News

Still unclear whether Scotland will meet fair access goals set for this year, as country prepares to adopt institution-level approach

‘Frustrating’ changes to immigration rules affecting Scotland’s ability to be internationally competitive, says higher education minister

Court documents show Kathleen Stock feared ‘chilling effect’ of university trans policy as she was ‘never assured’ she would not face disciplinary action as a result of contravening it

OfS investigation finds students at provider delivering franchised degrees also told how to avoid detection by plagiarism software

Government faces horse-trading in the Senate, as shadow minister flags outright rejection of bill to establish commission

Former first minister advocates for progressive taxes as way of funding higher education as debates ramp up over who should pay for university

Drop in visa applications reflects the social and economic factors affecting the behaviour of the world’s most globally mobile students, analysts say

Report flags how seven institutions that have achieved a coveted gold rating have black awarding gaps exceeding 25 percentage points

‘Flexibility’ on testing in UK system ‘may worry government’ after review finds large variety of methods used to examine language skills

Cheap research round-ups by ‘hallucination-free’ OpenScholar model preferred by experts, says Nature study

Regulator finds university failed to ‘exercise proper control’ of one of its external assessment centres

Greenwich to change name to London and South East University Group before Kent joins as new ‘superuniversity’ takes shape

Call for government to create new position mirrored on role that already exists in further education, to help steer sector while avoiding excessive regulation

Recommendations from strategic R&D review still unknown, but Australian representative groups want them funded anyway

Having witnessed widespread death and destruction during brutal regime crackdown, students struggling to adjust describe feeling abandoned by their universities

Fresh models of university outposts emerging in regions without access to higher education as financial crisis sees shuttering of traditional campuses

Head of UK’s flagship distance learning institution warns online provision alone doesn’t guarantee equal access to higher education

Ian Chapman tells MPs that some funding streams will be back online ‘in weeks’ amid uncertainty over impact of research changes

Fund underspent even as its value rises, as government curbs payouts and grant success rates head south

Blaming institutional equity demands for the lack of university spin-out success is misguided, says UKRI review

Response to Sullivan Review argues recommendations could hit quality of findings and impinge on academic freedom

Finance minister outlines real-terms funding increase and new ‘university township’ model, but scholars remain sceptical

University argues regulator’s record fine was ‘unfair’, in case being closely watched across the sector

For-sale city-centre site not worth as much as thought, says university, after accounts reveal scale of financial challenge

Poll shows support for eliminating some or all of the money graduates owe the government, as calls grow for reform of the loan system

Queen’s University Belfast to drop name of US senator George Mitchell from its peace centre, and remove bust from campus

Further funding cuts will be announced in coming months after STFC savings and research council funding pauses, warns Ian Chapman 

‘Lack of alternatives’ blamed as majority of researchers admit they rely on journal prestige metrics to make decisions on grants and hiring

Serious lobbying efforts under way, with right-wing party expected to be more sympathetic to elite universities than rest of the sector

President reportedly rethinking offer to universities as he ‘seeks distractions’ from tensions at home and abroad

New polling finds policy intended to foster lifelong learning and reskilling in England still suffering from very low levels of engagement

After filling the map with overseas campuses, central Asian country targets research links and technological innovation

Borderless market for research across the EU seen as ‘major opportunity’ but key groups fear ‘overly restrictive measures’

Temporary block on grant applications by MRC, BBSRC and EPSRC heightens concerns over funding cuts

Former department store transformed into an institution focused on climate, energy, digitalisation and security

Platform previously accused of sending ‘threatening’ tweets shuttered by Elsevier as it ‘searches for new solutions’

New president of Canada’s largest university hails renewed sense of purpose as nation takes leading role on world stage

Multiple calls to extend Atec’s remit, as the cost of arts degrees edges past A$54K

Multi-institution model seen as way of reducing risk of transnational education, but few universities publicly willing to commit so far

Rapid university expansion and rigid career structures leaving universities struggling to recruit, scholars warn

Policies and procedures at all universities to be investigated following ‘systemic’ issues that led to undergraduate wrongly being told he had failed course

Cost-cutting measures impacting student experience, finds OfS polling, with increased class sizes and reduced access to facilities among issues raised

Reduction in funding by Science and Technology Facilities Council would be ‘most drastic’ cut to curiosity-driven science ‘in a generation’ warn scientific leaders

Venture reflects imperatives to boost offshore efforts and engage more with region

Most low-performing English students will not repay loans, argues campaigner, who says more needs to be done to educate people about system

Mandatory edits of research findings a ‘blind spot’ in integrity debate, says scholar who experienced government agency ‘interference’

Scholars criticise lack of progress on restoring repository of 600,000 PhD theses more than two years after it was felled by cyberattack

Calls for more support for people with experience of prison to access higher education as experts warn programmes being hampered by staff shortages

Further walkouts planned as part of internal row that has seen six weeks of disruption in past year alone

Financially troubled institutions pushed further into the red, with Aberdeen, Robert Gordon and Sheffield Hallam also losing money

Resignation follows series of scandals involving academics at the leading institution

Rule changes seen as way of improving safety while avoiding billions of dollars being wasted on ‘unnecessary compliance costs’

Council merely doing preparatory work, institution insists, after politician decries ‘historical revisionism’

Ucas January data show specialist institutions losing out as higher tariffs continue to grow, with proportion of ‘commuter students’ reaching nearly half

Institutions face mounting pressures as prime minister Sanae Takaichi takes country to the polls in search of direct mandate

Exclusions from government funding pots exacerbating a challenging financial climate for creative institutions, which say talent pipeline for Labour’s priority sector at risk of being jeopardised

Controversial political scientist to represent right-wing party in Gorton and Denton by-election, after leaving university post to become GB News presenter

Sheffield, Lancaster and Surrey confirm they are walking away from proposed three-year deal with world’s largest academic publisher

UK universities’ recruitment from India, China and Nigeria falls after policy changes, with student numbers now well below peak of a few years ago

Regional Australian university joins nine others in establishing South Asian outpost, promising revenue will support New South Wales heartland