HESA Impact Report highlights changes to data landscape

HESA’s Impact Report, released today, sets out the agency’s work to adapt its services for the future during a period of rapid change in UK higher education.

The annual report outlines HESA’s progress on major initiatives to improve data on higher education. While work continued on the Data Futures programme to upgrade the data infrastructure of the HE sector, HESA collected data from 261 HE providers, including 34 newly subscribed alternative providers. Plans for the new Graduate Outcomes survey advanced while HESA conducted the biggest ever Destinations of Leavers from HE survey of over 472,000 graduates.

HESA is an independent charity, owned by the HE sector, whose purpose is to advance higher education. The Impact Report addresses HESA’s work to measure and minimise the burden of data submission on HE providers, while enhancing the value and insight that data can provide to the sector.

Paul Clark, Chief Executive of HESA said:

“The 2016/17 academic year saw changes and challenges across the higher education sector. The breadth of activity highlighted in our Impact Report illustrates the pace of that change and HESA’s ability to respond, actively promote innovation, and continue to provide high levels of service to subscribers and customers. I’m immensely grateful for the support and hard work of colleagues at HE providers across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in embracing changes for the benefit of higher education as a whole.

“I’m very proud that HESA is trusted by HE providers, policy makers, students, graduate employers and the general public to independently collect and disseminate information on higher education. This confidence is supported by our commitment to work efficiently and collaboratively, and to drive innovation in the fields of data governance, data standards and open data.”

Download the 2017 Impact Report

About HESA

HESA (the Higher Education Statistics Agency Ltd) is the recognised source of data on higher education in the UK. Its experts collect, analyse, and disseminate accurate and comprehensive statistical information on all aspects of UK higher education to support the strategic aims of its users and enhance the effectiveness of the sector as a whole. It is a charity and a company limited by guarantee. It operates as an independent organisation, working in collaboration with higher education providers, regulators, funders, government departments, policy makers, and other stakeholders.