I’ve written before about student record systems, noting that every institution buys, installs, develops and maintains its own system at significant cost, not just financial but also in terms of people and time – these things can be extremely difficult and take years. Not only is this extremely inefficient when viewed at a sector level it introduces a huge amount of complexity for the agency required to collect analyse and then present the data.

Back in 2025 a report was published on the difficulties experienced in the significantly behind schedule Data Futures programme. Data Futures was fundamentally concerned with streamlining the collection of data from institutions in a way which met the requirements of regulators and would allow more frequent reporting on core student information (see this earlier post on some student records thoughts).

The Jisc Data Futures report has some broad but telling observations in relation to student records systems:

Broadly, the sector’s student records systems, including those provided by the main student record system providers, are aging tools built on legacy technologies and data architecture, with extensive personalisations within individual institutions. This makes the sector less adaptable to change in this space, with substantial changes being costly, resource intensive and carrying a higher likelihood of error. Materially reducing the administrative burden associated with data collection and reporting, rather than relying extensively on individuals with specialist skills and knowledge, requires institutions and student record systems providers to make substantial investments, and senior leaders within institutions should ensure that institutions have the data capability and tools required.

But even if institutions decide to invest in the skilled staff and wider resources required (and many have done so) if the student record system providers are not fully committed to meeting the requirements in terms of data collection and reporting it will make life an awful lot harder.

A different way forward

No-one wants to be where we are at the moment with this. But leaving aside the big issues around changing specification and requirements, poor governance and inconsistencies in institutional preparedness it does seem to me that there is a fundamental change which would make things easier in future and prevent the kind of problems thrown up as part of Data Futures.

I remain convinced that we should select and deploy, over time, a national student record system in every higher education institution in the UK. The impact of this would be transformative and bring huge benefits to institutions and all the people who work in them as well as streamlining regulatory and reporting requirements such as Data Futures. Implementation would not be wholly straightforward but would be no more complicated or challenging than the status quo over the next decade – and significantly cheaper.

I first started thinking along these lines as an exercise to come up with an innovative idea which would enable me to enter an AHUA essay competition a few years ago and, whilst I was initially pretty sceptical about the arguments in favour, which I have heard before, and being very familiar with the cherished autonomy of UK universities, I nevertheless came to the view that there was something in this.

A big win?

There is only a handful of providers of student record systems and one dominant provider in the UK. By establishing a national student record system, the government would take huge amounts of cost out of the higher education system and remove significant pain from HEIs and their staff. This really would be a big win given where we are now. Now of course it may well be that there is now an easier way to achieve the same ends in terms of sector wide system consistency. That would be great but whatever the technological advances which might enable this the principles in terms of securing a consistent sector-wide approach  are the same. And, as the Data Futures challenges show, we are a long way from that right now.

And should anyone suggest that this is just not possible there is at least one country which has proved that this really can work. The strong example of the success of such a model is the Swedish higher education system where there is a national student record system, known as Ladok which has been adopted by all Swedish universities. If a similar system operated in the UK it would remove a huge amount of pain and cost from HEI operations.

Speaking at the 2026 AHUA Spring Conference at the University of Exeter, Heidi Fraser-Krauss, Chief Executive of Jisc, expressed a degree of frustration at the simplistic idea – apparently regularly shared with her – that Jisc could develop such a national record system. I would not see this as the role of Jisc. Rather they should be the ones who are specifying the requirements on behalf of the sector and ensuring effective procurement and delivery.

Finally

Finally, you can find a slightly edited version of the essay I wrote for the AHUA competition as published by HEPI . You can see Part One and Part Two here:

Setting the Record Straight: the Case for a National Student Administration Management System – PART ONE

Setting the Record Straight: the advantages and costs of a National Student Administration Management System – PART TWO

I remain, even after further musings, very much of the view that this is something the sector should consider. The long run benefits, at a time of major financial challenge, would be more than worth it.