UK higher education students

Numbers drop 11 per cent compared with this time last year as stricter UK government immigration policies take effect

Entry rate for 18-year-olds dips slightly and proportion heading to first-choice university also down on A-level results day

Arrival of generative artificial intelligence and aggressive recruitment tactics by UK universities show why post-qualifications admissions must finally be implemented, says Gianina Harvey-Brewin

University says anyone not in work or further study 12 months after graduation will be given temporary employment

Universities disputing government decision to suspend access to loans claim other institutions with similar cohorts not treated in the same way

Minor infractions being labelled as a breach of standards, potentially harming future careers

New tool allows prospective students to compare transport, food and accommodation costs in more than 100 cities and towns across the UK

Balance in applications that existed before £9,000 fees has ‘completely disappeared’, according to new analysis

Students more positive about teaching and free speech but some institutions still perform poorly on course management

Fixing student accommodation key to tackling raft of other student issues, argues Hepi report

Regional access disparities ‘challenge the assumption that low participation is inevitable’

Scramble to secure next year’s accommodation could ease as landlords look to take advantage of new rules

Nearly nine in 10 UK undergraduate applicants expect to work during studies, with many relying on earnings to get by

DfE reportedly considering introducing minimum entry standard, potentially blocking tens of thousands of applicants from accessing student finance

StudySmarter warned over job listings set up to capture contact information

Amid concern over graduate outcomes and the declining value of a degree, one UK higher education provider that boasts a practically perfect employability record is setting its sights on official recognition – and disproving those who might question whether its students need to be at university at all

School-leavers across the UK to be offered two-dose vaccination from July onwards

Steep rise in UK students’ happiness with programmes despite job cuts, fee rises and negativity over student loans

Proposed regulatory conditions are ‘too broad’, lack clear guidance and will increase burden on institutions, say sector groups

Fifth of job hunters report applying for more than 100 roles amid continued questioning of the value of a degree

Undergraduates’ opinions broadly in line with wider population on topics including artificial intelligence, capital punishment and Israel-Gaza war

Risk that universities will only be accessible to wealthier students owing to sky-high accommodation costs, report warns

Funding and affordability significant barriers for UK students hoping to progress to postgraduate study, says report

‘Perfectly good’ institutions ‘may fail’ without curbs on recruitment being reintroduced, report argues, ahead of expected dip in youth population

Survey of current and prospective loan holders finds ‘massive frustration’, with system putting off future students

Submissions to UK parliamentary inquiry also stress need for new mechanisms to ensure higher earners pay more

Proposed changes could allow students to complain as soon as they accept an offer, but they will have less time to raise a grievance

Drop in campus attendance a key trend identified in student experience over period that spanned fee rises, marketisation and pandemic

Uncertainty remains on whether students would be locked out of classrooms mid-semester if a university folded, education committee warns

Students on languages, medicine and veterinary sciences courses also report far higher incidents of harassment than sector average

Concerns that UK universities not preparing students adequately as annual survey shows big rise in performance-related issues among recent hires

George Bass’ droll dispatches on life as a university security guard have led to his first book. He discusses his unlikely route into the literary world and the growing pastoral role of campus staff

Students not receiving the service they expect amid high fees and mounting cost of living pressures, sector ombudsman warns

London-based institutions failing to respond to risks outlined by regulator and setting fewer access-related targets, report finds

Group demands university leaders rule out compulsory redundancies and course closures following new cost-saving plans

Students changing career plans amid fears jobs are being lost despite little evidence that entry-level roles are disappearing

Survey of 5,500 new undergraduates finds that many expect more structured study and struggle with self-direction

Organisation to resume role as national agency for study abroad programme after Capita handed oversight of Turing Scheme

Universities told to offer better support to entrants with few or no qualifications following debate over whether these students should be able to access loans

Financial challenges and lack of work experience identified as key barriers for graduates hoping to progress to further study or employment

Union urges Canterbury Christ Church University to promise staff won’t face any disciplinary action if they stay away from campus as more cases confirmed

Canterbury Christ Church confirms one of its students also affected as academics describe ‘shock’ at dealing with major outbreak

House of Lords debates new report that found fifth of students reluctant to share house with Jewish person

University works with authorities to contain deadly disease, with 11 young people taken to hospital and others being told to get antibiotics

Trials at UK universities sent automatic email prompts to those identified as at-risk by learning analytics data

Scorned for their employability metrics and students’ experimental outputs, Britain’s art schools should be seen as seedbeds of innovation that can help graduates thrive as white-collar jobs are replaced by AI, says J. Harry Whalley

University to continue admitting students and replace leadership after financial and quality concerns threatened survival of veterinary degrees

Major survey finds overall satisfaction levels rising despite pressures but concerns around financial difficulties, research culture and feedback remain

UCL settlement opens door to more ‘risk-averse’ institutions having to pay up over disrupted pandemic-era teaching, say lawyers

New book released as UCL celebrates 200th anniversary recounts changing student culture over past two centuries, questioning idea of a ‘golden age’ of higher education

Increased scrutiny of higher education and disillusionment over graduate benefits mean universities must consider new ways of judging student outcomes, event hears

Rapid growth in number of students studying AI courses reflects its cultural prominence but experts warn content could lack rigour and quickly become outdated

Sharp rise in grievances may reflect financial pressures on universities and ‘heightened expectations’ of procedural fairness, says ombudsman

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

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

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

Vast majority of parents in England having to support children at university, finds poll, with some sending more than £1,000 a month

Inclusion worker challenges institutions whose scholarship programmes are not open to all after missing out on place on master’s

‘No change’ in widening participation policy, says Trinity Hall, after plans to target students from Eton and Winchester leak