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News round-up: University applications from 18-year olds have reached a record high, despite the demographic dip
As more 18-year olds are applying to university and more gain places through clearing, Labour wants to move to a system of applying to university after A-level results Knowledge exchange framework review before funding link Times Higher Education, 23/08/2019, Chris...
read moreNews round-up: House of Lords warns of the impact of tuition fee cuts
Augar’s recommendation of cuts to tuition fees could be devastating unless government makes up the shortfall, says a House of Lords committee – and the OfS could begin fining universities if they carry on making unconditional offers Tuition fees cut could be...
read moreWho regulates the regulator? The Office for Students misses its deadline
The Higher Education Funding Council for England did an excellent job of maintaining a register of providers. So why is the Office for Students struggling, asks Professor G.R.Evans The Office for Students (OfS), fully in operation from 1 August after its first-year...
read moreNews round-up: A review of the admissions system is under way – could this mean the introduction of post-A-level applications?
University admissions, drop-out rates and grade inflation are all in the news – and a vice-chancellor is sacked for gross misconduct Swansea University sack vice chancellor and dean of management school for gross misconduct Wales Online, 26/7/2019, Sion Barry...
read moreNews round-up: Two in five school leavers in England apply for university places this year
In England, record numbers of school leavers apply to university – and a record proportion of students are awarded first-class degrees England university applications hit record numbers BBC, 11/07/2019, Anon Record numbers of 18-year-olds in England have applied for...
read moreNews round-up: Casual academics are doing huge amounts of unpaid work
Academic staff on casual contracts do twice the amount of work they are paid for, and a member of the House of Lords hopes to outlaw essay mills Scientists quit Nobel-winning project over authorship dispute Times Higher Education, 05/07/2019, David Matthews A...
read moreReview: A New Vision for Further and Higher Education, edited by Sol Gamsu and Richard Hall
Patrick Ainley, formerly professor of training and education at the University of Greenwich, welcomes an essay collection aiming to rethink the purpose of tertiary level learning but thinks that it does not go far enough The Centre for Labour and Social Studies...
read moreUKRI and OfS: happy marriage or uneasy alliance?
The roles of the previous higher education regulator, Hefce, have been split between two new bodies: UKRI and OfS. The two organisations were meant to collaborate – but how’s it working out in practice? Professor GR Evans investigates Higher Education and Research...
read moreNews round-up: Reading halves the workforce at its Malaysia campus, and a benefactor showers money on lucky Oxford
The University of Reading is the latest to find that overseas campuses aren’t as lucrative as hoped, while Oxford has been blessed with a gift of £150m to create a new centre for the humanities Reading halves Malaysia campus workforce after £27 million loss Times...
read moreNews round-up: New report doesn’t augur well for average-earning graduates
This week there’s only one news story that counts: the publication of the Augar report and its impact on graduate and university finances Skidmore warns against over-reliance on graduate earnings data Times Higher Education, 07/06/2019, Chris Havergal England’s...
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