Admissions

Pupils in isolated areas miss out as collaborative spirit of Aimhigher era fades, says study

The most popular higher education articles of the year, based on website traffic

The former Guardian editor-in-chief sits in on the Oxford admissions process

Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission says targets set to be missed on access so more action needed

Sutton Trust urges higher education institutions to devote 10 per cent of outreach budgets to evaluating effectiveness

Ucas end of cycle analysis finds proportion of students entering highly selective universities with top grades is falling

Cambridge Assessment study finds independent sector pupils up to four times more likely to achieve at least one top grade

Fair access tsar warns ‘top-down meddling’ would be a ‘costly, bureaucratic exercise’

Donna Bowater looks at the single entry exam that governs access to university in South American powerhouse

UCU’s nine-point checklist aims to make admissions fairer

Higher education expert who died in February asks in paper what might replace strengths of the polytechnic system

Higher education Green Paper says director of fair access to higher education could be given power to set entry goals for universities

Roxanne Stockwell calls on universities to rethink their admissions criteria

Simon Gaskell says Queen Mary University of London would be ‘crucified’ on graduate salary score because of diverse intake

New vice-chancellor Hugh Brady hopes innovation programmes will spur graduates to become social and business entrepreneurs

Report finds poorest Chinese pupils more likely to enrol than richest white peers

University of Cambridge’s examinations arm finds independent school-leavers at Russell Group institutions are a third less likely to get a good degree than state school students with similar A-level results

More BME staff have been entering the UK academy but they remain under-represented at the top. What is being done about it?

‘Transposition error’ meant funding council wrongly stated that state school leavers were more likely than private peers to get a good degree

Funding, staffing and alternative providers among issues to be considered as part of £5 million initiative

Oxford and Cambridge report increase in applications, as number of students reapplying falls sharply

Robert Putnam says bursaries are only part of the solution to widening participation in the US

University Campus Suffolk researchers find ‘natural progression’ into higher education is not found at every institution

Consumer watchdog Which? ‘disappointed’ after surveying 50 institutions’ websites

The UK’s strong higher education reputation has not been achieved by current policies, says Toby Miller

Only 5 per cent of school leavers who are eligible for free school meals gain places at Russell Group institutions

The value of the humanities to business is underestimated, but few departments are able to demonstrate relevance of studies to industry, Singapore audience is told

President of Vassar College says sector in US has failed to connect with growing minority groups like Hispanic community

As universities and academics strive to aid migrants and understand their plight, scholars offer personal experiences of the upheaval

Film shows students studying until 11pm in an effort to win entrance to the country’s three most prestigious institutions

Sample list of questions says applicants were asked about bankers’ pay and invited to carry out an engineering experiment with a ruler

Andrew Hamilton warns politicians against ‘false economies’ in his final annual speech

Former universities minister criticises colleagues by pointing out irony that to cut participation, it is affluent South where numbers would need to be cut

Berkeley chancellor says great public institutions can support their missions by looking for funding elsewhere

Ivy League and other prestigious institutions could dump Common Application approach

Hefce report also warns that government-backed master’s loans will ‘contradict efforts to widen participation’

Significant variations in higher education participation persist when educational attainment and background taken into account

Ucas says acceptances are up 3 per cent year-on-year, with more applicants holding vocational qualifications

The new principal of Brasenose College, Oxford, on widening participation and comparisons to Marvin the paranoid android

Sir Keith Burnett, vice-chancellor of the University of Sheffield, takes a sideways look at the power of university brands

Continent’s youthful population will soon require many more university places, with high numbers likely to study outside their home country

Very few US universities have policies to deal with growing number of stateless people seeking a chance to study

Study concludes that black and ethnic minority applicants are less likely to be offered a place because they choose more competitive courses

Hefce study finds independent school students are less likely to get a first or a 2:1

As he retires, Alan Ryan reflects on how higher education has changed and asks if the sector’s expansion has been a success

BIS data confirm continuing decline in part-time study and widening of gender gap

Luister details alleged discrimination against black students at leading institution

Study warns that targeting where students live, not their individual circumstances, can inadvertently benefit privileged children

University of South Wales offers academic credit for skills and experience gained in the military

Prospective students more likely to base decision on prospectuses, institutions’ websites and campus visits, survey suggests

Former presidential candidate says institutions must deliver courses more cheaply and that student loan burden must be eased

The scramble for places is no longer about courses and universities that nobody else wants, writes Matthew Andrews

The full impact of the abolition of the cap on student numbers won’t be felt immediately, suggests Emran Mian

Study suggests BME students could be missing out on places because institutions are trying to shape ethnic mix

Universities believed to be looking to Continent to make up shortfalls in domestic enrolment

Want more women to study for a physics degree? Stop asking for a physics A level, says Peter Coles

More than 420,000 students placed at UK universities by end of 13 August

More than 409,000 accepted on to courses as clearing gets under way, up 3 per cent on last year

Government loans may not reverse decline of UK postgraduate numbers, study suggests

The good, the bad and the offbeat: the academy through the lens of the national press