Admissions

As government takes interventionist stance, education experts call for deeper measures on social and institutional inequality

Ream of new reports suggest capping of places is continuing to take a toll, but justify policy focus on graduate employment

A single test per state could help tackle India’s costly and complex admissions system, says Sanjay Mishra

There are huge direct and indirect benefits in removing loan restrictions which make it impossible for many prisoners to study for degrees, argues Hepi

Defendants see new charges as bid to intimidate them into admitting guilt

A post-qualification admissions system will pose logistical challenges, but they must be overcome, says Michelle Morgan

State school students are more prominent at undergraduate level, but what about postgraduate, ask Claire Hann and Danny Dorling

New report warns presentation of discounts as ‘scholarships’ is driving ‘race to the bottom’

Cho Kuk and his wife, both professors, are accused of giving their children unfair advantage in a deeply competitive education system

The volatility of current affairs means that the old certainties about how to identify receptive markets are gone, says Anna Esaki-Smith

Ivy League icon praised for defending race-based admissions, but faulted for actual record

Court ruling is likely headed to Supreme Court, which may reconsider past approvals

Hesa data show how Labour’s 7 per cent proposal would potentially shake up the sector

History suggests that universities will lure students with the chance to repay fees via post-graduation work, says Peter Brady

As latest headline figures are released, concerns are raised over groups still failing to gain access to HE

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

Switch to students applying after receiving their results still faces sector resistance despite government and opposition signalling support

Algorithms may simply lead to ‘self-fulfilling prophecies’ and do not give reasons for their decisions, Oxford researcher warns

Frédérique Vidal discusses reform project launched in wake of president’s plan to abolish École Nationale d’Administration

In move that leaves other institutions wary, Northeastern pushing new students to foreign posts

Fighting what it sees as anticompetitive practices, Trump administration may harm universities and low-income students

Proposed new law not as tough as some feared – but critics argue focus on Dutch ignores benefits of studying in English

Contrition helps actress who paid to get answers changed on her daughter's SAT

Gavin Williamson also calls for restrictions on unconditional offers more widely, potentially via grade threshold or numbers cap

Thirty universities subject to ‘enhanced monitoring’ on admissions by English regulator

Wealthier institutions urged to take lead on improving minority representation

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

Palestinian applicant says he has not commented on politics himself

Revised College Board tool to provide multiple data points on students’ socioeconomic status

Every below-average neighbourhood should be defined as socioeconomically disadvantaged, conference hears

Sociologists demonstrate that brothers and sisters influence the courses students pick

Number of students taking subjects at A level drops after introduction of reformed GCSEs

Working-class graduates half as likely to move to Oxford, Cambridge or elite London institutions

While insults fly on social media, student references can be excessively bland. Is society served by either?

Schools used to be more honest about the pupils they were putting forward to universities, and not all applicants were predictably ‘passionate’ about their subjects. We would do well to recreate some of that spirit, says Lincoln Allison

Ongoing efforts to iron out regional anomalies are creating as many problems as they solve, says Ceren Ergenc

Non-European Union recruitment likely to widen resources gap between elite and rest of sector

New figures suggest steep rises in university participation rate in several Middle-Eastern countries, say Justin D. Martin and Fouad Hassan

Reduction driven by shrinking of school-leaver population

Social mobility charity says 11- to 16-year-olds in England and Wales may be increasingly aware of apprenticeship options

Abolishing predicted grades system would help poorer students, says Angela Rayner

UK admissions processes haven’t changed for decades but a new system will demand flexibility for the shifting policy landscape and fluctuating demographics, says Chris Husbands 

Universities, already facing upheaval on several other fronts, fear imminent plans could make it far harder to recruit students

Manoeuvre seen as ethically flawed but also as a sign of the country’s growing student debt crisis

Students’ talents wear many guises, depending on the person, the field and the judge. But instilling ethics is also crucial, says Howard Gardner

Thirty-eight per cent of 18-year-old applicants received at least one offer with an unconditional component in 2019, Ucas data show

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

Survey affirms need for boosting human-based concerns in admissions and curricula

But overall students are split on the policy of making lower grade offers to applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds

Scholars question whether move against autonomous private schools will go far enough in equalising university admissions

Law dean calls Amy Wax’s views ‘repugnant’ but does not answer demands for her removal

UUK announces review of university admissions, after similar review ordered by the Westminster government.

New vice-chancellor of federal university to focus on boosting international programmes and ‘selling London brand’ post-Brexit  

The coach, Peter Brand, had accepted high home purchase price from applicant’s father

Daughter of academic immigrants has plenty of history on higher education policies

Supplementing SAT scores with an ‘environmental context dashboard’ will not overcome the influence of non-academic factors, says Jessica Welburn Paige

Means-tested fees discounts would remove the rationale for fruitless widening participation efforts, argues Norman Gowar

Universities’ income, collaborations and reputation will all suffer if the country doesn’t re-engage with expertise before it is too late, says Gavin Esler

The country’s increasingly similar universities also need to be forced to specialise, argues government advisory body

The qualification is a valuable tool to recruit students to at-risk programmes that meet projected skills gaps, says the QAA’s Julie Mizon