Admissions

Giving a major push to a growing trend, Ivy League institution concludes that using the SAT and ACT produces a net gain in equity

In a nation that struggles to get minority students into medicine, Ontario university eyes progress in broader admissions process

Durham again found to have lowest proportion of students from its own region, but highlights work to boost north east's low HE participation rate

Rights group criticises government’s move to use region’s lower university admissions standards to its advantage

Singapore Management University provost Timothy Clark says reforms will push students away from using generative AI in admissions statements

Prodded by conservative activists and politicians, several public universities are interpreting Supreme Court admissions ruling to include a ban on minority-focused aid

With little movement at federal level, local lawmakers test long-shot strategies to stop universities giving children of alumni a foot in the door

Education inspectorate says quotas are unlawful after TU Delft attempts to address gender imbalance in aerospace engineering

If, as it must, engineering is to contribute to restoring the planet, it needs to attract holistic-thinking carers, says Tim Ibell 

Scientific method can inform an inclusiveness agenda that ‘works’, says former Blair adviser

The document gestures to some key barriers, but Indigenous knowledge is valuable in itself, not just for improving outcomes, says Ian Anderson

Government considers whether number of entrants to universities in research-intensive grouping should still be a measure of school performance

Yale and Dartmouth moves to mandate SAT and ACT submissions have long-time opposition alliance getting testy about possible reversals across academia

To make maths programmes viable, we must make them more attractive to a wider pool of applicants, says Jens Marklof

English regulator considers changes to nationwide outreach programme after report finds impact is patchy

Development of ‘cold spots’ without arts and humanities programmes prompts calls for more strategic approach to university provision

Key recommendation in Australian sector review report is substantially different from its historical namesake

Locals-made-good laud the potential of more accessible – and visible – universities

Opportunities that enhance employability and the student experience will boost both enrolments and donations, says Robert Phillips

Ucas figures also show application gap between London and UK region with lowest rate has reached record level

Ucas data reveals drop in application rate among UK school-leavers and significant declines in international interest from key sectors, with least selective institutions bearing brunt

Just over a third of providers made unconditional offers in 2023, most frequently to students applying for design, and creative and performing arts

Reports calls for England-wide target to improve higher education participation of free-school-meal pupils, with dedicated support for cold spots

After extensive investigation, Ivy League institution agrees that standardised exams such as SAT and ACT help equity more than hurt it

We must research the impact of predicted grades on students’ well-being and learning behaviour at a critical stage in their education, says Luke Ellmers

‘While many aspects of the reporting misrepresented the admissions process and criteria, we recognise the concern this has caused,’ vice-chancellors say

Universities should focus on standards as enrolments stagnate, says Science and Humanities Council

Biden administration stumbles in bid to increase federal tuition subsidies and ease application process, snarling acceptance timelines nationwide

Biden administration examining if favouring alumni families is a civil rights violation

Russell Group university follows York in dropping entry bar, but sector is warned of hit to reputation

Commissioner for fair access warns that rate of progress may be slowing as he sets range of recommendations for government

In Vermont, a flagship for the first time counts more freshmen from a neighbouring state than from its own population

University hopes to build ‘culture of college-going’ with early offers to local high schoolers

A reinforced focus on access and participation plans belies the collaboration that makes a real difference, say Graeme Atherton and Philip Dent

Analysis of Ucas figures reveals which universities saw the largest falls in undergraduate recruitment

After affirmative action ban, campuses prod students to describe their personal backgrounds, without going so far as to potentially encourage legal action

A socio-economic alternative to affirmative action would be expensive but that doesn’t mean institutions shouldn’t consider it, say experts

Government schemes to bolster higher education come amid ongoing population decline and recent drop in doctoral students

‘If the government wants data, here’s the data,’ says dean, as study finds Māori and Pasifika remain under-represented in medical enrolments

‘Branding opportunity of a lifetime’ raises awareness of Gulf state’s campuses

End-of-cycle data also confirm falling numbers of international student acceptances, plus a slowdown in overseas applications

Most disadvantaged students likely to be hardest hit if human element of selection is replaced by technology, conference hears

The test aims to flag potential that school-leaving exams miss. But not all applicants to the hugely oversubscribed courses are cheering, says Brian Bloch

Top-ranked institutions’ contribution to equity should go further than ‘picking the top 10 students from every school’, experts say

Figures show that 7.5 per cent of state school pupils in one London borough got into Oxford or Cambridge last year – up from just 1 per cent five years before

Ushering poorer students into short-term, non-degree programmes will suppress their wages and upward mobility, says Ben Wildavsky

Changes to visas and foundation years likely to hit income, deans fear, with big repercussions for parent universities

Campuses appear to be keeping their pandemic-era test-optional policies, but hesitate to distance themselves even further

Former Tory adviser advocates need for controls to reverse resource decline, but another expert sees ‘block on access to education’

Study says tools informing students which courses they are suited for can lead them to apply for those they are overqualified for

Decade of poor progress means number of degree holders is barely above the sub-Saharan African average

Nation’s campuses see overall undergraduate enrolment gain for first time since Covid, only to lose new four-year entrants

Experts say early indications show demand for higher education remains subdued, but many would have been ‘fearing worse’

With students who entered high school during the pandemic starting to apply for places, admissions officers feel ill equipped to judge their readiness

Demographic decline and adoption of AI contributing toward nations’ revamp of testing approaches, scholars say

Disadvantaged learners could also be offered financial support at school and monetary incentives to stay in higher education, says Jack Price

Test run on more than 300,000 US student applications suggests technology can identify specific personal qualities with little bias

Hesa research seeks to establish whether area-based measures of deprivation accurately reflect the challenges faced by specific households

Sutton Trust finds limited progress on opening up leading universities to less affluent school-leavers

Moving to the island from mainland China offers families a way to bypass gruelling entrance exam, researchers say