Mass Higher Education in England—a Success Story?

Abstract

The expansion of the UK higher education that began in the mid-1980s is considered to have transformed an elite system into a mass one. Student numbers tripled between 1980 and 2010 and opportunities for advanced study were extended to an increasing proportion of the population. However, the expansion was not fully funded by the state and both students and staff have, in different ways, covered the shortfall. This article will outline how this happened, indicate some of the detrimental effects on those who study and work within the current system and suggest some ways in which academics can challenge institutional practices that damage individuals and the educational services they provide. The title of the article refers to England rather that the UK because the details of policy, for example on tuition fees, vary across the four nations of the UK. In addition to academic articles and reports, the article draws on the author’s own experience of more than 40 years as a higher education teacher, trades union activist and supporter of widening access to higher education.