Governments since the end of the Second World War have demanded that universities should accept far greater numbers of students and produce many more graduates, particularly in disciplines directly useful to the economy and to national defence.

This paper looks at higher education in the light of this and the main themes, which have been dominant over the last decade such as the major expansion in student numbers and the abolition of the binary divide in 1992. The latter doubled the university sector at a stroke having an effect on the public perception of both higher education as a whole and its individual institutions.

Major changes on the financial front have also taken place, i.e. the freezing of student grants and introduction of the loan system in 1991 and the separation of funding for teaching and research, which has been fundamental and has a profound effect on the distribution of research income between institutions. Some comparisons, on a national basis, between the late ’80s and the late ’90s illustrate the magnitude of the changes. The under-21 participation rate moved up from 15% to about 33% (over 40% in Scotland and Northern Ireland). The number of applicants rose by 63%, while the number gaining places increased by 110% due to the greater available capacity. Full-time international student numbers rose by a factor of 3, yet while all this was going on, the funding per student received by the universities decreased by 64%.

In a 10-year period one major university saw its ratio of staff to students increase from just below 10 to almost 17, with an even steeper rise in the faculty of Arts from 11 to 27. Such huge shifts have profound effects on teaching methods and the nature of the student experience. Typical university financial turnover has doubled during the period with significant changes in the sources of income, a lower proportion coming from the Funding Council and higher amounts from student fees, research grants and contracts, which are now an average of 20% of turnover. These give rise to a number of concerns including the possible impact of students’ finances on their studies and drop-out rates, the likely future of student accommodation as more students opt to study near their home and the increasing importance of mature student programmes (life-long learning).

As a result of these changes administrative reorganisation has also become crucial in the ’90s as an effective response to these rapidly developing circumstances and in many cases requiring major alterations to traditional structures. A number of institutions have established unitary central administrations embracing formerly separate units such as Registrar, Services, Finance and Estates, with Faculty teams established within the Registrar and Secretary’s Department to provide much closer links between the faculties and the centre.

The commercialisation of research has also been very important for Universities to underscore their research excellence and generate funds. Development and Alumni Offices have been established and expanded with a high degree of graduate contact networking, and fund-raising responsibilities. In the area of University governance, important constitutional changes have been necessary in response to the changes in higher education. The Committee of University Chairmen, having grown to over 100 members, has changed greatly during the last ten years and is now a significant influence on government thinking, highlighting the importance of an independent lay element in university governance.