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Financial fallout from a decision to leave the EU would, in reality, be minimal for higher education institutions, argues Alison Wolf

Hefce uneasy over University of Law deal and process for private applicants. John Morgan reports

Financial models that have stood firm for decades are failing, technological revolution is opening new doors and a growing middle class is creating unprecedented demand. At a time of extraordinary economic and demographic change, Elizabeth Gibney explores five trends that are transforming the face of global higher education

Miriam David’s reflections on her career as a scholar and feminist inspired her to interview a range of female academics about their paths to the getting of wisdom - and the pivotal role feminism has played in their lives

Affirmative action judgment could have repercussions across US. Chris Parr reports

French concerned by lack of entrance requirements at private institution. Clea Caulcutt reports

Mary Evans uncovers clues as to why crime fiction appeals to so many but is disregarded by critics of the literary world

Uclan’s Cyprus outpost of ‘particular concern’ to UN secretary general. John Morgan reports

David Edmonds contrasts Edmund Gettier’s three-page 1963 masterpiece with the endless outflow induced by the emetic REF

Reddit co-founder’s death may bring closer what activist hoped for in life. Jon Marcus reports

V-c keen to match Loughborough’s sports prowess with broad disciplinary strength.

Universities and science minister David Willetts has laid out how the government plan to spend the £600 million allocated to research in December’s Autumn Statement

Ucas data demonstrate wide-ranging impact of fees and funding changes. John Morgan reports

Hungary’s higher education reforms are facing fierce student opposition, as Kata Ámon reports

Ucas data demonstrate wide-ranging impact of fees and funding changes. John Morgan reports

Cinematic treatment of the Great Emancipator offers insights into changing attitudes towards the US presidency and the parallels between its 16th and 44th incumbents

Mark Harper shares with John Morgan some good and bad news for the sector on immigration policy

The number of students gaining first-class degrees has risen by almost 50 per cent over the past five years, data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency have shown

Oft-criticised scholarship scheme’s riches will now follow the poor, BIS states. Jack Grove reports

In the first of a series surveying research evidence about teaching and learning, Graham Gibbs considers the findings on large class sizes

New Office for Fair Access strategies will help universities learn what works best in their efforts to reach ambitious goals, says Les Ebdon

Scholarship has long been international but the current vision of a ‘worldwide’ academy of rootless student-consumers and national economic competition is as contradictory as it is immoral, argues Thomas Docherty

Oft-criticised scholarship scheme’s riches will now follow the poor, BIS states. Jack Grove reports

Mark Harper shares with John Morgan some good and bad news for the sector on immigration policy

Matthew Reisz on the law centre marking a decade of human rights battles in a new university home

Toby Miller did not take a straight path into academia - far from it, having been, among other things, a DJ, a ditch digger, a speech-writer, a bureaucrat, a security guard and a merchant banker. He reflects on how his atypical trajectory shaped his views of the insular scholarly world

The REF’s impact case studies present myriad challenges. Seeking an outside view might be no bad thing, argues Neil Robinson

Matthew Reisz reports on the bursaries helping ex-thespians to pursue higher education goals

We must leave no stone unturned in making the Oxbridge admissions process as fair and comprehensive as possible, says Miles Hewstone

Academy’s use of financial instruments worries politicians. Martin Mevius reports

Universities hope California’s referendum on state funding may set a precedent. Jon Marcus writes

Austerity has brought tragedy to Greece and the UK. Martin McQuillan reflects on the narrative and ideology of ‘fiscal discipline’ and what it means for both nations and their academies

Ronald Barnett offers an imaginative approach to the idea of the university: ‘feasible utopias’ that open up possibilities for renewal beyond the dominant ideas of the market and the pessimistic reactions they elicit

New v-c of Wales’ research powerhouse is keen to sharpen focus on China, writes David Matthews

Elizabeth Gibney on the Wellcome Trust’s top job, one of the most powerful roles in UK research

Theresa May, the home secretary, has been accused by a vice-chancellor of acting “like a Dalek” and of “casting a dark cloud over British higher education” in her refusal to change course on student visas.

Behind closed doors, elite institutions were highly critical of White Paper reforms, finds John Morgan

‘Mixed economy’ for initiatives makes a difference but national ambit is missing. Jack Grove reports

Nick Petford tells a festive tale of the ivory-tower dwellers convinced that the sky is falling in on their world

Tom Palaima muses on truth’s troubled relationship to the tales we tell about the heart of war

As the Queensland Art Gallery celebrates 20 years of its Asia Pacific Triennials, Peter Hill explores the latest edition of a remarkably pan-national affair

All eyes are on Brazil’s academy and its rising research output, generous funding and willingness to team up internationally in a bid to become a major player. Elizabeth Gibney reports from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro

Spring is dawning in the Gulf and the UK academy’s links with the region’s repressive, anachronistic autocracies look increasingly questionable, says Christopher Davidson

KTPs bring together businesses and universities for their mutual benefit

Duncan Wu is amused by a frenzied bagatelle full of violence, political incorrectness and comic fury, signifying…itself, mostly

A second stab at reforming path to dismissal draws UCU counter-attack. Elizabeth Gibney writes

Manifesto calls for university rankings to take gender gap into account. David Matthews writes

UCU study suggests flaws in student-to-staff ratios may mask true class sizes. Jack Grove reports

Legal expert identifies ‘unclear’ structure of landmark in coalition policy. John Morgan reports

A dean’s legal battle has wider implications for Tunisia’s universities. Matthew Reisz writes

GuildHE chief reassures sector as Willetts hails removal of size restrictions. John Morgan reports

NUS march ends amid boos, grumbling and confusion in sodden outfield. John Morgan reports

Learning outcomes are frequently dismissed as a nuisance to be dutifully completed and swiftly put aside, but Frank Furedi believes their prescriptive nature and underlying utilitarian ethos make them an altogether more corrosive influence on higher education

Council’s chair ditches ‘misleading’ wording on strategic importance of research. Paul Jump writes

Graphene discoverer takes aim at applied bias and short-term thinking. Paul Jump reports

Sir John O’Reilly will soon become the sector’s most powerful civil servant. He talks to Elizabeth Gibney

Astrid Wissenburg helped set the policies she will be bound by in her new OU role. Paul Jump writes