Europe

Former schools minister who took A levels at the age of 25 before getting Sussex doctorate will shadow science secretary Michelle Donelan

As Smolny’s liberal arts programme shutters, Russian scholars attempt to revive the interdisciplinary style of learning outside the country

Analysis by dataHE shows entry rates fell among all students, but was steepest for the most under-represented

Russell Group study says average top-up of undergraduate education costs could reach £5,000 per student per year by end of decade

University of Limerick president talks about putting in place university-wide structural changes to inspire cross-pollination between disciplines

Litigation over lockdown-affected degrees has highlighted how unfair contracts favouring universities offer scant consumer protection to students, say David Palfreyman and Dennis Farrington

Scholars lament loss of ‘critical’ resource in Nordics at a time when knowledge of Asia is ‘increasingly important’

Anger over ‘double-taxing’ of foreign researchers thanks to £1,000-plus levy is causing scientific talent to explore job opportunities outside the UK, warn scientists

Hepi author warns of ‘dangerous’ pressure to reduce leaders’ salaries in reaction to attention from the media and politicians

Those with passionate convictions must be willing to concede their arguments may be flawed or even wrong if useful debate is to happen on campus, says UCL president Michael Spence

The 2028 exercise’s measurement of the quality of research environments will account for a quarter of overall marks. But what exactly does quality look like? Can it really be measured? And are there political risks in diluting the REF’s focus on outputs? Jack Grove reports

Departmental hierarchies, job precarity and institutions’ need to protect their star professors enables bullies to thrive in Britain’s top universities, says Wyn Evans