Share agent ‘bad actor’ data with universities, Home Office told New rules to make it easier to identify recruiters who push ‘fake’ students, but compliance experts fear government will not disclose who can and can’t be trusted

New requirements for universities to record recruitment agent details on student records raise questions about how data will be used, as Home Office allegedly refuses to commit to sharing details of “bad actors” with sector www.timeshighereducation.com/news/share-a... via @helenpacker.bsky.social

OfS free speech complaints scheme to start in September Long-delayed grievance process will allow scholars who feel free speech rights have been impinged by universities to seek redress

Higher education free speech complaints scheme to come into force in September www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ofs-fre... via @twilliamsthe.bsky.social

Professor targets record for running marathon in academic dress Oxford scholar aims to complete London Marathon in under three and a half hours – if he can keep the mortar board on his head

@ox.ac.uk pro vice-chancellor @alexanderbetts.bsky.social aiming to set world record for fastest marathon completed in full academic dress www.timeshighereducation.com/news/profess...

After winning a huge legal claim against a Harvard University cancer centre, Eugenie Reich tells @jgro-the.bsky.social about the impact of the case, how universities ‘stonewall’ fraud allegations and why she quit journalism to help whistleblowers in science #research #fraud
https://ow.ly/rYoy50YKuN2

Reinstate weekend maintenance loans for now at least, say v-cs Universities UK calls for funding to be restored until solution to row is found, as 13,000-signature petition presented to Department for Education

Reinstate maintenance grants for students on weekend-only courses until solution found, says @universitiesuk.bsky.social www.timeshighereducation.com/news/reinsta...

Asian and African students flock to China for STEM degrees China’s flagship Belt and Road initiative continues to pay off as students from priority regions take up degree programmes, but post-pandemic recovery still ongoing

Asian and African students flock to China for STEM degrees www.timeshighereducation.com/news/asian-a... via @helenpacker.bsky.social

Half of universities fear being sanctioned under new visa rules Home Office clampdown already causing steep drop in UK recruitment numbers, survey of institutions finds

Half of UK universities expect to get at least one non-green score in new visa compliance traffic light system, risking caps on recruitment www.timeshighereducation.com/news/half-un... via @helenpacker.bsky.social

Ulster University to cut 450 jobs as funding reform stuck University claims it had sought to hold off making redundancies but says cuts are now ‘unavoidable’ while a sustainable funding settlement is ‘not forthcoming’

Ulster University to axe 450 jobs, warning failure to reform higher education funding in Northern Ireland means cuts “unavoidable” www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ulster-... via @julietterowsell.bsky.social

Most employers have no plans to replace graduate roles with AI Students changing career plans amid fears jobs are being lost despite little evidence that entry-level roles are disappearing

Students increasingly altering career plans over fears that AI will take jobs, despite little evidence that entry-level roles are currently being impacted, finds @jisc.bsky.social research www.timeshighereducation.com/news/most-em... via @julietterowsell.bsky.social

Reality of university life ‘misaligned with student expectations’ Survey of 5,500 new undergraduates finds that many expect more structured study and struggle with self-direction

When students come to uni they expect structured contact and readily accessible feedback - and quickly have to get used to independent study, blended learning and self-directed engagement, finds @advancehe.bsky.social study www.timeshighereducation.com/news/reality... via @patrickjack.bsky.social

Universities launch legal case against DfE over weekend students Bath Spa, London Metropolitan and Southampton Solent universities among those pursuing action against the government after thousands of students lost access to funding

Nine UK universities going ahead with legal action against government over withdrawal of maintenance funding from students on weekend-only courses www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers... via @helenpacker.bsky.social

‘Painful measures’ to limit resubmissions needed, says ERC head Peer review panels will be overwhelmed unless longer restrictions on reapplying are introduced, according to Maria Leptin

@erc.europa.eu extends resubmission embargo on unsuccessful applicants to alleviate "growing pressure" on grant selection panels www.timeshighereducation.com/news/painful... via @jgro-the.bsky.social

Degree-holders allowed access to extra student finance under LLE Historic tuition fee rates adjusted to current levels, leaving those who have undertaken traditional three-year programme £9,790 to play with

ELQ rule scrapped for England's Lifelong Learning Entitlement, but value of historic qualifications to be adjusted to modern-day equivalents, government confirms www.timeshighereducation.com/news/degree-... via @helenpacker.bsky.social

Late blooming in STEM careers ‘almost never happens’ Early career publishing success is a reliable guide to whether scientists will succeed long term, concludes international study

Late blooming in STEM careers almost never happens, finds @marek-kwiek.bsky.social research www.timeshighereducation.com/news/late-bl... via @jgro-the.bsky.social

British Council to run Erasmus+ as UK and EU formalise deal Organisation to resume role as national agency for study abroad programme after Capita handed oversight of Turing Scheme

British Council chosen to run Erasmus+ student mobility scheme when the UK rejoins next year www.timeshighereducation.com/news/british... via @jgro-the.bsky.social

UK universities ‘foolish’ to bank on overseas student growth Foreign students no longer a magic bullet for cash-strapped universities as visa changes and pricing wars force leaders to reconsider growth strategies

Some UK universities are still betting on international student growth. Is that sensible in the face of a Home Office visa crackdown and growing international volatility? @helenpacker.bsky.social reports www.timeshighereducation.com/news/uk-univ...

