Important: Confirmed arrival of the Higher Education Track data for the 2023 Track Cycle

We are delighted to announce that we have now received the Higher Education (HE) Track data for the 2023 Track Cycle from Jisc and are in the process of checking and uploading the data to the database. Jisc have worked really hard to send us the data by the end of 2025, which supports us to work towards our estimated timelines as indicated in our last Data Update, so thanks must go to them for this.

The 2023 Higher Education Track Cycle data will include both Student and Ambassador records for all member organisations that were included in the snapshot, following from the initial Ambassador tracking pilot scheme which was undertaken in the 2022 HE Track Cycle release.

To learn more about the educational datasets through which HEAT tracks individuals, please see our Evaluation and Tracking Overview page. More information about the Higher Education Track data can be found on our Analysing Impact page.

Release Timeline

We realise you will all be very keen to get your hands on your data, and please rest assured we are doing all we can to process it as quickly as possible. However, we do need to allow a four-to-six week period to check and upload the data to the database.

Working on this timeline, we are now anticipating that the Higher Education Track data will be available for members to download from the HEAT database by the end of February 2026.

Coming Soon: New Higher Education Track Dashboard Online Course

Following the successful launch of HEAT Essentials, we have also been working hard on expanding our suite of online courses. To support you to make the most out of your Higher Education Track data, we will soon be releasing an online course specifically focussed on the Higher Education Track (HE) Dashboard. As you might know, our HE Track Dashboard has undergone a major review last year, now including much more comparator data as well as lots of new pages to allow you to dive deep into your tracked cohort.

This new online course will take you through everything you need to know to get started using the dashboard, including an introduction to its key elements and how to use them, details on its metric calculations and comparator data, and example impact claims. Make sure to keep an eye out for upcoming announcements regarding its launch.

Changes to Higher Education Track Report Access Permissions

In light of the Higher Education (HE) Track Report now having the option to include Ambassador Higher Education Track Data, we have adjusted permissions accordingly.

The permission to create and download a HE Track Report will now be set as follows:

1. To Create and/or View a Student HE Track Report:

• Create HESA Track Report
• View HESA Track Report
• View Student HESA Data
• Export Students

2. To Create and/or View an Ambassador HE Track Report:

• Create HESA Track Report
• View HESA Track Report
• View Ambassador HESA Data
• Export Ambassadors

The above is being prepared for the LIVE database now and will apply to all Users or Data sharing permissions before the next HE Track release is available. Keep an eye out for updates on our Technical Hotfix page.

Please Note: Each permission cites the word ‘HESA’ but this will be updated to ‘HE Track’ as part of the Summer 2026 Update to the database.

If you have any questions about this update, please contact us via HEAT Support.