New report calls for stronger student voice in higher education

The report, based on survey findings from the What Matters to Students Project, argues that institutions need to move beyond simply creating opportunities for students to give feedback, and instead demonstrate what has changed as a result, while tackling the barriers that can prevent some students from taking part.

The research, led by Dr James Robson and Dr Elizabeth Rahman at the University of Oxford, surveyed 26 staff working in Access and Participation and 74 students across 13 UK institutions. It revealed significant variation in how student voice is implemented, both between and within institutions, suggesting that approaches are often shaped by local teams, departments and individual practices rather than operating as a coherent institutional system.

One key finding was that students were more likely to engage when they could clearly see how their feedback had influenced decisions or changes in practice. Where outcomes were unclear, engagement could instead be perceived as tokenistic or ineffective.

The research also raised questions about who is able to participate. Despite institutions using a growing range of engagement methods, students identified barriers including time, financial pressures, confidence and a lack of trust that their contributions would lead to change. The findings suggest that simply creating more opportunities for participation may not address deeper inequalities in whose voices are heard and whose contributions influence institutional decision-making.

Co-investigator Dr Elizabeth Rahman said: “This project was about student voices, and its real innovation was methodological: co-analysing the evidence together with students and policymakers. That’s a genuinely different, more direct and dialogic way of working across stakeholders.

“Through deep engagement with the sector, and a great deal of co-creation along the way, we learned a lot about how other institutions use student voices, how they approach access and participation, and how they engage students and use evidence.

“Our ambition now is bigger than any single report: to help build a higher education sector where student voices don’t just inform evaluation but genuinely shape it, from the very start.”

The project brought together students, policymakers and higher education professionals, working closely with the Office for Students, TASO, the Evaluation Collective and five universities.

Resources

• Read the full survey report.
• The student voice case studies, which accompany the report, explore how five UK universities are transforming student engagement from feedback to genuine partnership. It offers practical insights for higher education leaders seeking to make student voice meaningful, inclusive, and impactful.