Title page
Contents
Summary 4
1. System management and coordination 7
1.1. The role of governments in managing higher education 7
1.2. Types of higher education system 9
1.3. Institutional autonomy 12
2. Student numbers 15
2.1. Comparing student and graduate population sizes 16
2.2. Numbers of higher education institutions 20
3. Funding 22
3.1. Comparing levels of investment 22
3.2. Tuition fees 25
3.3. Living cost support 31
3.4. Student loan repayments: 'Peak Debt' in the USA 34
4. Student access, participation, and outcomes 36
4.1. Admissions systems 36
4.2. Access and equity in admission 39
4.3. Widening participation policies 42
4.4. Graduate outcomes 46
5. Higher education, research, and development 49
5.1. Research funding 49
5.2. How does the UK research base compare internationally? 50
6. Global ranking systems 52
6.1. UK performance in global ranking systems 54
7. Conclusion 56