Postdoc cuts on hold as under-fire STFC announces extra funding Science and Technology Facilities Council chair Michelle Dougherty confirms ‘top-up’ funding will enable more postdoc recruitment than anticipated

Postdoc cuts on hold as under-fire STFC announces extra funding www.timeshighereducation.com/news/postdoc... via @jgro-the.bsky.social

Birkbeck offers business degrees at first campus in India University of London institution sets up in Bengaluru tech park

Birkbeck opens Indian branch campus, offering three-year full-time degrees www.timeshighereducation.com/news/birkbec... via @seher-education.bsky.social

‘We should have fought for a graduate tax,’ says former v-c After 13 years running Canterbury Christ Church University, Rama Thirunamachandran blames leaders’ ‘self-interest’ and government pressure for current ‘lose-lose’ funding model

“If there isn’t a rethink…universities like mine…whose mission is all about widening access, will simply not be able to carry on in the medium to long term.” V-c warns on damage of marketisation and why sector should have fought harder for graduate tax www.timeshighereducation.com/news/we-shou...

Welsh parties ‘lack plan’ for universities despite pledges Post-election coalition could see parties collaborate on funding review, but reforms may be hard to negotiate with Westminster

Leading Welsh parties’ manifestos fall well short addressing the challenges faced by universities, experts warn www.timeshighereducation.com/news/welsh-p... via @helenpacker.bsky.social

University exiled by Orbán to remain abroad after election defeat New vision for higher education in Hungary needed after defeat of populist leader, says head of Central European University

Central European University rules out returning to Budapest after Viktor Orbán voted out of power www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers... via @seher-education.bsky.social

University merger ‘on the cards’ in Western Australia Cost-benefit analysis ‘broadly supportive’ of amalgamation of up to three Perth universities

Western Australia could follow South Australia in pushing some of its public universities into a merger www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...

Stepped loan repayments mooted as students bear cost of changes Treasury to generate £679 million in surplus from last Plan 2 cohort, analysis shows, with graduates paying thousands more than under original system

Stepped repayment system for English student loans proposed by @nus-uk.bsky.social @hepi-news.bsky.social after @le-education.bsky.social analysis shows Treasury will generate £679m surplus from 2022-23 undergraduates www.timeshighereducation.com/news/stepped... via @helenpacker.bsky.social

Long read: Did Michael Gove’s ‘enough of experts’ rebuke change UK academia? Patrick Jack meets the former education secretary to find out #highered #EduSky
www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/did-michael-goves-...

Demand to study in the UK has fallen by a third in the first quarter of the year, Home Office figures reveal www.timeshighereducation.com/news/study-v... via @patrickjack.bsky.social

Thousands of academics call for July's International Congress of Mathematicians to be relocated from the US, citing Iran war and immigration crackdown which they say threatens international attendees www.timeshighereducation.com/news/thousan... via @seher-education.bsky.social

Will Hungary rip up its authoritarian playbook for universities? With polls predicting defeat for Viktor Orbán in Sunday’s elections there are hopes that controversial governance reforms – copied by Donald Trump and other populist politicians – will be abolished. Yet not all scholars are convinced that reversing a decade of contested legislation criticised for restricting academic freedom would be straightforward, says Seher Asaf

With polls predicting defeat for Viktor Orbán in Sunday’s Hungarian election, there are hopes that controversial university governance reforms will be abolished - but this may not be straightforward. Excellent long read from @seher-education.bsky.social www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/will-h...

UK govt urged by @smfthinktank.bsky.social to create “digital transformation fund” to support universities to update legacy IT systems which may be costing them millions of pounds extra each year www.timeshighereducation.com/news/digital... via @julietterowsell.bsky.social

Caps should be imposed on number of students English universities can enrol and on how much money they make from franchising to help curtail “excessive” risk-taking, says @tom-richmond.com in @hepi-news.bsky.social report www.timeshighereducation.com/news/cap-stu... via @helenpacker.bsky.social

Iran ceasefire brings hope after university attacks ‘normalised’ Escalating conflict in the Middle East has seen institutions increasingly drawn into the fighting, with material and physiological damage leaving long tail

“Perhaps most alarming is the rhetorical shift we are now seeing, with universities being seen as legitimate targets in war. This signals a potential normalisation of their inclusion within the strategic logic of conflict,” says @mchankseliani.bsky.social www.timeshighereducation.com/news/iran-ce...