Questions of diversity between higher education institutions, and the other side of the coin which is convergence between institutions (sameness, homogeneity), are tricky but important. Diversity and its absence are difficult to define and measure. Yet they shape the potential of the student experience, and the limits of innovation in research and teaching. In an era in which student-centred learning has been foregrounded, the question of the range of educational choices should be of central interest to policy makers. The conventional view is that following the deregulation of missions and course mix, now determined by universities themselves, and with the growing role of market mechanisms such as tuition fees and competition, institutions are being rendered ‘naturally’ responsive to students. Diverse student needs will become matched by diversity in provision, so that over time a greater variety of higher education will emerge. As Meek and Wood put it:
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