Brexit and Higher Education - An Analysis of Post Brexit Futures for the British HE Sector

In this dissertation, I set out to examine the effect of Brexit on key areas within the higher education (HE) sector and the key stakeholders within it. In order to do this I first identify three major areas of university activity, by drawing from works by Kerr (2001) and Collini (2012); the transfer of knowledge, the generation of new knowledge, and, social & cultural enrichment. I subsequently employ a bespoke methodology, drawing upon techniques laid down in the field of Scenario Planning by Fox (2018), Raspin et al. (2007), Schwartz (1998) and Wade (2012), to identify the areas of most importance within the three main areas of university activity and knit the resulting information together via a single narrative. This methodology is then subsequently re-deployed in each chapter to identify both the major stakeholders in each area of activity and the principal driving forces behind them. With these elements identified I then begin an exploration of the impact Brexit could have, basing my analysis on 'signposts' - real-world occurrences and trends that help to outline possible future directions for key driving factors. The result is an insight into the possible futures Brexit could help to usher in for the HE sector and the choices ahead for universities, the sector as a whole and government.