Student services

Universities are inherently political spaces, but the current explosion in violent protest must come to an end, says Brian Wong

Schools in Vietnam need to recruit careers advisers – but their advice should be aimed primarily at parents, says Matthew Edward

Constant checks on their presence and bureaucratic curbs on their movement leave international students feeling like security threats, says Alexander Mack

If a Canadian programme’s success rates are replicated in the US, it must be adopted, says John Banzhaf

Universities should offer a safety net for recent graduates forced into menial work by financial circumstances, says Roy Celaire

One in 12 students now pays to go private in Germany, attracted by ‘niche’ courses, smaller classes and flexible learning schedules

Encouraging Chinese students to access non-Chinese media sources can ease fears of systematic bias, says Tao Zhang

Free of Communist-era secretiveness, the new president might be willing to tackle abuses of power on campus, says Ararat Osipian

International students want to know that they are studying in a country that can set them up for a successful career, says Seema Kennedy

Recent clashes over Hong Kong and Tiananmen Square have strained universities’ diplomatic sinews, says Roger Smyth

With no good data, continental European universities cannot monitor if widening access policies are working

International education is not just about personal transformation – it also delivers better core academic outcomes, says Kent Anderson

Continuous retraining is widely seen as the answer to the coming job losses caused by automation and artificial intelligence. But are universities the best places to provide it? And are their courses, structures and funding systems optimised to do so? Anna McKie reports

Students want above all to develop ties with the people and places they interact with, say Liam Keenan and Maddy Thompson

More must be done to understand and help students who register for courses but then fade into the ether, says Bret Stephenson

German universities need to collect better data and rethink selection system to improve integration, analysis finds

Students from poorer regions who enter their local workforce after graduation should also be celebrated, says Sir David Bell

Facilitated meetings can encourage early admissions of guilt from perpetrators and provide recognition of victims’ experiences, says Clare McGlynn

Newly arrived undergraduates are typically too immature to be trusted with the conduct of their own lives, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto 

England’s new Disabled Students Commission will help eliminate the institutional missteps that can still blight disabled students’ experiences, says Chris Skidmore

Tributes paid to a pioneer of applying computer power to university administration

Western ‘settler’ nations such as Canada and Australia are wrestling with how to redress historical injustices visited on their native populations. One proposal is for universities to embrace Indigenous knowledge. But what does that mean in practice? Will it achieve its aims? And where does it leave science? Matthew Reisz considers the arguments

The unaffordability of two rents severely restricts the study options of care leavers and estranged students, says Roy Celaire 

Efforts to accrue more overseas fees could be vetoed by the Home Office and will do little to make UK students more culturally savvy, warns Peter Brady 

A small but engaged audience for his reminiscences convinced John Brinnamoor that the future is in safe hands

Analysis of nine European universities finds the ‘innovation’ agenda has taken root – often pushed by students who want to solve the world’s problems

US universities must think harder about how to make the poorer students they admit feel like full community members, says Anthony Abraham Jack

The paradoxical resurgence of prudishness could get even Gregory Peck into hot water, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto

Institutions that pride themselves on inclusivity should be doing all they can to defend student sex workers’ rights and safety, says Adi MacArtney

A ban on political advocacy and remedial action for possession of ‘radical concepts’ could undermine the special administrative region’s universities, says Michael O’Sullivan

A landmark analysis of several government data sets will help policymakers make more effective interventions, says Roger Smyth

Restricting access to university property is a sorry symptom of commercialisation that is making students poorer, laments Les Back

Western universities must do much more to meet high-fee-paying Chinese students’ expectations, say Lena Langosch and Wilfred Dolfsma

For most young Australians, a bachelor’s degree remains a wise investment, says Andrew Norton

Training staff and students in ‘mental health first aid’ can help ameliorate the growing crisis, say Clemente Diaz and Douglas Medina

Education can and should be central to good living. That insight is key to tackling the student mental health crisis, says Beth Guilding

As a senior lecturer in special needs education, David Bara says having first-hand experience of this world makes his lecturing and research invaluable to the field 

Using tropes already common in the US and the UK, the Alternative for Germany has accused institutions of being in thrall to the far left

New furore over a steep rise in unconditional offers and concerns over student mental health underlines why reform of the UK’s unique admissions system is long overdue, says Julie Kelly

Extra pressure created by the need to take on part-time jobs after study grants were axed, medics warn

The UK's new right-to-study rules are another manifestation of its ‘hostile environment’ for immigrants, say Katie Bales and Bridget Anderson 

UK students may be less likely to commit suicide than the general population, but rates are rising. A properly informed and funded response is vital, says Sarah Niblock 

Many students are struggling with stress-related health problems after switch to postgraduate programmes, research suggests

Institutions accused of only ‘wanting to be about Shakespeare’ in wake of proposal to merge US Education and Labor departments

Life prospects for children who have been through the care system are dire, but with better support, higher education could be their salvation, says Patricia Walker 

Historian says Trump could attract educated young people if he promised to tackle their debts, while rector tells summit Czech universities remain ‘strongholds of critical discourse’

Magdeburg university head reveals scale of threats he received after controversy over right-wing AfD speakers

Universities should emulate the private sector in a positive way by eliminating costly duplication, says a worker in professional services

Too many poorer students across Europe are unable to maximise their learning owing to inadequate financial support, argues Simon Marginson

A newcomer in the Oxford-Cambridge innovation corridor will reshape our understanding of what higher education is for, says Lynette Ryals

Leaving academia can be a wrench, but it can also open up new opportunities to enjoy your discipline, says Greta Perel

New Zealand is reaping many benefits from reducing the cost of a PhD for international students a decade ago, says Brett Berquist

Ahead of University Mental Health Day on 1 March, Robin Brinkworth argues that institutions must become far more open and accountable on how they are handling student problems

Despite fears that a new generation of graduates will find themselves serving coffee, Germany’s university leavers have fitted successfully into the economy, analysis finds

Sheffield Hallam University's vice-chancellor Chris Husbands explains why cutting tuition fees would harm social mobility and why variable fees are also a bad idea

The concept of the graduate career is breaking down as university leavers spread across the employment spectrum, says Gerbrand Tholen

Books offer an experience, evidence trail and egalitarianism that could never be digitised, say Al Martinich and Tom Palaima

But sophisticated New Zealand analysis also belies assumption that highly educated international students are most likely to find local employment, says Roger Smyth

Barring controversial speakers has a long heritage and the Office for Students should be very wary of cracking down on it, argues Evan Smith

Presidential elections are looming, but government pressure on universities should ensure that students pose no threat to the ruling regime, says Ararat Osipian