News

...but some question the focus and quality in plans to add more than 800,000 places, writes Paul Jump

Employees of students' unions are to see their final-salary pension scheme closed in a move affecting about 1,000 staff at 69 universities across the UK.

Universities told to vaunt uniqueness instead of relying on identikit cliches. David Matthews writes

Bath Spa's new vice-chancellor plans to expand through internationalisation. Simon Baker reports

London Met plans to slash its estate to save money and raise cash from what's left. John Morgan writes

University quality is facing a double-edged threat, former standards chief warns. Jack Grove reports

Rural institutions may lose out if urban peers opt for market solutions. David Matthews reports

This glass and steel cross, which now stands at the heart of the University of Chester's main campus on Parkgate Road, was originally created as an anguished response to the political climate of the 1980s.

Interdisciplinary alliances, job-seekers and patriots fuel growth in US scholarship, reports Jon Marcus

A private US university that offers dual-accredited degrees in London has been placed on probation by a degree-awarding body.

Growth in overseas postgrads far outstrips that of home students, says Hefce. Simon Baker reports

The new president of Universities UK will call on ministers to slow down their higher education reforms if the changes produce too many problems.

A pledge to give students more help choosing a university is hitting a block, writes Simon Baker

Call for structural changes to help the EC meet its ambitious recruitment goals. Jack Grove reports

The final methodology for the 2011-12 World University Rankings has been unveiled by Times Higher Education, ahead of the publication of the tables on Thursday, 6 October 2011.

Universities' reputations could suffer if undergraduates perceive that the institutions are leaving teaching to "an insufficiently trained, inappropriately paid and poorly motivated workforce of teaching assistants", according to a new study.

Research that suggests university enrolment could fall by at least 5 per cent due to higher tuition fees has been seized upon by the National Union of Students as a “stark warning” that the government should re-examine its funding reforms.

Physics and engineering academics are having to teach students who are unprepared for their courses because of “a gap in knowledge” on maths, the Institute of Physics has warned.

The UK’s only for-profit provider with degree-awarding powers has undercut almost all English universities with its tuition fees for 2012-13 by planning to charge undergraduates between £12,000 and £15,000 for a complete course.

The University of Edinburgh has announced it will charge undergraduates from England, Wales and Northern Ireland up to £36,000 for a degree.

By Kevin Kiley, for Inside Higher Ed

The final methodology for the 2011-12 World University Rankings is today unveiled by Times Higher Education, ahead of the publication of the tables on Thursday 6 October 2011.

Attempts by universities to seek out and respond to student feedback are often inadequate or poorly executed, a new study suggests.

Academics should step aside to allow school teachers to become the country’s new “intellectual guardians”, the head of Britain’s teacher training body has said.

King’s College London has re-opened its chemistry department eight years after concluding that it was unsustainable.

Graduates who left university in 2007 are more likely to be unemployed than those who graduated earlier in the decade, new figures reveal.

Changes to the university funding regime will bring an “abrupt halt” to improvements in the number of young people in care who go on to university, an education expert has warned.

HEA doesn't need subject centres, advocates argue, but critics disagree. Jack Grove reports

The council's latest grant application figures raise questions about its future. Paul Jump reports

Renewed warnings have been voiced about the impact of funding changes on science and engineering departments amid fears that some will become loss-makers.

Proposed vows are said to be status anxiety-driven and inimical to free thought. Jack Grove reports

Proposed cuts threaten university's place among elite, pro v-c claims. David Matthews reports

Vice-chancellors agree on need to downsize from existing 10 institutions, writes David Matthews

Head says low fees and vocational courses will serve the students others ignore. David Matthews reports

Synthetic organic chemists and mathematicians appeal to Cameron over cuts. Paul Jump writes

The number of researchers employed on fixed-term contracts is declining - but the average length of the contracts is also getting shorter.

The unflagging quality and innovation evident in universities across the UK shows the sector's resolute commitment to excellence in the face of a difficult and unpredictable climate. Our shortlist for the 2011 Times Higher Education Awards showcases the sector's standouts. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London on Thursday 24 November. For full details, including information on how to book tickets, visit: http://bit.ly/kOszX8

How to get lost in the crowd: Matthew Reisz hears about the downsides of the supersized academy

Scholars say 'gold' model will cost research elites dear while others hitch a ride. Andy Wright reports

Matthew Reisz follows the trail of a fictional scholar’s deadly solution to negative criticism

Geographers look at queer lavatories, GPS, urban food production and humour, writes Matthew Reisz

Universities in Somalia's capital are surviving against the odds, as David Matthews reports

Universities will reap commercial and academic benefits by tapping into the skills of older people on lifelong learning courses, an academic has argued.

A major survey of online marketing to prospective international students has found that a “one size fits all” approach is unlikely to succeed, and that, for universities, a web presence is not a substitute for face to face interaction.

By Serena Golden, for Inside Higher Ed

The vice-chancellor of the University of Northampton has been accused of “dismissing” the work of administrative and support staff after redundancy plans were announced.

Most pupils planning to attend university from 2012 onwards are reconsidering their options due to the increase in tuition fees, according to a new poll.

The University of Aberdeen has become the first Scottish university to announce its tuition fees for undergraduates from the rest of the UK from 2012-13, charging £9,000.

Imperial College London has announced it is reviewing the award of a PhD to a former student after it emerged that the paper that formed the basis of his thesis is to be retracted.

Less than a third of British adults think a university education is worth £9,000 a year, while 59 per cent think two-year degrees are a good money-saving solution, according to an opinion poll.