higher education policy debate through evidence. We promote research into and understanding of all aspects of higher education and disseminate the useful results of such research for the education and benefit of policy makers and the general public. We are UK-wide, independent and non-partisan, and we are funded by organisations and universities that wish to see a vibrant higher education debate as well as through our own events.
Latest reports
Understanding the Plan 2 loan repayment system
This report from UK think tank HEPI offers an alternative model for student loans, which would be cost-neutral for the Treasury. New research by London Economics has found that following various changes to student loan terms, implemented since early 2022, the Treasury are making a surplus of £679 million for the 2022/23 cohort of undergraduate student entrants in England. The research also found that the Government’s changes have had a greater adverse impact...
Scaling opportunities
This report from UK think tank HEPI calls for sustained and intensive outreach to tackle persistent higher education access gaps. New HEPI Policy Note calls for sustained and intensive outreach to tackle persistent higher education access gaps. It argues that sustained and intensive outreach programmes are among the most effective tools to widen access to...
Preparing for populism
This report from UK think tank HEPI encourages universities to engage across the political spectrum, including with parties sceptical of higher education. Prepare for populism: Universities need to rebuild their legitimacy with all major parties and the public as they head into a tougher political era. In Preparing for Populism (HEPI Debate Paper 44), Professor...
Being indispensable: Capabilities for a human-AI world, the ‘FUTURES’ framework
This report from UK think tank HEPI advises universities to act now on GenAI - and to put human competency at the centre. A new report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), Being indispensable: Capabilities for a human-AI world, the ‘FUTURES’ framework, argues that universities should take more robust approaches to GenAI integration, as...
Assessing potential manifesto commitments on higher education funding in Wales
This report from UK think tank HEPI publishes modelling on proposed higher education funding reforms in the run up to the Senedd elections. The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and London Economics have published modelling on proposed reforms for higher education funding in Wales in the run up to the Senedd elections on 7 May...
From investment to outcomes: Capabilities to deliver purposeful public investment in research
This report from UK think tank HEPI considers how to maximise the potential of public spending on research. A new paper by research impact specialists at UCL, From investment to outcomes: Capabilities to deliver purposeful public investment in research (HEPI Policy Note 69), considers how to maximise the potential of public spending on research. The...
‘We believe this is the way to do it’: Exploring the City St George’s merger
This report from UK think tank HEPI offers rare real-world guidance from an unusually large and high-stakes merger. City St George’s: HEPI report sets out practical insights and recommendations from a landmark university merger. A new HEPI report, ‘We believe this is the way to do it’: Exploring the City St George’s Merger (HEPI Report...
Making metrics matter: A more ambitious approach to tackling racial inequity in higher education
This report from UK think tank HEPI calls for structural changes to accelerate improvements towards racial equity in English higher education. A new paper by Dr Katharine Hubbard, Making Metrics Matter: Tackling Racial Inequity in Higher Education (HEPI Debate Paper 43), argues progress towards racial equity in English higher education has been ‘notoriously slow’ and...
Are students still ‘woke’?
This report from UK think tank HEPI explores students' views on free speech issues. In a new poll on a range of free speech issues, 35% of full-time undergraduate students say they think Reform UK ‘should be banned from speaking at events held at higher education institutions’. The new opinion poll, which was conducted by...
Using artificial intelligence (AI) to advance translational research
This report from UK think tank HEPI explores the potential of AI to advance translational research. 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...
Rethinking student voice: how can higher education design effective student governance?
This report from UK think tank HEPI argues that many governing boards still fail to make space for student voices in higher education. A new report from the Higher Education Policy Institute examines how student governors frequently feel marginalised in institutional oversight, and offers actionable reforms to ensure legitimacy, inclusion and real influence. The report...
Student working lives
This report from UK think tank HEPI reveals the hidden realities of student employment in UK higher education. A landmark study exploring the growing prevalence and impact of paid work among students in UK higher education, and which demonstrates the hidden realities of the student experience, has today been launched by the Higher Education Policy...
Rethinking placement: Increasing clinical placement efficacy for a sustainable NHS future
This report from UK think tank HEPI looks at how bold action is needed to fix the NHS clinical placement crisis. A fundamental rethink of how the NHS trains its future workforce is urgently needed, according to a new paper from the Higher Education Policy Institute, Rethinking Placement: Increasing Clinical Placement Efficacy for a Sustainable...
A call for radical reform: Higher education for a sustainable economy
This report from UK think tank HEPI suggests shorter courses, spreading the cost over time while encouraging lifelong updating of skills and knowledge. A new Debate Paper from the Higher Education Policy Institute by Professor Tim Blackman argues that full-time honours degrees were created when universities were small and elite institutions. They were rolled over...
AI and the future of universities
This report from UK think tank HEPI brings together leading voices from universities, industry and policy. A new collection of essays, AI and the Future of Universities (HEPI Report 193) 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...
Upcoming events
14 May 2026
Location: Online
Think tank: HEPI
HEPI / TechnologyOne webinar: 20 years of the student experience
This event hosted by UK think tank HEPI discusses the overarching themes and key differences in the student experience throughout the last 20 years. Join HEPI and TechnologyOne for a webinar to mark the launch of a new report looking back over the last 20 years of results from the HEPI / Advance HE Student Academic...