UK higher education policy

The provision of accommodation, recreation and even welfare services remains a central part of the UK university model even in an era of massification. But as cost pressures eat into both students’ and universities’ budgets, there is a growing sense that something has to give. Patrick Jack reports

No one has come up with a better way of convincing the Treasury to bring back maintenance grants, skills minister tells social mobility event

Cross-party committee calls for higher household income threshold for maximum student support loans as more struggle to afford university

Cost to sector ‘significant’ as reports say chancellor planning to limit tax-free contributions

Labour to encourage people granted asylum to better assimilate and support themselves by introducing pathway to enrol in university

First post-Covid increase in early undergraduate applications among mature students shows adults are rethinking their options in times of economic crisis

Legal restrictions prevented Australian universities from sharing financial documents despite completing merger, former deputy vice-chancellor reveals

Medical training organisations write to health secretary Wes Streeting as call for evidence takes ‘narrow focus’

Universities complaining about over-regulation should stop committing ‘own goals’ with franchising and grade inflation, says new OfS chair who believes Labour reforms can pave way to stronger sector

Wider range of graduate outcomes must be considered over longer time horizon, say panellists at THE event

Regulator indicates it will act when financial pressures impact student choice and ‘supply of critical skills’

Lack of supervisors and ‘uneven’ quality ‘deterring’ students, paper says, arguing that radical overhaul is needed

‘Clever’ linkage to maintenance grants could encourage Scottish policymakers to adopt Westminster proposal, conference hears

Timetable for phasing out testing on animals for antibody research and drug analysis is too demanding and may risk patient safety, argues expert

Birmingham professor to temporarily oversee access and participation at English regulator following departure of John Blake

Focus on traditional subjects at GCSE level has not helped pupils get into top universities, says Becky Francis’ report on school curriculum

Governments leaning on agencies to convert autonomous institutions into ‘strategic national asset’ but face task like ‘herding cats’

The Teaching Excellence Framework’s reliance on existing outcomes and satisfaction data, as proxies for teaching quality, has always invited criticism. But with the OfS now proposing to use it to assess compliance with regulatory conditions, the TEF might have finally found its niche. Juliette Rowsell reports

Welsh government follows England in increasing its fee cap as result of financial pressures faced by institutions

Policymakers should take a broad view of the value of degree courses when building our future workforce, says Charlotte Hallahan

Key part of new legislation unlikely to come to fruition for several years, campaigners fear, creating confusion for those who feel rights have been infringed

Former Open University vice-chancellor fears ‘over-consumption’ of higher education is not addressing country’s challenges

UK told to strengthen and protect its visa offer to international scientists if it wants to achieve ambition of becoming Europe’s leading life sciences economy

Proposal to take cut of international earnings now seen as inevitable after ministers tied idea to reintroduction of maintenance grants

The post-16 White Paper was a missed opportunity to correct a mistake that will stymie government missions in areas like housebuilding, says John Somers

Universities would look to ‘game’ new metric for testing learning gain, critics warn, with external examination defended as ‘best we’ve got’

Splitting up degree programmes into smaller parts could aid lifelong learning but students risk being seen as dropouts under current system

New vice-chancellor at London South Bank discusses FE-HE integration, universities’ reputation problem and what he learnt from years at top of Civil Service

‘More interventionist, more activist’ stance from government will result in deep changes to the sector, but vice-chancellors say key details missing

Formalising process around market exit would make it impossible for institution to come back from the brink, fears UUK chief

Questions will be asked about the Office for Students’ fitness to take on extra powers over quality, agents and franchising, says Diana Beech

To understand the government’s approach to education, we must await more announcements. Let’s hope they go further, says Nick Hillman

Course completion rate restrictions seen as way to tackle issue as peers mull whether new law is needed to stop student claimants

Government commits to raising tuition fees and maintenance loans, with universities expected to deliver higher-quality teaching and more specialised research in return

Bridget Phillipson says fees to rise with inflation for next two academic years with automatic annual increases then set to be introduced

Higher education institutions could be penalised if they offer courses deemed subpar as universities await Labour’s reform plans

Mounting institutional deficits form backdrop to coming Holyrood campaign as nationalist party looks to extend grip on power

Threat to academic freedom from secret recordings of seminars being passed to state governments must be taken seriously, says Office for Students free speech lead

School-leavers incentivised to move away from local area to attend university, despite the benefits that staying put can bring, according to MillionPlus

UUK calls on government to hit pause on fee levy plans amid fears chancellor will progress policy next month

Universities’ manifesto ahead of 2026 Senedd poll also wants independent commission on participation

Regulator says universities should only enter partnerships when they are satisfied that teaching and support standards will be maintained

Loss of EU students made recruitment more commercial and universities more insular, argues new book

Training sessions to be rolled out to educate university staff on identifying harassment and supporting students

UK policymakers urged to replace ‘outdated’ system with nationwide digital programme for logging academic credentials

Attempts to quell universities’ fears about competition laws may actually be heightening anxiety over collaboration in cash-strapped sector

‘Debt trap’ has replaced ‘Mickey Mouse’ courses but Badenoch still kicking universities after being ‘boxed in’ by Labour’s apprenticeship embrace and Reform attacks on elitism

New participation target represents ‘paradigm shift’ in country’s approach to education, but government needs to incentivise FE and HE working together, says report

Education secretary confirms devolved nation will not follow UK government in taking a cut of overseas tuition fee income

Specialist institutions could be subsumed without high-level oversight of sector consolidation, MPs warned

OfS and UKRI seen as particularly vulnerable to meddling from government, with report authors calling for more safeguards to ensure independence

Tory leader to use conference speech to attack ‘debt trap degrees’ and pledge more money for apprenticeships

Russell Group calls for long-term partnerships to be secured amid political uncertainty

Tories should allow top institutions to increase tuition fees and encourage others to get off ‘mediocrity escalator’, says former science minister

Future crises can be averted if government and universities share data and plans in a more timely and transparent fashion, says Doug Specht

Andy Burnham says universities ‘at the heart’ of his plans for growth of Manchester’s economy

Taxpayer and students losing out as a result of failure to tackle ‘low-quality’ higher education, according to Neil O’Brien

With levy-funded maintenance grants and 50 per cent target scrapped again, government’s vision for universities becomes clearer. But while rhetoric appears tough, experts see opportunities as education takes centre stage

Using financial incentives to influence student choice risk undermining Labour’s widening access goals, critics fear

Coming together of 10 research-led universities not a ‘self-serving’ mission group, say vice-chancellors