BLOG
News round-up: Restrictions on student loans could result in some universities losing a third of their intake
There is controversy over leaked plans to end loans to students with three Ds or less, and one university is shutting students out of campus libraries for failing to pay rent Oxford places ban on donations and research grants from Huawei The Guardian, 18/01/2018,...
read moreNews round-up: A university credit crunch is looming
A drop in EU student numbers, a huge increase in borrowing by universities and another overseas campus closes. The financial omens for the sector are not looking good Universities raise alarm over no-deal Brexit and EU student enrolment The Guardian, 04/01/2019,...
read moreNews round-up: Another £12bn added to the deficit as ONS changes the way student loans are recorded
Student loans will now be reclassified as public spending – and the Office for Students issues universities with a warning about grade inflation Philosophers urge Hull to think again over course cuts Times Higher Education, 21/12/2018, Matthew Reisz Leading...
read moreOut with the old, in with the new: Chris Skidmore replaces Sam Gyimah as universities minister
This week, a new universities minister takes the helm – and despite a gradual rise in students from disadvantaged backgrounds attending university, the top public schools still dominate Oxbridge entry Eton and Westminster among eight schools dominating Oxbridge The...
read moreWhat are metrics good for?
Last week, the CDBU's Professor Dorothy Bishop gave a terrific lecture looking at what metrics can offer in evaluating universities - and where they fail. If you were unlucky to miss it, here's your chance to listen to the lecture....
read moreNews round-up: Tuition fees don’t all go on tuition – shock
A new study finds that the larger part of tuition fees is spent on support, admin and buildings rather than tuition – and the two-year degree makes one of its periodic reappearances Scrap REF and allocate QR funding by headcount, says professor Times Higher...
read moreWhat will the great Brexit brain drain mean for the UK’s universities?
Guest post: The uncertainty over the status of EU nationals following Brexit could lead to many EU academics leaving the UK. The result will be a less culturally rich landscape in our universities, argues Ashlie Rowan, a political correspondent at the Immigration...
read moreSaving adult education: how staff and students came to the rescue of a lifelong learning college
When the Vaughan Centre for Lifelong Learning at the University of Leicester was threatened with closure, a campaign was launched to re-open it as a community-owned college. Founder member Dr Miriam Gill looks forward to a brighter future for adult education in the...
read moreUniversities are not like banks: why Sir Michael Barber is wrong
Sir Michael Barber, head of the Office for Students, has said that the regulator will not come to the aid of failing universities. It’s a policy that could have disastrous consequences for students, argues Professor DVM Bishop In a much-publicised speech on November...
read moreNews round-up: The university regulator won’t ‘bail out’ failing universities
As it emerges that some universities are near bankruptcy, there has been a heated debate about whether the government should – or would – allow them to fail Stormzy: Oxford University turned down my scholarship offer The Guardian, 08/11/2018, Sarah Marsh and Dan...
read more 