AI could ‘help democratise access to science careers’ Technology can be used to offer vital research experience and create inclusive curricula, according to physicist Jess Wade By Emily Dixon 22 October
Southampton Solent pensions row ‘sets concerning precedent’ Union claims that professional service staff have been told to move on to subsidiary firm with less generous pension scheme, or face losing their job By Juliette Rowsell 22 October
Merging universities doesn’t increase applications, study finds Research into impact of Norwegian reforms that saw several institutions join together indicates changes had little impact on perceptions of quality By Emily Dixon 22 October
Fee increase won’t cover ‘radical’ ambition of skills plans ‘More interventionist, more activist’ stance from government will result in deep changes to the sector, but vice-chancellors say key details missing By Patrick Jack 22 October
Administration regime ‘could make university closure more likely’ Formalising process around market exit would make it impossible for institution to come back from the brink, fears UUK chief By Juliette Rowsell 21 October
Skills White Paper: Is extra oversight a fair price for sector stability? Questions will be asked about the Office for Students’ fitness to take on extra powers over quality, agents and franchising, says Diana Beech By Diana Beech 21 October
Skills White Paper: Clarity and coherence or confusion and complexity? To understand the government’s approach to education, we must await more announcements. Let’s hope they go further, says Nick Hillman By Nick Hillman 21 October
Iranian student loses PhD place after ‘arbitrary security checks’ Researcher says course at Sorbonne did not require clearance, but university decided to conduct screening anyway By Emily Dixon 21 October
Tighter recruitment rules ‘tool to lower student asylum numbers’ Course completion rate restrictions seen as way to tackle issue as peers mull whether new law is needed to stop student claimants By Helen Packer 21 October
Skills White Paper: key reforms at a glance Government commits to raising tuition fees and maintenance loans, with universities expected to deliver higher-quality teaching and more specialised research in return By Juliette Rowsell 20 October
Skills White Paper: Labour commits to automatic tuition fee rises Bridget Phillipson says fees to rise with inflation for next two academic years with automatic annual increases then set to be introduced By Patrick Jack 20 October
Government to back student limits for ‘low-quality’ universities Higher education institutions could be penalised if they offer courses deemed subpar as universities await Labour’s reform plans By Helen Packer 20 October