Leading UK universities going backwards on state school access Durham, Imperial College and St Andrews all had a smaller share of first years from state schools in 2017-18 than Cambridge By Simon Baker 8 February
Lancaster tests appetite for fees in ‘land of the free’ Germany Vice-chancellor predicts ‘very significant’ demand at Leipzig branch campus By Chris Havergal 8 February
London-centric policymaking ‘behind Erasmus+ uncertainty’ Bergen rector says UK's failure to commit to European student mobility overlooks importance of ties between Britain's north and Norway By Jack Grove 8 February
Bid to use AI to predict research reproducibility launched US government funding $7.6 million (£5.9 million) project designed to give policymakers a quick indication of reproducibility By Rachael Pells 8 February
Queensland union members reject ‘Western civilisation’ courses Ramsay Centre proposal ‘crosses red lines’, says union By John Ross 7 February
US postgraduate courses lose foreign students for second year Foreign applications down 4 per cent, enrolments drop 1 per cent in ‘troubling’ sign for graduate schools By Paul Basken 7 February
Applications to UK universities rise slightly after downturn Record rate applying among English 18-year-olds counters demographics but applications to lower-tariff institutions still struggling By Simon Baker 7 February
Chris Skidmore: don’t put a lid on university access English minister says he opposes minimum grade thresholds for university entry and does not believe there is a ‘creeping culture of censorship’ on campus By John Morgan 7 February
Double push to revive international student recruitment in UK Universities lobby enrolment target, while Jo Johnson leads drive for return of post-study work visas By John Morgan 7 February
The week in higher education – 7 February 2019 The good, the bad and the offbeat: the academy through the lens of the world’s media By THE reporters 7 February
Facebook-funded AI ethics institute faces independence questions New £5.7 million institute at the Technical University of Munich triggers ‘ethics washing’ debate By David Matthews 7 February
Academic family trees: valuable insights or vanity project? Researchers who trace links between academic supervisors and students claim that it can help to shed light on the nature of mentoring By Robert Hart 7 February
Teaching intelligence: how to improve science students’ writing Teachers must guide science students in how to ‘tell a story’ in their reports, write Anna Sajina and Sergei Sazhin By Anna Sajina 7 February
Professor suspended for using N-word in class discussion The case of Phillip Adamo, an academic at Augsburg University, provokes debate about the taboos of discussing literature By Colleen Flaherty for Inside Higher Ed 7 February
Leading Venezuelan universities ‘on the verge of closure’ A mass exodus of talent prompted by political and humanitarian crisis leaves universities without staff or students left to teach By Rachael Pells 6 February
MIT opts to keep Saudi partnerships after post-Khashoggi review MIT expresses ‘deep sense of revulsion’ over Khashoggi killing but won’t override faculty choice of partners By Paul Basken 6 February
Academic workload models: a tool to exploit staff and cut costs? Survey reveals many staff in UK universities are sceptical about the value of workload models By Jack Grove 6 February
Oxford under fire over Zimbabwe finance minister’s professorship Academics call on university to denounce Mthuli Ncube after violent repression of protests By Anna McKie 6 February
Foreign academics ‘less likely’ to speak up for academic freedom Scholar warns that rising numbers of international university staff in Singapore could ‘make the academy more conservative’ By Ellie Bothwell 6 February
Chicago president feels the chill as immigration curbs bite Automatic green cards for international PhD graduates at US universities could restore America’s ‘competitive advantage’, says Robert Zimmer By Jack Grove 6 February
What will the Duchess of Sussex mean for global higher education? Academics assess the impact Meghan Markle may have in her new role as patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities By Ellie Bothwell 6 February
Australian universities trial ‘respectful relationships’ training Four institutions to pilot online module next year By John Ross 5 February
Australian international education revenues up 15 per cent But flagging Chinese applications could dampen future growth By John Ross 5 February
Universities urged to rule out submitting redundant staff to REF Birkbeck is first institution to say it does not want to take credit for work of academics who left on bad terms By Rachael Pells 5 February
Victoria Bateman: does getting naked help stop Brexit? Cambridge economist uses nudity to make the case against the UK leaving the European Union and for ‘my body, my choice’ By Matthew Reisz 5 February
US universities fall in behind China security warnings Researchers participating in China’s Thousand Talents initiative – aimed at luring scientists back home – urged to quit By Paul Basken 5 February
Cambridge receives £100 million donation for PhDs and access Gift from the David and Claudia Harding Foundation is the biggest single donation made to a UK university by a British philanthropist By Ellie Bothwell 5 February
ANU head attacks 'terrible' admissions system Brian Schmidt says system of last-minute offers persists because it is ‘easy’ for universities By David Matthews 4 February
Mixed fortunes for UK universities in latest recruitment round Ucas figures for UK and EU students suggest that some higher tariff universities have seen dents in intakes this year By Simon Baker 4 February
US officials retreat from ‘provocative’ higher education reforms In what may be a tactical pullback, Trump administration reduces reach of wide-reaching bid to empower for-profit sector By Paul Basken 4 February
