This report from UK think tank HEPI draws on recent work undertaken in various research contexts and explores how the invisible third space is beginning to be seen. The third space describes a group of university staff who can neither be described as academic nor non-academic professional staff, such as technology transfer staff, those overseeing...

This report from UK think tank HEPI explores the experiences of Black early-career academics (ECAs) in higher education. This report explores the experiences of Black early-career academics (ECAs) in higher education. Based on a survey of nearly 100 Black ECAs and 24 interviews with staff working on initiatives to support them, this report examines the...

This report from UK think tank HEPI develops a minimum income standard for students. The Minimum Income Standard (MIS) is an approach developed by the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at Loughborough University to determine how much money different groups in the population need to have for a minimum acceptable standard of living....

This report from UK think tank HEPI looks at whether vice-chancellors are worth the pay they get. In this HEPI Debate Paper, Lucy Haire probes the issue of how to set the rate of vice-chancellors’ pay fairly. Vice-chancellors bear huge responsibility as leaders of high-revenue organisations, and they are paid less than their colleagues at...

This report from UK think tank HEPI looks at employers’ perceptions of the UK’s Graduate Route visa. The Graduate Route visa was introduced in 2021 and allows international students to stay in the UK to work for two years (or three years for doctoral students), with none of the wage or job restrictions that apply...

This report from UK think tank HEPI looks at students’ perspectives on careers services and employment. The Higher Education Policy Institute polled 1,105 students via the National Union of Students (NUS) for their views on careers services and employment. The results have been published as How can you help me?: Students’ perspectives on careers services and...

This report from UK think tank HEPI looks at making the case for a series of short questions on university application forms. The UCAS personal statement is a 4,000 character / 47-line essay that applicants submit when applying for UK undergraduate programmes. There is growing recognition that the UCAS personal statement needs reform, including from...

This report from UK think tank HEPI identifies opportunities for enhancing university governance in England. Dr Alison Wheaton considers how university governing body members in England perceive their roles and what this means for the higher education sector. The report, which is based on Dr Wheaton’s recent PhD, finds a shift towards more interactive governance...

This report from UK think tank HEPI looks at what research leadership is and why it matters. Professor Flinders identifies, at worst, a research leadership vacuum and, at best, a leadership lag and far-reaching concern about lost leaders. These findings go to the core of broader questions concerning talent management, equality and inclusion, and how...

This report from UK think tank HEPI looks at speaker events at university debating unions and examines concerns about bias and no-platforming. The new research by Josh Freeman, published as No Platform: Speaker Events at University Debating Unions (HEPI Report 153), is based on statistical analysis of student events and interviews with student organisers to...