World news

But local experts lament that recommendations in the US-produced document may be easier said than done   

Universities must put as much effort into equality and diversity strategies as they do into other areas, say leading academics

While Australia’s fee and subsidy reshuffle favours job-growth areas, student and institutional recalcitrance may blunt its impact

Government’s proposals are contradictory and will torpedo its jobs agenda, humanities lobby warns

With student choice relied on to free up money for more university places, critics question the strategy and potential impacts

Discounted courses ‘are what the country needs’, but the numbers don’t stack up for universities

Winners and losers in minister’s proposal, with vocational degrees set to cost less as humanities fees explode

Staff go despite salary trade-offs, as pandemic lays waste to institutional bottom lines

‘Cherry-picked’ OECD data creates unjustified picture of underfunded sector, analyst says

Landmark US agreement is hailed as ‘significant milestone’ in shift to open access publishing in North America

Figures show that some universities continued accelerating east Asian recruitment despite warnings

Caltech suspends requirement for two years while University of Washington commits to long-term shift in entry criteria

Some of the country’s most prestigious universities may return to in-person exams following newspaper report

Taboo-breaking Parcoursup reforms in 2018 are seen to have reduced failure rates, but there are fears Parisian universities will now hoover up the best students nationwide 

Despite a government loan scheme, unions say students have no choice but to drop out in order to claim unemployment benefit

Internal border controls could stymie pilot entry proposals, Australian PM warns

Critic to remain on Australian university’s senate, as institution promises review of governance processes

Suspended campaigner says he is seeking A$3.5m damages in case sparked by controversy over university’s China ties

Staff at some institutions agree to pay cuts to minimise redundancies, but only under union-sanctioned accord

Collaboration between the UK and China – and beyond – is needed more than ever to fight a pandemic in a politicised world

Ministry of Education’s advice follows spike in ‘discriminatory incidents’ during pandemic

Universities pledge that women will not be disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 wrecking ball

Australian university directs academics to spend up to 80 per cent of their time teaching, despite relatively healthy financial position

Remote delivery seen as a continuing necessity as long as students are stranded overseas

Failure to improve predictions compounds concerns over effectiveness, accuracy and racial bias

Tests are back in some regions but not others, as international education braces for a staggered start

More than a third of the public now believe scientists are hiding information – confusion over masks and broadsides from a ‘populist’ microbiologist are blamed

NSW offer will help ‘bridge the gap’ between Canberra’s lifeline and universities’ needs

Public backlash to an admission of cheating reveals underlying tensions in China’s college entrance exam process

‘Personal crisis’ may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for some insecurely employed staff

Media coverage has made it difficult to 'untangle' misconduct allegations from freedom of speech claims, chancellor says

Experts are divided on the fairness of instituting GPA and other requirements for some students but not others

Universities warn research allocation is insufficient to brace against potential future pandemic shocks

Analysis of data on publications also shows emerging field of Covid-19 study ‘remains anchored’ to early Chinese research  

University chiefs laud success of rapid online pivot but say campus-based programmes will not disappear any time soon

A draft national security law raises concerns about academic freedom and a return to student protests

Choice will guide job cuts, institutions pledge, as sector confronts A$16bn black hole

Ousted student rep, a controversial figure, elicits headlines and backflips

More women than men named John are chancellors – but only just

Thinktank says students’ immigration opportunities should also be boosted to protect foreign enrolments

New report weighs in on debate over whether universities put too much emphasis on international students

Using critical comments about a preprint, Bild launched a front-page attack on Christian Drosten. Scientists fear this will chill academic discussion of preliminary results

New Zealand’s universities will have to navigate ‘fear’ in the community as they consider how to bring foreign students back

Prospective overseas students are worried about travel restrictions, scholarship complications and finances, Dutch survey shows

Some universities lack the reserves to shoulder this year’s losses, let alone a half-decade slump

Despite greater focus on students’ learning outcomes, in Europe institutions are still largely assessed on the basis of ‘input’ measures, such as staff-to-student ratios, rather than trickier ‘output‘ measures

Questions raised about the responses of universities in marketised systems as they focus savings efforts on non-permanent staff

German universities report no redundancies, while Dutch staff enjoy a pay rise. Some think the pandemic has vindicated Europe’s low-fee model

New figures ‘understate’ entry bans’ chilling impact on international revenue

Redundancies ‘a last resort’ as uniquely financed Australian university confronts A$225m black hole

National vote called off, with vice-chancellors saying pact is too short-term while union blames ‘fear of scrutiny’

While training reform takes centre stage in post-pandemic ‘JobMaker’, government puts no extra money on the table

Without face-to-face interaction, new students could struggle to make friends and adapt to university study, leading to dropouts later, institutions fear

Job security guarantees would tie management’s hands while offering only short-term cost relief, v-cs say

As after the 2008 financial crisis, Swedes have responded to the coronavirus-induced downturn by making plans to return to university

National move to reconciliation tests boundaries of academic freedom, say some observers

Support and opposition on both sides could make job-saving pact a close-run thing

Women’s careers suffer as they pick up the pieces at work and home

Activists campaign for less reliance on international education income, as government flags a ‘supervised’ reopening of borders

While institutional accounts indicate that the average university boss could have pocketed seven-digit earnings last year, 2020 will be a different story