Private providers

Successful applications from south Asia fall off a cliff, as authorities struggle to distinguish genuine students from those with other things on their minds

Always left holding the wrong end of the stick, independent institutions hope for a ‘reset’ from the misleadingly named universities accord

Government plan for half of all graduates to major in sciences by 2032 ‘difficult to realise’ for private, humanities-focused institutions, academics say

US education firm involving ASU has 12 global partners and foresees future growth bringing scope to collect student learning data on mass scale

‘Reassessment of his priorities’ said to be behind swift departure of former West of Scotland leader

‘Anyone who thinks the university is in good shape is deluded,’ says former Morgan Stanley executive in resignation letter

Office for Students accounts also confirm £915,000 payment to for-profit college that successfully challenged refusal of registration in court

Private university recorded £17 million deficit in 2019 and a potential £119,000 fine for late filing of accounts, as Crewe campus left problems

UA92 hails success of strategy attracting disadvantaged students but remains loss-making

Growing use of third-party services seen aiding employee-students find their options, although with suspicions of hidden costs

Private university’s last financial statement was for 2018, despite English regulators requirement for all institutions to file annually

Top congressional Democrat urges Biden to reverse Keiser University’s decade-old conversion to non-profit status

Privately backed institutions seen as new model for higher education development

As administration embarks on writing tough new federal rules, prominent proprietary chain loses transfer agreement in California

Cypriot university to launch degree focusing on Zuckerberg-backed virtual worlds

Head of global monitoring report on education says he is concerned about language of market and inequality

Bosses of private institutions that collect millions of pounds from student loans have received generous share and dividend awards

World Bank’s head of education calls for focus on creating ‘single ecosystem’ in tertiary education

‘Significant change’ at college highlights dwindling of former government aim for ‘challenger institutions’

Normally static sector’s landscape sees uncharacteristically rapid change as new standards take effect

Australian minister’s call for specialisation fosters speculation that rejected idea could be resurrected

V-c ‘declared potential conflicts of interest and recused herself’ from deals with UCFB and IGPP, says university

Independent lobby welcomes new short course funding and regulatory ‘reprieve’ but rails against perpetuation of ‘unfair’ loan fee

Hopes that for-profit institutions would head for disadvantaged communities not served by universities have not been realised

Regulator goes ahead with new guidance despite opposition from sector, citing impact of Covid-19 on sector finances

Administration describes move as opening bid to revive aid for sector’s victims

Demise of ACICS, favoured by for-profits, still leaves larger problem of venue shopping

With Biden set to revive employment yardstick for for-profits, Republicans demand it be universal

Foreign investment or buyout touted as potential route out of financial woe for institutions, while others see ‘multi-university groups’ as more viable

GAO cites 17 cases where former for-profit leaders retained key controls

Expert says favourable treatment of Catholic university is “logical”, but criticises optics of handout to another Catholic institution

Struggling financially, the private Jacobs University is seeking new backers, but academics have been left shocked by plans for it to be turned into an AI institute by software giants

Students who suffer financial loss from institutional failures should be compensated by sector scheme, says English ombudsman

Soaring demand and a slightly more even playing field augur well for private and independent higher education providers

Institution says proposed buyout will ‘secure the university well into the future’ but former v-c fears move will damage its reputation

Absorbing troubled online institution, university pledges $225 million investment

Move to reject Obama policy seen costing 200,000 borrowers some $11 billion

Universities should also stop ‘stealing’ money allocated for education to undertake research, according to Minerva founder

India’s newest universities are showing immense promise but may find it hard to stay independent from the corporate world, says Ganeshdatta Poddar

Continuing remote teaching in the autumn will be unsustainable for some institutions, warns leader of online college

Experts question whether proposals to give chartered status to private institutions and encourage international branch campuses will deliver quality education  

Situation at Richmond raises questions about English sector regulation

Told by judge to spare defrauded students, secretary toughens loan policy

Government retains title for top independent colleges, while accepting all other recommendations of provider category review

Australian independent colleges also rail against inequitable consumer protection

Trump education chief resisted aiding students defrauded by for-profit college chain

For-profit college says it has been granted permission for judicial review against ‘unlawful’ refusal, which blocks loan access

New category would give top colleges bragging rights and a platform to upgrade to university status

Trump administration defied court order to protect former for-profit students

HE institutions have offered more than 2,000 places to GSM students, but uncertainty remains over fate of others

One in 12 students now pays to go private in Germany, attracted by ‘niche’ courses, smaller classes and flexible learning schedules

Institutions without place on Office for Students’ list unable to confirm loan eligibility for new recruits

But Australian assessor says most growth will be outside universities, and opens door to new category of institution

Office for Students’ judgement that for-profit college was ‘not financially viable’ raises questions of why Department for Education extended funding access last year

Conversations with students at the failed for-profit provider reveal much about its business model and the Department for Education’s judgement, writes John Morgan

GSM London’s slide into administration leaves difficult questions for DfE on why it granted the college continued loan access last year, writes John Morgan

GSM London will end teaching at the end of September, meaning current students must find alternative institutions

Some alternative providers could lose access to public student loans if OfS judges non-continuation rates too high

Providers squabble over whether to relax rules for university colleges or jettison the category altogether

The Advertising Standards Authority is wrong to permit to any provider of training to graduates to declare itself a “graduate school”, says Viv Ellis