February 2005, revised in April and October 2005
Guide
 

Higher education in the United Kingdom

This guide presents an overview of the structure, activities and funding of higher education in the United Kingdom. It includes key facts about HE and sources of further information. The guide updates the document of the same title that was published in January 2004.

Table of contents (read on-line)

Contents

• The nature of higher education
• Universities and higher education colleges
• universities
• colleges
• staff
• governance
• Funding and resources
• the funding bodies and the Government
• tuition fees
• arrangements in Scotland
• arrangements in Northern Ireland
• student loans
• student support funding
• Who studies at HEIs?
• students in the UK
• widening participation and access
• international students
• how to get a place at university or college
• how to select a university or college
• Courses and qualifications
• modularisation and credits
• postgraduate courses
• some examples of qualifications
• new PhD courses
• academic infrastructure
• the Higher Education Academy
• professional and statutory bodies
• Research
• Research Councils and the OST
• research in the arts and humanities
• science parks
• computer networks
• Quality and standards
• quality assurance in higher education
• Active Community Fund
• research assessment
• Impact on the economy and society
• employment
• Chronology of change in UK higher education
• List of higher education institutions
• Useful addresses
• Sources of information, education structure and glossary
• List of abbreviations