The value of higher education: rapid evidence review and initial data analysis

A belief in the value of higher education for disadvantaged students underpins the mission of the Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO) to close equality gaps in higher education. To better understand the various benefits of higher education, TASO commissioned State of Life and Mime to conduct research to understand the individual and societal impacts of disadvantaged young people graduating from higher education courses. This research involved: (1) an initial rapid evidence review to expose the gaps in the existing literature; (2) analysis of publicly available UK Households Survey data to fill some of those gaps; and (3) a proposal for further research to be carried out, through an application to the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset.

This review identified key gaps in the existing literature. There is little evidence on how outcomes for disadvantaged graduates vary according to the specific education pathway pursued. Additionally, there is a lack of evidence surrounding the role that additional factors play in causing the disparities observed in outcomes between disadvantaged and other graduates, for example, on how disadvantaged graduates' prior attainment, ethnicity and home region affect how they benefit from higher education. Finally, there is a general lack of high-quality, UK-specific evidence on the value of higher education for disadvantaged students in terms of 'softer' outcomes, such as wellbeing and attitudes, in comparison to the evidence available on economic outcomes.

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