THE acquires dataHE
London -- THE (Times Higher Education), the world’s leading provider of higher education data and insights, is delighted to have completed the acquisition of dataHE, the rapidly growing provider of data-led, code-based analysis that supports universities across the UK.
The deal is the latest in a number of high-profile acquisitions by THE, and brings together two of the most innovative and trusted providers of data, tools and strategic support for universities.
It further strengthens THE’s data-science capabilities, with a particular focus on helping universities analyse and optimise their place in the market, and in student recruitment and admissions.
THE has been at the heart of higher education for over 50 years, working with thousands of universities across the world. Its range of products and services touch all aspects of higher education, and include data benchmarking and consultancy for institutions and governments.
Founded in 2017, dataHE’s mission is to help universities use data better, with products that run in a powerful code-based environment, purpose built for higher education. It was established by Mark Corver and Andrew Hargreaves, who both held executive positions within the UK admissions body UCAS prior to setting up the business.
The data-led analysis products developed by dataHE help universities to understand and develop their strategies in a range of core areas, including:
- Size and shape: building models of potential future demand across multiple HE market segments, and analysing the customer’s performance to explore scenarios and responses
- Optimised admissions: putting advanced data analysis into the hands of marketing and recruitment teams, with tools to help achieve their objectives ahead of the competition or test a change of direction
- Competitive strategy: products to review the strengths of a university in comparison to competitor sets, analysing student perceptions and the ‘data brand’ profile to support effective strategies.
In just five years, the team at dataHE have developed a business with a constantly evolving product offering, working with over 60 universities across the UK, as well as adjacent organisations including student accommodation providers and marketing agencies.
Having celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021, THE continues to provide news, insights and thought leadership, collecting data from more than 3,500 institutions, and working with 800 clients across its data, consultancy and hiring services. It is also known for its events for higher education professionals, including the flagship THE World Summit Series, which engaged over 45,000 people globally in 2021.
Owned by Inflexion Private Equity, which acquired the business in February 2019, THE is headquartered in London, with offices in Australia, the US and Singapore.
It has undergone a period of rapid growth, both organic and through acquisition. This year alone THE has acquired three high-profile businesses: the US-based news provider Inside Higher Ed, which gives THE a combined worldwide audience of around 50 million users; BMI, the leading global organiser of international student recruitment events, with a combined reach of around 20 million prospective students; and now dataHE.
These deals follow the earlier acquisition in December 2020 of TKP, a UK-based consultancy business, which also operates the World 100 Reputation Network.
Commenting on the dataHE acquisition, Paul Howarth, CEO of THE, said: “I am thrilled to be working with Mark and Andrew and their exceptional team, and see dataHE’s strength in data-science and its areas of commercial focus as being the perfect complement to THE’s existing offer as a data and insights business. This is just the latest acquisition for THE as we build on strong organic growth by adding the best businesses in higher education to our portfolio. Our collective mission is clear: to support and enable universities across the world to excel, and I have no doubt that dataHE will add significantly to our ability to do that.”
Dr Mark Corver, co-founder of dataHE, said:
“Times Higher Education is unique: 50 years of respected expertise, a truly global presence, with the value that data brings at the heart of what it does. DataHE is dedicated to helping universities use data better, with our purpose-built analysis products making a difference across UK higher education. Taking data-backed decisions is increasingly critical to higher education worldwide, and this is always better with data and analysis working together.
“It's rare to find such a natural match and we are immensely excited to be joining THE. We are looking forward to developing new ways of putting data to work for the benefit of universities and students in the UK and beyond.”
Andrew Hargreaves, co-founder of dataHE said:
“We’re absolutely delighted to be joining the THE family of companies. Together we can strengthen our data led offer to the HE sector. We want to enrich the services we bring to the market, we want to deliver more value to our clients. This new relationship provides a platform for us to be able to do just that. It’s very exciting.”
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Media enquiries:
THE - Times Higher Education: communications@timeshighereducation.com
dataHE: communications@datahe.uk