News

House of Lords report advises Europe to ‘prioritise other activities’. Jack Grove writes

Subject heads to quiz Rylance over signs support for postgraduates will fall 27%. Paul Jump writes

Developing countries wanting to improve their universities should emulate the success of Pakistan in retaining top academics by paying them hefty salaries, according to the country's former science minister.

Female academic leaders tend to get stuck in bureaucratic middle management roles rather than reaching top university posts, a study has found.

This stained-glass triptych of saints, including St Agnes and St Hilda, has been restored to its original splendour in the former chapel of what is now the University of Chichester.

Build bridges closer to home to stop best minds going West, conference is told. Jack Grove reports

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced investment worth £100 million for universities in a bid to boost private-sector investment in research.

Almost one-quarter of students in the UK receive less lecture time than they thought they would get before they started university, a new report has revealed.

Removing international students from official immigration figures would reduce government statistics to “nonsense”, the head of a migration pressure group has claimed.

King’s College London has received the largest donation from an individual in its history - a £20 million gift for its School of Law.

The University of Warwick and Queen Mary, University of London, could share lecturers as part of a new programme of research and outreach collaboration.

Arab uprisings push US students from Egypt to Lebanon

Students at Cardiff Metropolitan University have voted against plans to merge the institution with the University of Wales, Newport and the University of Glamorgan.

The need for further “university-led research” to track the contribution of design to UK businesses and the economy came up for debate at a forum organised by the Design Council last week.

A group of scientists involved in public discussions about nuclear power have written an open letter to David Willetts protesting about the European commissioner for energy’s “bizarre” talk of an apocalypse in relation to last year’s Fukushima disaster.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is to step down at the end of the year to become the head of a University of Cambridge college, it has been announced.

A government scheme to reward top state-school pupils with a visit to a Russell Group university has been branded “tokenism” by a university mission group.

UUK 'positive' about Regent's membership, but critics demand proper scrutiny. John Morgan writes

Classroom-based activities may be a rarity in the university of tomorrow. Jack Grove reports

Presidential hopefuls' attitudes to sector range from indifference to hostility. Jon Marcus reports

The judges for this year's Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards have been announced, as the deadline for entries draws closer.

Working-class students are less likely to study physics or mathematics than other subjects at university, research has found.

Sussex unit to investigate ways to keep politicians honest. Matthew Reisz reports

Inside a Hackney sixth form, a mini Oxford gives pupils an appetite and an aspiration for higher study. Joseph Lee writes

The Chinese government's budget for basic research is set to increase by more than a quarter this year.

Hefce-backed teaching programme failed to raise standards significantly. Jack Grove writes

Quartet abandon 1994 Group for new home among elite body. John Morgan reports

The London College of Communication has suffered a 28 per cent drop in undergraduate applications for 2012-13 - greater than almost every university in England.

Asia and Europe up the pace as Harvard tops THE World Reputation Rankings. Jack Grove reports

Rise in CAM-do spirit foreseen as Birmingham and Nottingham mark anniversary. John Morgan writes

This "flying machine" is suspended from the ceiling of the Athena Building in Teesside University, where it forms part of a suite of 26 pieces called Dream Migration.

Economic crisis leaves French politicians tight-lipped on universities budget. Clea Caulcutt writes

Paul Golby pledges a more conciliatory approach to 'shaping capability' agenda, reports Paul Jump

Students on accelerated two-year degrees often performed better than those on traditional three-year degrees, a report has said.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is to invest a record amount of money into its doctoral training grants in 2012-13.

Researchers are being “strongly encouraged” by state-sponsored funding bodies to consider whether their bids could be strengthened by collaborating with other groups and institutions.

Students are taking part in a national walkout at campuses across the UK today as part of a “week of action” calling on the government and universities to “come clean” on their plans for higher education.

Overseas student numbers are set to rise by 10 per cent over the next decade, a British Council study has said.

The universities of Durham, Exeter, York and Queen Mary, University of London, have joined the Russell Group, it has been announced.

By Paul Fain, for Inside Higher Ed

Measures of the financial health of universities are the “best on record” but the sector faces “a large degree of uncertainty” in future, according to England’s funding council.

Only a quarter of parents believe the primary purpose of university is to broaden children’s minds, according to a new survey.

A PhD student at the University of St Andrews has discovered a letter pleading with the institution to allow women to study medicine and written by one of the pioneers of the fight to allow female access to higher education.

The former head of energy firm E.ON UK will become chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council after his appointment was approved by MPs.

Tuition fees and education contracts took over from funding body grants as the most important income source for UK universities in the most recent full academic year, according to the latest statistics.

The maximum tuition fees that can be charged by universities in England are to be frozen at £9,000 for the 2013-14 academic year, the government has announced.

University reputation is the most important factor for academics deciding whether to take jobs in another country - although the small size of European houses is also a consideration for US scholars.

European funder puts faith in 'the cunning of reason'. Paul Jump reports from Brussels

The British Council's Jo Beall tells John Morgan how it can smooth the path to 'transnational education'

Supermarkets' consumer-led strategies proposed as a 'model for institutions'. Jack Grove reports

The fifth biennial Sodexo-Times Higher Education University Lifestyle Survey is the last to quiz students under the lower tuition fees regime - and it reveals some telling views on the changing nature of the sector. Worries about debt have fallen as the current cohort realise what a comparatively good deal they have, yet it is clear that the dire state of the economy is affecting lifestyle choices. However some things - such as the paltry time spent in the library - never change. Jack Grove reports