China targets ‘world-class’ status for 42 universities Long-awaited list of institutions eligible for excellence initiative funding in China is published By Jack Grove 3 October
Commonwealth universities set path to development role Association of Commonwealth Universities and Commonwealth Secretariat strike agreement By Matthew Reisz 27 September
French university suspends classes after migrants set up camp Refugee and asylum seekers pitch tents on campus in northeastern France By Holly Else 27 September
Indian academic under fire for calling Hindu goddess ‘prostitute’ Police complaint is filed against Delhi University lecturer after he posted comment on Facebook By Jack Grove 27 September
Seven lecturers arrested in Italian anti-corruption probe Move comes after country’s top anti-corruption chief turns attention to Italy’s universities By David Matthews 27 September
Mexico university resumes classes following deadly earthquake Staff and students at the National Autonomous University of Mexico return to studies By Rachael Pells 27 September
Chinese universities urge academics to ‘promote socialist values’ Move follows government accusation that ideological and political work at some top institutions was weak By Ellie Bothwell 27 September
Turkish academics exiled to Germany remain in fear Intense polarisation of Turkish diaspora, plus online harassment, means refugee scholars feel they are being watched By David Matthews 27 September
Germany and Russia strengthen research ties Multinational research teams can now bid for money in any scientific area, although funders do not expect security-sensitive projects By David Matthews 26 September
High rents ‘hold back universities in large cities’ Study finds that universities in big urban centres produce less highly cited research than institutions elsewhere By David Matthews 21 September
Academics ‘could have to pay to quote’ under EU committee’s plan Europe’s funding councils oppose idea of requiring researchers to obtain a licence if they want to quote their colleagues or news articles By David Matthews 21 September
Warning over failure to educate Syria’s young refugees Only 6 per cent of displaced university-age Syrians currently in other countries in the Middle East are in higher education, expert warns By David Matthews 21 September
UK invests £65 million in US research in landmark deal Inaugural UK-US science deal will include investment in two major projects Stateside By Jack Grove 20 September
Dozens charged over Pakistan 'blasphemy' killing at university Vigilante mob face murder charges over campus killing of student Mashal Khan By Jack Grove 20 September
Kazakhstan and Switzerland to promote science links New agreement could take cooperation to a new level By Matthew Reisz 20 September
Microsoft and Copenhagen to build quantum computer Firm steps up collaboration with university as world’s biggest tech companies race to harness quantum physics By David Matthews 20 September
International students in Netherlands ‘forced to sleep in cars’ Lack of student accommodation means new arrivals are often having to return home, warns student union By David Matthews 12 September
Australian university ‘artificially inflated’ research scores Australian Catholic University defends hiring of professorial fellows as a tool to build partnerships By Chris Havergal 12 September
Vigil held for jailed Princeton PhD student Iran's detention of a history PhD student for alleged spying has been condemned by Princeton and US government By Jack Grove 12 September
Controversial politician to lead Dutch universities Backlash against VSNU’s appointment of Pieter Duisenberg, who called for investigation of anti-conservative bias on campus By David Matthews 11 September
Europe’s academies ask: are we in a ‘post-truth’ world? US scholars will also be involved in new push to understand if the public still values expertise By David Matthews 9 September
Warning over ‘underfunding’ of Dutch universities Despite bachelor’s graduates rising by a third since 2009, funding has barely risen faster than inflation By David Matthews 8 September
North Korea’s only ‘Western’ university reopens for new term Pyongyang University of Science and Technology feared closure when US travel ban took effect this month By Jack Grove 8 September
Ontario plans first francophone university But critics claim that French students are already well served in the province By Ellie Bothwell 8 September
‘University of liquor’ to open in China Kweichow Moutai’s move reflects concerns about shortage of skilled workers By Chris Havergal 8 September
Australia: minister criticises v-cs’ opposition to ‘modest’ changes Simon Birmingham defends plans for 7.5 per cent increase in fees and 2.5 per cent funding cut By John Morgan 8 September
UK wins more ERC starting grants after vote for Brexit Fears that referendum result could put off applicants have been unfounded - at least for this type of grant By David Matthews 8 September
Russell Group chair hits back at ‘noise’ of university attacks Glasgow vice-chancellor Sir Anton Muscatelli defends ‘cost-efficient’ sector driving UK growth By Jack Grove 7 September
Will Germany's election bring shift to fees? University leaders frustrated by lack of clarity on higher education in party manifestos By David Matthews 7 September
German universities plan for life without Elsevier Loans between libraries, and research sharing between colleagues, could allow country to sever links, negotiators claim By David Matthews 5 September