Black female academics in UK ‘face pervasive bullying’ Unsupportive senior staff and ‘unjust’ promotion practices are major problems reported by black female professors, says equity researcher By Jack Grove 4 February
Australian funders urged to join Plan S open access drive Research agencies tight-lipped about global initiative, but are talking behind the scenes By John Ross 3 February
‘Macron network’ bid to cement civic ties ‘no matter what Brexit brings’ Ljubljana-led, Warwick-founded alliance aims to ensure even spread of development across EU regions and maintain UK collaboration By John Morgan 3 February
Venezuelan universities ‘approaching point of no return’ Institutions could have an important role in rebuilding the country, but the latest crisis could push them over the edge By Rachael Pells 3 February
US university students see nuance in free speech limits Amid strident debates, undergraduate attitudes reflect expert appeal for case-by-case considerations By Paul Basken 2 February
Finns join journal subscription boycott movement Negotiations with Taylor & Francis collapse over cost as journal outages spread across Europe By David Matthews 1 February
US universities urged to join global quality debate Colleges warned their declines in foreign students could worsen if they do not pay more attention to global quality deliberations By Paul Basken 1 February
Australia’s private providers fume at regulatory delays Independent colleges ‘defined by what they’re not, not what they are’, Teqsa report says By John Ross 31 January
New English minister signals end to ‘needless’ university bashing Striking a different tone from that of his predecessor, Chris Skidmore says value for money is about ‘much more’ than graduate salary figures By John Morgan 31 January
Small town or London universities ‘may be allowed to go under’ Sussex vice-chancellor predicts ‘variable’ approach to regulatory support for vulnerable institutions By John Morgan 31 January
Visual ‘profiles’ backed to avoid misuse of single-point metrics Report from Clarivate Analytics’ Institute for Scientific Information suggests more nuanced ways of analysing research impact By Simon Baker 31 January
Female students in ‘sexy’ clothes seen as less competent Dressing ‘sexy’ can negatively influence perceptions of competence, effort and performance, finds new study By Matthew Reisz 31 January
Failure is healthy, but pressure to succeed makes it costly to mess up The idea of mistakes being intrinsic to success has become an educational mantra – but for many students and academics, messing up is not an option By John Gill 31 January
REF 2021: funders let universities submit redundant staff’s work Funding councils acknowledge that policy U-turn may have 'unintended consequences for individuals' By Rachael Pells 31 January
Call for sector guidelines on academic freedom on social media Universities and scholars told to establish ‘the boundaries of acceptable speech’ as staff report meetings with managers over online activities By Ellie Bothwell 31 January
The week in higher education – 31 January 2019 The good, the bad and the offbeat: the academy through the lens of the world’s media By THE reporters 31 January
William Lamont, 1934-2018 Tributes paid to historian who transformed our understanding of early modern England By Matthew Reisz 31 January
Robert-Jan Smits: in search of the ‘big flip’ to open access The architect of Plan S tells of his next move to become a university leader in Eindhoven and discusses the art of not taking life too seriously By Rachael Pells 31 January
One in three unconditional offers made by just seven universities Ucas data show that, at three institutions, three-quarters of all offers made to applicants were unconditional By Simon Baker 31 January
Neighbour’s long shadow casts Hong Kong in sharp relief While China’s intensification puts regional rivals in the shade, it casts a spotlight on progress in the special administrative region By John Ross 31 January
Precious cargo: archaeologist buys plane seat for Neanderthal Christopher Hunt shared row with precious remains after granting of ‘passport’ By Rachael Pells 31 January
UK working on ‘domestic alternatives’ to EU research funding Plan needed as UK and EU ‘may not get back into detail’ on association until November, warns science minister Chris Skidmore By John Morgan 30 January
Melbourne publishing shake-up ‘a return to core business’ Accusations of interference as Melbourne University Publishing focuses on scholarly works By John Ross 30 January
Russell Group head warns of ‘real damage’ from tuition fee cut Tim Bradshaw says capping fees in England at £6,500 would cost member institutions £860 million annually By Rachael Pells 30 January
Two-thirds of students think TEF based on Ofsted-style inspection Only one in 50 respondents to DfE survey correctly state that ratings are not based on class observations By Anna McKie 30 January
CVs and interviews axed as universities ‘de-bias’ recruitment Recruiter and ex-Sussex chair Simon Fanshawe aims to tackle biases around gender, ethnicity and university background By John Morgan 30 January
Wearable brain monitor promises to aid distracted students Star Trek-style headset combines electroencephalography sensors with a video camera By Rachael Pells 30 January
Academic optimism evaporates as Zimbabwe implodes Economic difficulties behind protests likely to have a significant impact on universities, say academics By Anna McKie 30 January
Applicant ‘told to take DNA test in hope of minority ancestry’ Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University defends lawsuit launched by Princeton graduate its medical school rejected By Scott Jaschik for Inside Higher Ed 30 January