Renowned trio lose out in Russell Group student recruitment race Shrinking enrolments at Southampton, Manchester and Sheffield suggest English elite are not immune to pressures of marketisation By John Morgan 2 May
Lack of role models ‘key cause’ of ethnic minority attainment gap Report highlights ‘fear and unease’ among some staff and students who were asked to talk openly about race By Ellie Bothwell 2 May
Leadership intelligence: do universities need ‘brave’ leaders? Pressures on sector call for ‘brave leadership’ – which includes showing ‘vulnerability’ and transparency – some experts believe By Nick Mayo 2 May
Final pay offer promises 1.8 per cent minimum rise for UK staff Employers remain at loggerheads with unions over proposed increases ranging from 1.8 per cent to 3.65 per cent By Chris Havergal 1 May
OfS urges English elite to go further on contextual admissions Regulator suggests that most selective universities could admit students with grades BCC at A level without a marked fall in academic standards By Anna McKie 1 May
The missing men: Iceland struggles with campus deficit At the University of Iceland, female students outnumber men by two to one. But among professors, the ratio is the reverse By David Matthews 1 May
Plan S architect reflects on US ‘disappointment’ and global hope Robert-Jan Smits looks back on open access initiative ‘roller coaster’ after swapping European Commission for Eindhoven’s ‘booming’ innovation ‘ecosystem’ By John Morgan 1 May
Jo Johnson: post-study work visa amendment has ‘very good’ chance Architects of amendment to immigration bill urge Prime Minister Theresa May to ‘embrace’ liberalisation of student immigration regime By Nick Mayo 30 April
Cambridge to probe historical links to slave trade Two-year study will help university assess how it may have benefited financially as well as how its scholars contributed to race-based thinking By Nick Mayo 30 April
UK universities focus on fundraising as policy uncertainty grows Institutions in the UK and Ireland raised £1.08 billion in 2017-18, up from £979 million the previous year By Ellie Bothwell 30 April
Lawyers should not be the judges of academic responsibility Publishers’ terror of libel law and focus on their profit margins have made them excessively risk-averse, says Stuart Macdonald By Stuart Macdonald 30 April
English plan to increase EU student fees ‘awful for universities’ Proposal would also withdraw financial support for students from the European Union By Ellie Bothwell 29 April