German scholarship applications for US study fall post-Trump Latest evidence overseas students are being put off US universities by political situation By David Matthews 3 September
What blockchain technology could mean for universities Advocates say that the technology will cut out degree fraud – but could it actually help to fracture universities? By David Matthews 31 August
French student union raises alarm over costs Costs for students rising at triple the rate of inflation, triggering calls for rental caps By David Matthews 30 August
Norwegian universities warned on English use Varied levels of English language proficiency among students could hamper learning By Holly Else 30 August
Argentina: major new telescope to be installed Joint project with Brazil should raise the profile of Latin American astronomical research By Matthew Reisz 30 August
Hungarian university ‘awards Putin honorary citizenship’ University of Debrecen bestows honour following involvement in Russian-funded nuclear plant By David Matthews 30 August
China tightens ideological control on campus Seven top universities establish political monitoring units in response to state ‘rectification reports’ By Jack Grove 30 August
Norway sets open access target All research papers should be openly available by 2024, says Norwegian government By Holly Else 29 August
The R-factor: a new way to rate journal articles? New metric measures how reliable scientific claims turn out to be – but calculating it could be an enormous task By David Matthews 29 August
Academics push South Africa to open apartheid-era archives Witwatersrand conference hears that scholars have much to learn from material that activists are seeking to make public By Matthew Reisz 28 August
India shelves branch campus ‘pipe dream’ for domestic ‘eminence’ Foreign providers plan was misguided, but domestic selective funding option brings huge challenges, say experts By John Morgan 24 August
Inside the world of Germany’s student fraternities Sword-fighting, drinking, history and camaraderie: struggling to recruit, ancient brotherhoods mull their image problem By David Matthews 23 August
Tell students to read tabloids ‘to help heal educational divide’ Politics has become overly dominated by graduates, who increasingly only mingle with each other, says author By David Matthews 21 August
Africa ‘must embrace online learning’ to meet demand for degrees ‘Portfolio’ academics undertaking teaching for a range of platforms are playing an increasingly important role By Chris Parr 20 August
US universities ban white nationalist Richard Spencer from campus Disgust at far-right violence at University of Virginia prompts stronger stance By John Morgan 18 August
Council of Europe calls on Hungary to redraw higher education law Team sent to investigate rule changes that could close Budapest’s Central European University finds that they were made ‘without very strong reasons’ By David Matthews 15 August
Zimbabwe spends $1 billion on Mugabe university Expensive initiative criticised as 'defying logic' in cash-strapped country By Chris Havergal 15 August
Sober freshers ‘more likely to drop out’ Evidence from Denmark indicates drunken induction weeks make it difficult for reluctant drinkers to feel at home By David Matthews 15 August
Chinese-American professor appeals expulsion from Singapore Huang Jing was accused of ‘covertly advancing the agenda of a foreign country at Singapore’s expense’ By Ellie Bothwell 14 August
Sweden launches bid to host European Medicines Agency post-Brexit Presence of top university is a draw card to locate organisation in Stockholm, says offer document By Holly Else 14 August
Cubans shrug off Trump cold shoulder to build US links Matching murals mark new academic link between Cuban and Arkansan universities By Matthew Reisz 14 August
Scrapping tuition fees signed into law in Philippines Mass rallies held across the south-east Asian country as legislation to remove tuition fees is passed By Jack Grove 14 August
University mulls dropping fees to help Maltese language University of Malta could offer financial incentive for students who apply with a Maltese qualification By David Matthews 14 August
Higher education collaboration key as Colombia rebuilds UK universities can bring much-needed help in rebuilding the country, provided they avoid a ‘colonialist’ approach By Matthew Reisz 13 August
Ten years on, how has the financial crisis changed universities? New data show how universities took up the slack when businesses cut back on R&D. But the crisis also led to greater demands on universities to boost growth By David Matthews 12 August
Beall: ‘social justice warrior’ librarians ‘betraying’ academy Creator of controversial predatory journals blacklist says some peers are failing to warn of dangers of disreputable publishers By John Elmes 10 August
Danes step away from patenting in favour of ‘open science’ Aarhus University has signed up companies to fund fundamental research in what it calls a ‘patent-free playground’ By David Matthews 10 August
How to teach students to think beyond their subject The Humboldt University of Berlin, the historical home of interdisciplinarity, is experimenting with new ways to encourage a broader perspective By David Matthews 9 August
'No deal' between Germany and Elsevier German institutions and the publishing giant have still failed to agree a new deal. Could this become permanent? By David Matthews 3 August
ERC launches grants scheme for multiple principal investigators Synergy Grants will be worth a total of €250 million but, when piloted in 2012 and 2013, success rates were under 3 per cent By David Matthews 2 August