Higher education Archives

Research Briefing

Higher Education and Research Bill 2016 [Bill No 004 of 2016-17]

Thursday, 30 June, 2016

This paper has been written for the House of Commons Second Reading debate on the Higher Education and Research Bill 2016. The Bill brings forward a range of measures to increase competition and choice in the higher education sector, raise standards and strengthen capabilities in UK research and innovation. The Bill implements the legislative proposals in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) White Paper, Success as a Knowledge Economy: Teaching, Social Mobility and Student Choice and in Sir Paul Nurse’s report, Ensuring a successful UK research endeavour: A Review of the UK Research Councils by Paul Nurse, November 2015. The Bill will establish a new body the Office for Students, create a single route into the higher education sector, create alternative payments for students and make changes to UK research infrastructure.
Research Briefing

Higher Education White Paper Success as a Knowledge Economy

Thursday, 19 May, 2016

In November 2015 the government published a Green Paper Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice which outlined proposals to reshape the HE landscape, raise standards and increase competition in the sector. The White Paper echoes the proposals in the Green Paper and proposes creating: a single route into the HE sector, the Teaching and Excellence Framework, the Office for Students and UK Research and Innovation.
Debate Pack

Engineering skills and design and technology education

Friday, 11 March, 2016

On Tuesday 15 March there will be a debate on Engineering skills and design and technology education in Westminster Hall at 9.30am. Michelle Donelan MP will lead the debate. This House of Commons Library Debate Pack provides a background briefing and statistics, press and parliamentary coverage of the issues and suggested further reading.
Research Briefing

Support for higher education students with discretionary leave to remain

Monday, 11 January, 2016

This briefing gives and overview of student support arrangements for students with limited and discretionary leave to remain in the UK and discusses recent policy developments since the Supreme Court judgement in the Tigere case in July 2015. The paper flags up the Department for Business and Skills consultation containing proposals to create a new category of student support eligibility which will apply to students with long term residency in the UK.
Research Briefing

Reform of the Disabled Students’ Allowance in England

Tuesday, 05 January, 2016

This briefing gives details of the new Disabled Students' Allowances which were announced on 2 December 2015, the changes will come into effect in 2016/17. The changes aim to improve value for money and rebalance the distribution of responsibility for disabled students between HEIs and the Government. The briefing gives details of the new system, highlights issues and contains comment, it follows on from library briefing paper SN/SP/6013, Changes to the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), 14 October 2014.
Research Briefing

Higher Education Green Paper 2015 Fulfilling Our Potential

Wednesday, 25 November, 2015

The Higher Education Green Paper published on 6 November 2015 makes proposals to reform the higher education system. The paper proposes introducing the Teaching Excellence Framework to assess teaching quality in higher education institutions and reward those with excellent teaching. It will also introduce a single entry route into higher education to level the playing field between public providers and private providers, strengthen activities around access to higher education and abolish the Higher Education Funding Council for England and replace it with a new body the Office for Students. The consultation on the Green Paper closes on 15 January 2016 and it is anticipated that a higher education bill will follow.
Research Briefing

Higher Education (Information) Bill: Second Reading

Wednesday, 21 October, 2015

This page provides a summary, background and relevant information ahead of the Second Reading of Heidi Allen's Private Members' Bill, Higher Education (Information) Bill.
Research Briefing

Summer Budget 2015: A summary

Friday, 10 July, 2015

This note presents a summary of the Summer Budget 2015. This note provides an overview of the main Budget measures (see below), along with analysis of the forecasts, changes to the fiscal rules, changes to welfare, the National Living Wage, and public spending.
Research Briefing

Freedom of speech and preventing extremism in UK higher education institutions

Wednesday, 20 May, 2015

UK higher education institutions have a statutory duty to uphold freedom of speech in their institutions as far as is practical within the law. This duty has come under pressure recently from the Government’s Prevent Strategy and provisions in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. This note sets out legislation in this area and gives an overview of debate.
- Research Briefing
- Higher education
Research Briefing

Key Issues for the 2015 Parliament

Tuesday, 19 May, 2015

This book examines the key issues facing the House of Commons over the course of the 2015 Parliament - from the public finances to the UK’s membership of the EU and from school places for children to climate change.
Research Briefing

Support for medical students in England in 2014/15 and 2015/16

Tuesday, 12 May, 2015

This note sets out the financial support available to students in England starting undergraduate and graduate degrees in medicine in 2014/15 and 2015/16.
Research Briefing

Higher education tuition fees in England – party policies 2015

Thursday, 26 March, 2015

This note give an overview of the post-2012 higher education tuition fee system, it sets out the different fee arrangement across the UK and outlines the policies of political parties with regard to tuition fees.
Research Briefing

2014 Research Excellence Framework

Thursday, 26 February, 2015

Since 1986 block grant funding for university researrch has been selectively distributed to institutions using data obtained in some form of research assessment process. Results of the most recent process - the Research Excellence Framework (REF) were announced in December 2014. This note discusses the REF and issues around it.
- Research Briefing
- Higher education
Research Briefing

HE in England from 2012: Student numbers

Friday, 31 October, 2014

New students starting higher education in England in 2012 faced higher tuition fees, potentially higher loan interest rates and longer loan durations. The Government has also introducing a new ‘core and margin’ model which introduces an element of competition into the allocation of student numbers between institutions. The impact of these changes on potential students and student numbers is seen as one key test of the success of the Government’s reforms to higher education in England. The number of new fell in 2012 as it did when fees were first introduced and then raised in the past. Any long term change to student numbers would also have important implications for the financial health of the higher education sector and the UK economy.
Research Briefing

Expansion of private higher education provision in England

Wednesday, 13 August, 2014

This note gives an overview of the growth in the private higher education sector since 2011; it discusses the controversy around the provision of student support for students at private higher education institutions and the introduction of student number controls at private institutions.

Total results (page 13 of 15)