University funding and finances

Data from seven years’ worth of Horizon 2020 grants shows you ‘don't need to tell researchers what to do’, ERC president says

Efficient and effective short-cycle higher education programmes could provide students with better outcomes and supply the region with a skilled workforce, says María Marta Ferreyra

Pakistan, Nepal, Kenya, Ghana and three Indian states named as sources of ‘emerging integrity issues’

While contentious reforms were ‘a first for the OECD’, conference hears, they have reinforced a move away from taxpayer funding

But new Australian education minister silent on sector’s calls for more spending on teaching and research

Manchester vice-president urges funders to address ‘low’ stipends but warns change in employment status would mean fewer studentships

Regulator warns on dependency on Chinese students and potential impact of cost-of-living crisis, despite overall positive picture

Vote on whether to accept constitution that would overturn decades of private-led education said to be on a knife-edge

While policy incentivises retention, approved leaves of absence are counted as attrition

The vice-chancellor of Edge Hill University discusses centralising spending, climbing up the rankings and leading the institution for almost 30 years

Starmer also expected to consider ‘fudge’ manifesto pledge to review university funding, with party set to drop Corbyn-era policy

Winners of internal competitions will not be eligible for research council grants, as power shifts to government

Analysis of ‘true economic value’ of sector says staff are essentially subsidising a broken system

University’s ‘strong’ financial results energise union calls for job security and pay rises

It matters that non-donating alumni are missing out on much of the aftercare value they could be receiving, say Andy Shaindlin and David Williams

Relatively benign system under strain from soaring inflation, fee hikes and reduced repayment thresholds

IFS says continued use of out-of-date inflation predictions to set living cost loans makes ‘no sense at all’

Public Accounts Committee criticises Office for Students and DfE, while warning some institutions are being ‘put at risk’ by reliance on overseas fees

Maximum interest rate capped at 7.3 per cent, down from expected 12 per cent

This year’s positive financial results mask urgent need for historic reform to ease reliance on international students, says Nobelist

Variable data in benchmarking tool suggest inflationary pressures yet to have full impact

Lifelong Learning Commission says proposals to exclude microcredentials from loan entitlement are a mistake

Nation adds new work restrictions for overseas students and avoids any new recovery aid, as education minister sees extended lockdown raising value of its campuses

Private university recorded £17 million deficit in 2019 and a potential £119,000 fine for late filing of accounts, as Crewe campus left problems

Unless Canberra provides stable funding, universities are doomed to boom-bust cycles, unionist warns

Eye-popping results from Australian study warrant complete overhaul of how teaching subsidies are distributed, researchers say

Appointment comes at a good time for a sector in need of an understanding ear in Canberra

Global inflation and its influence on exchange rates has produced a complex mix of enticements and deterrents

Job and course cuts in England bring concern on impact of ministerial pressure, plus warnings that universities are ‘lazily misusing’ cost-of-living crisis

Boost to teaching subsidies will not keep pace with inflation, critics warn

Northumbria’s REF 2021 results emphasise that growing research capability can benefit teaching, business and employment, says Andrew Wathey

Proposed changes risk further eroding support funding for discovery research without achieving their core objectives

Colleges are being squeezed in many of the same ways that American households are

The extent of research‘s cross-subsidisation by overseas student fees is too rarely understood by policymakers and academics alike, says Ruth Arnold

Clearinghouse tally held up as incentive for institutions to encourage returners, while also affirming scale of political dilemma confronting Biden

As Australia’s general election looms, many in university circles may be hoping that Scott Morrison’s coalition is voted out. But is it true that conservative governments and universities are natural antagonists? And how much better would the sector fare under a Labor administration? John Ross reports

Underfunding, compliance costs and buffer targets have left universities with ‘no room to manoeuvre’, says representative group

Extent of staffing overhauls bore little relationship to Covid’s financial carnage, says report

Rival centre’s establishment highlights the problems for thinktanks in universities

Just as campaigns to promote societal benefit show strength, activists admit setbacks in wider battleground for basic academic freedom

Average deficit incurred by English universities for teaching a UK student will more than double to about £4,000 in 2024-25, Russell Group warns

Dutch universities among those fearing multibillion-euro redistribution

As staff reel from an austerity drive, Victoria produces its first A$3 billion institution

Findings raise red flag for Australia’s economically crucial international enrolments

Universities UK backs plans but stresses that they must be easy to understand and avoid bureaucracy for all involved

Generation-high inflation raises particular issues for humanities students and universities confronting a demographic bulge

Institutions in UK, Ireland and Canada much more optimistic about post-pandemic outlook than counterparts in Australia and New Zealand

In hesitancies on student aid and loan forgiveness, Biden and allies may be missing major opinion shift, authors warn

Union wants income-contingent loans scheme gone, while universities want it extended

Using international education proceeds for students’ benefit could galvanise overseas enrolments and defuse community ‘resentment’, study finds

Institution promises overhaul amid calls for firings

Flows not robust enough to alter ‘slight negative outlook’ on institutional finances

War has helped to fan inflation and wither universities’ resources. With scant prospect of let-up, all eyes are watching the horizon for hopeful signs

Compromise between egalitarian and competitive ideals could usher in bigger university groupings and more interdisciplinary evaluation

But insiders say there are votes to be gained in policies to make participation more equitable

V-cs increasingly predict next government will have to look again at sector funding as costs rise and universities face ‘running on fumes’

More ‘operating deficits’ tipped as Australia’s national university reboots activity levels in a Covid-normal world

With emphasis on research commercialisation and limited gains in aid, higher education senses lost opportunity in Liberal-NDP team

After decades operating in a largely low-inflation environment, Western universities are seeing rising energy costs and war in Ukraine push prices up. How exposed is the sector?

Forty-year-old ALRA shut just days after students had paid fees