Postgraduates: policy and funding

Our goals

Postgraduates make significant contributions to the UK economy, society and culture, and the Government has set out its continued support for postgraduate study.

As part of the wider changes to HE funding and regulation, the Government has also asked us to review participation at this level.

Through this work we will examine the effect of the HE reforms on the postgraduate sector, both taught and research. We will also look at the information needs of and about postgraduate students. To do this, we will draw on a wide base of evidence from a variety of sources.

The Government's recent White Paper on HE, and our Business Plan include full details of our goals.

• HEFCE Business Plan
• HE White Paper

Programme of work

Our programme of work will focus on building up a better understanding of the postgraduate sector. In particular we will look for any vulnerabilities that may come about as a result of the funding changes.

The programme will:

• Review our existing funding and policy structures that affect postgraduate provision, and ensure that these work together.
• Provide additional funding support in 2012-13, and conduct further work to inform our longer-term approach to funding.
• Provide additional funding for the supervision of postgraduate research students, and link the allocation of this funding to research quality, from 2012-13.
• Interrogate existing data (such as from the Higher Education Statistics Agency and review reports) to identify existing trends in postgraduate study.
• Commission research into the information needs of taught postgraduate students and into the potential benefits of a national postgraduate survey.
• Monitor trends and assess the potential effect of the undergraduate funding reforms on taught postgraduate students.
• Establish what information we still need to improve our understanding of the characteristics of the postgraduate population, and commission further research if necessary.
• Work with the research councils and other funders to ensure a complementary approach.
• Maintain awareness of and feed into other work in the sector in this area.

We have prepared a briefing document that outlines our current work strands in more detail.

In January 2013, we hosted a roundtable discussion to discuss perceived challenges to postgraduate taught (PGT) funding and provision.

The meeting was chaired by Sir Alan Langlands, HEFCE Chief Executive, and attended by the Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister for Universities and Science. Other delegates included representatives from higher education institutions and related sector organisations, industry and banks.

Working in partnership

In developing our approach, we will also seek opportunities to present our work to, and obtain information from, the sector.

We intend to work closely with others to ensure a joined-up approach to postgraduate work.

Partners will include universities and colleges, the Government, the Research Councils and other appropriate organisations.

More generally, we would welcome any comments on our proposed approach.

We held a seminar on 4 May with representatives from the sector to discuss the future of postgraduate provision. The programme and delegate list and a note of the event are attached below.

Seeking input from institutions 

In late 2012, we visited a sample of seven universities to discuss their approaches to postgraduate provision. This note summarises those discussions, which provided a valuable input into HEFCE’s postgraduate policy. 

Further information

Further information is available from Emma Creasey, Higher Education Policy Advisor, e-mail e.creasey@hefce.ac.uk, tel 0117 931 7225.

Page last updated 28 March 2013