Students

Theological institutions and other private and niche providers earn the best ratings

Analysis highlights racial imbalance in benefits across college sports

Despite its tarnished reputation and history of collapsed ventures, the for-profit sector retains a strong foothold on the US academy. Paul Basken tracks its successes and failures

Historically black universities are learning from the success of an institution which did not admit a black student until 1962

If Americans lose faith in alternative routes to success, entry to top universities could become as cut-throat as it is in South Korea, says Stephanie K. Kim

In these days of virtual learning environments, face-to-face classes promote the endangered art of meaningful human interaction, says Joe Moran

Study finds that students with ‘controlling’ parents report higher levels of worry when enrolling in higher education

THE rankings data show institutions are progressing on all areas of their global outlook, but experts say there is still more work to be done

Advocacy groups worried by entry of high-cost private lenders to market

Elite US universities’ history of acknowledging hereditary advantage at least came with a sense of social obligation, says Amanda Louise Johnson

Anthony Abraham Jack’s new book distinguishes two kinds of under-represented students and sets out what universities need to do if they truly want to recruit the most disadvantaged students. Matthew Reisz writes

Matthew Reisz considers the work of researchers who have shed light on the ‘invisibility’ of social class in US universities

Ministers say most prestigious universities should ‘go furthest’ as they launch new guidelines

Academic autonomy is too often used as an excuse to ignore suggestions from students that could improve their education, says Janadari Wijesinghe 

Cutting the number of people who benefit from a university education will do nothing to improve the lot of those who do not, says Graham Galbraith

Louis Theroux’s interviews with those accused of sexual assault at US campuses should be a wake-up call to UK universities who have ducked this issue for years, says Graham Towl

Patchy information obscures outcomes for students taught by subcontractors

Ministers are right to question student recruitment practices in some universities, but restricting loan access to those who fail to hit three Ds at A level would be a retrograde step, says Tom Richmond

The good, the bad and the offbeat: the academy through the lens of the world’s media

In a rapidly changing world, is a broader approach to the university curriculum needed to develop the critical thinking and creativity increasingly sought after by employers, Anna McKie asks

Marketisation, precarity and global competition have combined to create a vast market for academic ghostwriting, says an anonymous scholar

Student vloggers are the perfect 'weapon to target university applicants', increasingly regarded as more powerful than other marketing methods

Number of international students in UK is at highest level since 2011, despite drop in arrivals from European Union

John Ross examines the state of cross-study and collaboration between Australia and its neighbours in the East

The good, the bad and the offbeat: the academy through the lens of the world’s media

Strides have been taken since the destruction wrought by the US-led invasion, but funding and standards remain unacceptably low, says Mohamed Al-Rubeai

US universities must think harder about how to make the poorer students they admit feel like full community members, says Anthony Abraham Jack

Hundreds of students voted against creation of Jewish society on campus

Claims that academics are indoctrinating their students with liberal propaganda are increasingly common in the right-wing media. John Morgan examines why such a conviction has arisen and whether there is any substance to it

Doubts over impact of Australian scheme after previous fee discount programme was scrapped

The credentialism that the late Ron Dore analysed in his seminal 1976 book has gone global, say Keith Lewin, Angela Little and Alison Wolf

Using the teaching excellence framework to drive up teaching standards is fundamentally misconceived, says Matt Waddup

Switching to a six-point scale in surveys eliminates perceived gap in teaching performance, study finds

Seven academic chemists give their views on the field’s health

The rise of electronic publishing has left many academic librarians underemployed and overpaid, says Jeffrey Beall

Narratives of decline fail to take account of the recent revival of the liberal arts in India, says Saikat Majumdar

Four institutions to pilot online module next year

Amid strident debates, undergraduate attitudes reflect expert appeal for case-by-case considerations

The idea of mistakes being intrinsic to success has become an educational mantra – but for many students and academics, messing up is not an option

Rising default rates on education loans could signal trouble ahead, says Pushkar

The press may castigate ‘snowflake students’ over free speech, but resistance to far-right speakers has a long history, says Evan Smith

The Pacific nation’s ambitions to harness its universities to drive economic growth face many challenges, says Roger Smyth

Unhelpful advice often based upon myths, says consultant

Tragedies exacerbated by lack of research and information sharing, coroner’s study finds

England’s loan system and high fees have fuelled students’ sense of entitlement but not of responsibility, says Beth Guilding 

Standardised test scores, interviews, entrance exams, choosing the top percentage of applicants: all are used in university admissions. Ellie Bothwell asks which methods provide the most honest reflection of suitability for higher education

Generous philanthropic giving brings significant benefits to US universities but poses leadership challenges too, says Ángel Cabrera

The paradoxical resurgence of prudishness could get even Gregory Peck into hot water, says Felipe Fernández-Armesto

Putting universities in ‘special measures’ or even abolishing degree classifications altogether should be on the table, says Geoffrey Alderman

Men’s magazine expresses contrition over slur against female students

Australian researchers recommend 'organic' interventions to support undergraduates from disadvantaged backgrounds

Institutions that pride themselves on inclusivity should be doing all they can to defend student sex workers’ rights and safety, says Adi MacArtney

A ban on political advocacy and remedial action for possession of ‘radical concepts’ could undermine the special administrative region’s universities, says Michael O’Sullivan

With one more year to go until the end of a decade that is transforming universities worldwide, Times Higher Education looks at the trends that have shaped the past 12 months

The residential experience has its attractions for school-leavers, but most US students value low cost and flexibility above all, says Paul LeBlanc

The jury is out on the educational value of recording, but universities prize its ability to project them as accessible and inclusive, says Simon Fokt

With Wales’ Coleg Harlech due to be sold this month, Sam Christie reflects on why ‘second-chance colleges’ have failed to thrive given their role in post-industrial communities

Today’s Office for National Statistics report will make challenging reading for the Augar review panel, but it must not resort to draconian cuts to student numbers, says Greg Walker

Hepi study also suggests number of classes requiring peak-time travel might have to be minimised

High-cost meritocracy à la française will cut little ice with discerning international students, says Juliette Torabian