University funding and finances

Short-term academic work becoming ever bigger problem in Canada as teaching seen as ‘variable cost’ amid changing enrolments and budgetary shocks

Headline enrolment growth masks weaknesses in educational exchange and country’s standing as a TNE player

Increase in PhD stipends, efforts to estimate true cost of research and reforms to key grant schemes included in long-awaited recommendations from review panel

Treasury reaps the rewards from high contribution rates which appear to be pushing disadvantaged students away from university, analysis finds

University increases size of payout and extends deadline as it insists more staff will take up offer to move pensions after union describes scheme as ‘abject failure’

‘We know best’ mindset perpetuates Indigenous Australians’ isolation from higher education and wealth, report argues

Business leaders might scoff but they benefit most from an educated populace, according to former opposition leader turned vice-chancellor

Teaching staff at post-92 institution to be employed by subsidiary firm and lose right to access expensive pensions scheme

With supercomputing and other AI-related spending prioritised, Research England has told institutions to focus on maintaining existing facilities instead of building new ones

Mega-donation from Ben Delo highlights growing interest from tech moguls in alternative science funding structures

Students offered chance to transfer to university after sudden announcement that College of Osteopaths is shutting

Minister outlines vision of value over volume, amid debate over imperatives to ‘make a buck’

Quid pro quo recognition of prior learning seen as a ‘game-changing opportunity’ for Australian students and universities

Although Trump has rolled back some of Biden’s programmes, his replacement is still more progressive than England’s Plan 2 system, says Graeme Atherton

Universities encouraged to develop new sites in flagship Northern Metropolis development, backed by increased government funding

FOI reveals that dozens of English providers applied for an extension from the Office for Students this year

Fees and integrity checks designed for long-stay students risk decimating sector and depriving universities of future enrolments

Outgoing president of ambitious Japanese institution discusses building research capacity, dealing with staff discontent and moving on from reliance on public funding

Incoming government could take sector in different direction, scholars say, depending on which party handed power over key ministry

Scottish higher education minister commits to taking group’s recommendations seriously as work gets under way on new sustainability framework

Calls for regulator to act on subject review findings and better align education provision with nation’s needs, as six of its eight universities face deficits

New measures only offer temporary relief as state resources fail to keep pace with rising student numbers and increased costs, say leaders

Lincoln Bishop forms ‘strategic alliance’ with mega education group after finding its level of cash was not enough to cover low points during the year

In election year, Scotland’s higher education minister says fees policy non-negotiable, as newly formed review group looks for new models to heal nation’s ailing sector

Staff at Strathclyde and Durham vote to walk out in disputes over job losses and workloads, while Northumbria to be hit with disruption in row over pensions

Former first minister advocates for progressive taxes as way of funding higher education as debates ramp up over who should pay for university

Greenwich to change name to London and South East University Group before Kent joins as new ‘superuniversity’ takes shape

Fresh models of university outposts emerging in regions without access to higher education as financial crisis sees shuttering of traditional campuses

Finance minister outlines real-terms funding increase and new ‘university township’ model, but scholars remain sceptical

For-sale city-centre site not worth as much as thought, says university, after accounts reveal scale of financial challenge

The downturn in overseas student numbers shows the folly of relying on a small number of volatile markets, say George Pavlakos and Estelle Zinsstag

Most low-performing English students will not repay loans, argues campaigner, who says more needs to be done to educate people about system

Financially troubled institutions pushed further into the red, with Aberdeen, Robert Gordon and Sheffield Hallam also losing money

Rule changes seen as way of improving safety while avoiding billions of dollars being wasted on ‘unnecessary compliance costs’

Sheffield, Lancaster and Surrey confirm they are walking away from proposed three-year deal with world’s largest academic publisher

Regional Australian university joins nine others in establishing South Asian outpost, promising revenue will support New South Wales heartland

Scholars criticise ‘crude’ exercise as Middle Eastern country tops list of donors after US institutions forced to disclose foreign funds

Analyst predicts end to enrolment uncertainty despite pressure on South Asia, onshore demand and postgraduate programmes

Buyers remain keen on UK higher education despite financial turmoil – but bringing in private equity can create challenges for educators

Sharp increases in outlay in recent years along with changes to the English system put pressure on Wales to ensure student loans ‘remain sustainable’, says report

Institutions reliant on cross-subsidy model need to learn how to adapt to policy changes more quickly, says Universities UK chief

University claims staff are in breach of contract for failing to reorganise lectures lost during recent industrial action

Union leader says Southend campus closure will ‘take the heart out of the town’

Fee freezes bring down spend per student, as overall funding for education in England reaches historic lows

Some of president’s most audacious cuts have been scaled back or suspended but a year of turmoil is beginning to show in institutions’ bottom lines

Institutions forced to take matters into their own hands as high employer contributions ‘increase likelihood of university closure’

Analysis suggests much of the sector remains mired in financial difficulty with total losses increasing, but rise in income brings hope

MP calls for institution to take steps to restore trust as concerns mount over how it has been run

Analysis of UK sector accounts shows number of job losses well above predictions, with experts warning cuts are not over yet

University’s plan to cut more than 100 academic roles puts its reputation for inclusive education at risk, fears UCU

SNP announces ‘real terms’ funding uplift pre-election but universities say extra money not enough to combat financial challenges

Prospect of additional support being announced in last budget before polling day as review into higher education funding gets under way

Three-year degrees, international student levy, graduate contributions and role of colleges should all be considered by politicians if universities are to survive, says report

Many of the business schools that prop up universities, in both China and the West, are bankrolled by Chinese families’ ambition. But amid economic slowdown and a growing recognition of the limits of Western practices, the return on investment is now being questioned, as three academics explain

The number of UK universities reporting financial shortfalls for the past academic year continues to climb as some pay out millions in redundancy costs

Universities’ increasing reliance on visa applicants from within the country has so far failed to dent profitability

Incoming president pledges to slash government spending but remains quiet on other higher education issues

Some institutions have lost money after the government failed to cover scholarship costs, forcing them to decide whether to waive fees or lock students out

Increases to staff-student ratios could send university into a ‘death spiral’, says union leader as vice-chancellor insists institution must act now

Scottish National Party minister says financial challenges go ‘beyond party political boundaries’ as official talks set to begin