A new research report from Edge is published today. Becoming Universities: The Progress of England’s New HEIs explores new higher education institutions (HEIs) in England, which have come into existence over the last 5-10 years. It follows an initial piece of research that was published in 2023 (New HEIs in England: A real chance to innovate?) which explored new HEIs’ reasons for setting up and their initial visions for delivery. Now that many of these HEIs have delivered HE courses to their pioneering cohorts of students, we investigated how current and previous students and staff are experiencing them.
New higher education institutions (HEIs) are reshaping what university looks like, offering exam-free assessment, block teaching, and personalised learning that students say better prepares them for work and life. This study explores the real-world experiences of students and staff at new universities and higher education providers established within the last decade, revealing a sector that is ambitious, experimental and student-centred, yet increasingly constrained by regulation, recruitment challenges and pressures to scale. Based on interviews and focus groups with students, graduates, lecturers and senior leaders across six new HEIs in England, the research is one of the first examinations of how these institutions are performing now that their first cohorts have progressed and, in some cases, graduated.
The qualitative research carried out employed semi-structured interviews and focus groups with various stakeholders associated with new HEIs in England. Stakeholders included senior leadership team members, teaching staff and current and past students. New HEIs remained consistent in their initial thinking with regards to programme design, delivery and applied pedagogy. They have created business‑like, active learning environments supported by student‑centred teaching and real‑world, cross‑disciplinary curricula, involving external partners. Across all institutions, personalisation emerged as a defining feature.
New HEIs are prioritising student-centred learning, replacing traditional lectures with active, discursive classrooms. The structure of the days and the set-up of the spaces more closely reflect the workplace. The small class sizes, and often cohorts, allow for a highly personalised experience. They display strong staff–student relationships, ample opportunities for safe discussion and collaboration, and tailored support.
As student engagement falls across the sector and concerns grow about the relevance of traditional degrees, the findings suggest new HEIs are testing viable alternatives but may struggle to survive unless regulation, funding and public trust evolve alongside them.
The report concludes that while new HEIs are forging distinctive and credible models of higher education, their long-term impact will depend on whether they can protect personalisation, applied pedagogy and student voice as they grow.
