News

Four more English universities have unveiled plans to charge the top rate of tuition fees, bringing the number to have opted for the maximum to 32 of the 44 institutions to date that have stated their intentions.

US academics are seeing “historic lows” in their pay and conditions, according to a report published today.

A vice-chancellor has spoken of his “sympathy” for students in England who took to the streets to protest against rises in university tuition fees.

University College Falmouth plans to charge tuition fees of £9,000 in 2012.

Striking lecturers are pledging to bring Liverpool Hope University to a “standstill” today, although managers claim two-thirds will turn up to work as usual.

Lecturers from the University and College Union who help to run the sector’s £30 billion pension fund are being threatened with High Court action – by the fund itself.

Young people from poor backgrounds are more likely to see university study as "a means to an end" than to view it as an intrinsically worthwhile experience, a survey suggests.

Penalties emphasise universities' inability to boost income through expansion. Simon Baker reports

Ministers are looking closely at a proposal for allocating all university places in an auction, with the government judging bids according to which ones offer the best deals for the taxpayer.

Annual return reveals Sally Hunt's 'modest' rise and size of UCU's surplus. John Morgan writes

Council claims it has no deal with government as thousands join campaign. Paul Jump reports

Access and dropout rates improve but elite still face participation hurdles, writes Rebecca Attwood

A plan by funding chiefs to link support for postgraduate research students to a university's research quality is another step towards recreating a "binary" higher education system, a pro vice-chancellor has claimed.

Attack on public sector's collective bargaining rights brings unexpected results, Jon Marcus writes

Quality warning for overseas campuses that fail to export 'institutional culture', writes John Morgan

This male finback whale was first spotted at sea in 1865 by a coastguard, who mistook it for the upturned keel of a wrecked ship.

Scottish higher education is "in crisis", beset by staff disputes over "farcical" management structures that leave universities rife with "cronyism".

Review aims to make examiner system less cosy and more transparent. Rebecca Attwood reports

Tight procedures facing overseas talent may discourage interest in UK. John Morgan reports

Undergraduate claims he was gagged by students' union over contentious article. John Gill writes

Broad reforms will see different missions attract varying levels of funding. Matthew Reisz reports

AoC warning as validating universities withdraw from college partnerships. Hannah Fearn writes

Newcastle academic's research informs swords-and-sandals blockbuster. James Titcomb reports

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition calling for philosophy to be saved at the University of Greenwich.

The University of Greenwich has appointed a new vice-chancellor.

A union official has called on a cross-party group of MPs to investigate whether universities are colluding on tuition fees.

The vice-chancellor of the second post-1992 university to set £9,000 fees has called on the government to “pause” fee rises and new legislation to allow time for a “new Dearing report” into the sector’s future.

The University of Derby has announced that it intends to set variable tuition fees of up to £8,000 from September 2012.

By Scott Jaschik, for Inside Higher Ed

Some pharmacy students are getting less than half as much contact time as their peers at other UK universities, according to new figures.

Lecturers at Liverpool Hope University are to strike next week in a row over job losses.

Just six months after Lord Browne’s landmark review of higher education, and amid growing concern about the cost of the new tuition fee system, the coalition government has radically changed its proposals for university funding.

More funding, hiring bonanza and four-year degrees all part and parcel of reform. John Morgan reports

Treat students like adults and bring back dissent, scholar urges academy. Matthew Reisz writes

Foreign governments are warning their students and academics to avoid the UK in the wake of funding cuts and new visa regulations, universities have been told.

Academics welcome proposal but warn financial constraints may interfere, writes Rebecca Attwood

Students say the Disney College Program teaches skills they can't learn in class. Jon Marcus reports

Discipline has multiple applications and must not be cut, conference hears. Matthew Reisz reports

This striking object, held by the observatory at Uppsala University, could be a fragment of the world's first mechanical calculator.

A new indicator of a university's "international outlook" has been proposed for the 2011-12 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

University governance must be overhauled to address the problem of "dispassionate" independent board members who protect their own interests at times of crisis rather than those of the institutions they serve, according to a new study.

But union welcomes option to rein in universities' institutional autonomy. Hannah Fearn reports

Universities may impose maximum fees to pre-empt expected reductions, writes John Morgan

The Quality Assurance Agency has launched a full investigation into the impact of course closures on students at the London College of Communication.

QAA reforms aim to boost public knowledge and inform applicant choices. Simon Baker reports

American higher education economist advocates full-fee discounts in England. John Morgan reports

New universities in Wales are to bear the brunt of next year's funding cuts as the Welsh funding council protects high-quality research at the expense of teaching.