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Higher education research in facts and figures

9 February 2018

Facts and stats

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An overview of the quality of research, impact, collaboration, students, staff and finance at UK universities.

Highlights include:

76% of research at higher education institutions was considered as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ for its overall quality in 2014
UK higher education institutions received £4.2 billion from knowledge exchange activities in 2015−16
More than half of UK research is produced through international collaborations
UK government spending on research and development is below the OECD average as a proportion of GDP
43% of postgraduate research students and 29% of academic staff were from overseas
Research performed by UK universities in 2014−15 equates to an increase of £28.9 billion in gross value added

Higher education research in facts and figures data tables and sources (.xls)

News

Universities UK welcomes report detailing impact of international graduates

21 March 2019

Universities UK has responded to a joint report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and Kaplan International Pathways (Kaplan) which explains the contribution from international students who graduate from university and stay in the UK to work.

International staff vital for UK’s future STEM success

18 December 2018

University staff from overseas account for a growing and sizeable proportion of tutors, researchers and technicians in engineering and technology as well as biological, mathematical and physical sciences, a new report finds today.