Jess Lister
@jesslister.bsky.social
Higher ed policy wonk @ Public First
I am once again venturing to Liverpool for Labour Party Conference - if you will also be in the North West for the foreseeable and would like to catch up, let me know!
September 24, 2025 at 6:49 PM
I am once again venturing to Liverpool for Labour Party Conference - if you will also be in the North West for the foreseeable and would like to catch up, let me know!
Some great shout outs here for @wjyates72.bsky.social's work on the student experience earlier in the year - and an important update from the HEPI team on just how far students are having to make their money stretch!
New Post: What today’s report on living costs means for students, universities and parents – and policymakers www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/08/12/w...
August 12, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Some great shout outs here for @wjyates72.bsky.social's work on the student experience earlier in the year - and an important update from the HEPI team on just how far students are having to make their money stretch!
Reposted by Jess Lister
This is what the sector should be worried about. Not just that it’s a half formed idea with no real clue on elasticity of demand, but that - like the apprenticeship levy - a decent chunk of it gets hoovered up and spent elsewhere by the man from the ministry
Minister welcomes the explicit link between skills strategy and immigration. The proposed levy on international students will boost skills provision, but details on how it will operate are not yet clear (if it is route government goes down).
June 24, 2025 at 10:38 AM
This is what the sector should be worried about. Not just that it’s a half formed idea with no real clue on elasticity of demand, but that - like the apprenticeship levy - a decent chunk of it gets hoovered up and spent elsewhere by the man from the ministry
Reposted by Jess Lister
Interesting @upp-foundation.bsky.social study using focus groups to find out why young people in one HE 'cold spot' - Doncaster - are reluctant to consider university as a post-18 option www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...
University looks like ‘bad bet’ to teenagers in ‘cold spots’
Doncaster focus groups find widespread scepticism that cost of a degree will be outweighed by career benefits
www.timeshighereducation.com
May 22, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Interesting @upp-foundation.bsky.social study using focus groups to find out why young people in one HE 'cold spot' - Doncaster - are reluctant to consider university as a post-18 option www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...
New report today answering the question: why do so few young people in Doncaster go to university? upp-foundation.org/new-research...
New research shows that residents of higher education ‘cold spots’ remain put off by the cost of going to university - UPP Foundation
The cost of higher education is seen as having a poor payoff in areas with few graduate jobs, and universities, colleges and schools are not doing enough to persuade young people from cold spots to in...
upp-foundation.org
May 22, 2025 at 8:33 AM
New report today answering the question: why do so few young people in Doncaster go to university? upp-foundation.org/new-research...
Reposted by Jess Lister
“There is political risk in not doing anything about net migration, but also in damaging local economies,” says @jesslister.bsky.social. “International students can feel like low hanging fruit, but the economic consequences of that could be a lot deeper.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/student...
Student visa crackdown won’t bring political victory, Labour told
Universities mount fightback against further restrictions on international students, emphasising their role in growing the economy and lack of public support for new measures
www.timeshighereducation.com
May 9, 2025 at 10:01 AM
“There is political risk in not doing anything about net migration, but also in damaging local economies,” says @jesslister.bsky.social. “International students can feel like low hanging fruit, but the economic consequences of that could be a lot deeper.” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/student...
Reposted by Jess Lister
Impossible to improve on this piece on what the UK should, and shouldn't do, on international students by @timleunig.bsky.social:
International university students
Let’s not shoot ourselves in the foot again.
timleunig.substack.com
May 6, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Impossible to improve on this piece on what the UK should, and shouldn't do, on international students by @timleunig.bsky.social:
New analysis from Public First in the Observer this weekend ahead of another round of rows between DfE and Home Office about international students. International education is the single largest export industry in 26 constituencies, and top three in 102....
The Observer understands that the immigration white paper is scheduled for w/c 12th May - and the local election results have ratcheted up the pressure on DfE over foreign students
observer.co.uk/news/politic...
observer.co.uk/news/politic...
Labour plots immigration blitz after Reform success at polls
No 10 and Home Office expected to ramp up curbs on foreign university students
observer.co.uk
May 5, 2025 at 11:15 AM
New analysis from Public First in the Observer this weekend ahead of another round of rows between DfE and Home Office about international students. International education is the single largest export industry in 26 constituencies, and top three in 102....
Reposted by Jess Lister
Some really cool new polling insights into geographical and Ofsted-rating discrepancies in teachers' expectations of school leavers. Read all about it and more in our new 'WP state of the nation' piece with the UPP Foundation: upp-foundation.org/wp-content/u...
April 3, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Some really cool new polling insights into geographical and Ofsted-rating discrepancies in teachers' expectations of school leavers. Read all about it and more in our new 'WP state of the nation' piece with the UPP Foundation: upp-foundation.org/wp-content/u...
New polling from us puts universities at the bottom of the education priority list ahead of the spending review
February 17, 2025 at 1:02 PM
New polling from us puts universities at the bottom of the education priority list ahead of the spending review
Over the summer we talked a lot about how the system (particularly the OfS and to a lesser extent the DfE) didn't have capacity to deal with multiple provider failures occurring simultaneously...
🙅The Office for Students has closed its register and put degree awarding power applications on ice as it deals with 'severe' financial problems among higher education providers
feweek.co.uk/ofs-closes-h...
feweek.co.uk/ofs-closes-h...
OfS closes HE register and puts new degree powers on ice
Regulator shuts register and closes applications for degree awarding powers until August 2025 to focus on financial struggles of existing providers
feweek.co.uk
December 3, 2024 at 9:43 AM
Over the summer we talked a lot about how the system (particularly the OfS and to a lesser extent the DfE) didn't have capacity to deal with multiple provider failures occurring simultaneously...