University funding/finances
Funders and prestigious universities ‘cannot compete’ as budgets stand still or go backwards
Baroness Smith references October budget as she says government is ‘working on a whole range of options’
At least 50 job cuts proposed as university confronts A$200 million hole caused by ‘external headwinds’ and federal policy changes
But increases to PhD stipends are ‘too little, too late’, postgraduate union says
Survey of pro-growth economists by innovation thinktank UK Day One finds weak support among economists for extra higher education spending
Party was ‘irresponsible’ to let per-student funding erode during last six years of governing, says ex-universities minister
Leaders urged to be more ambitious in their proposals in order to secure long-term health of universities
Vision for future direction of English sector calls for fees to be indexed to inflation and an increase in teaching grants
All the key suggestions for reform as Universities UK outlines how the sector can be put back on a firm financial footing
Educators must take responsibility for their own contribution to the crisis, forum hears
Canberra’s international education crackdown is sapping sector of funds to diversify, forum hears
Economist who invented furlough scheme shares expansive blueprint to redraw English higher education funding
Fees worth £9,250 gave institutions £13,000 in today’s money just seven years ago, finds dataHE analysis
Forcing Australian institutions to manage scheme raises workload, privacy and taxation issues, Senate committee hears
Planning cuts of more than €1 billion (£840 million), ministers opt to save academic positions and instead target ‘starter’ grants
Sussex leader tells ministers to go further than declaring war against universities is over
Increased support for students ‘has to be a part’ of Labour’s thinking on improving access, Baroness Smith tells party conference
Top universities have feasted on international students this year while other institutions withered
Outgoing Erasmus University Rotterdam president discusses the underappreciated value of the social sciences, managing student protests and the differences between Dutch and German higher education
Union calls for increase in corporation tax to address university funding difficulties
Critics question upfront expense, cost effectiveness, timeline and viability of Waikato proposal
A ground-breaking physics experiment underlines a proud scholarly tradition that relies on purpose, dedication – and money, says Keith Burnett
State must step in, according to submissions to major university review
Wary of backing a ‘toxic’ big rise in fees, vice-chancellors are coalescing around a demand for more public subsidy for higher education instead. Despite the cost, could this option be more palatable for Labour?
Doing so would do a service not only to Muslim would-be students worried about usury but to everyone concerned about debt, says Steve Connolly
Paper gains masked last year’s losses but harder times lie ahead, watchdog warns
College closures and job losses ‘inevitable’ as enrolment caps loom and visa waits lengthen
The UK’s austerity-fixated new government is highly unlikely to find significant extra money for universities, says Andrew McRae
Process for limiting international student recruitment ‘like a game of musical chairs’, Senate committee hears
Former universities minister agrees with King’s principal that ‘now is the moment’ for fee increase
Report attempts to quantify economic benefit of universities as financial issues heap doubts on their future
Regional institutions hope to benefit as they are handed quotas higher than current numbers at expense of rich Group of Eight universities. But will effect of the policy merely put students off Australia altogether?
Latest figures showing that growth has fallen to lowest level in decades should be a ‘wake-up call’ for government, says Universities Australia
Increased American targeting of foreign enrolments expected to prompt policy response and reduce competitor countries’ access to ‘low-risk’ students
Universities may be discouraged from taking on displaced students for fear of them counting towards their quota, policy expert warns
Nearly 100 academics placed at risk of redundancy, with union claiming staff are ‘paying the price for failed pet projects’
Top-tier institutions accused of not engaging with concerns about scale of overseas cohorts
Schumacher College in Devon shuts down programmes after more than 30 years of offering degrees in ecology
Academics question why some universities should be pushed to the wall while others swell their intake
Newly announced quota ‘like a levy by stealth’, analyst says, as universities evaluate the impact at institutional level
Institutions mull estates buyback schemes and more major cutbacks as post-clearing reality hits
No currently enrolled students will be disadvantaged, bureaucrat insists, despite quarrels over data and assessment that bill ‘is more suited to national security legislation’
Firm whose lawyer helped initiate ACU saga handed job of finding leakers
Vice-chancellor says it is ‘fine’ for international students to make up nearly half of Melbourne’s enrolments
University lobby demands revocation of ‘ministerial direction 107’, after education minister insists student quotas will be a ‘better mechanism’
Baroness Smith suggests new UK government will not bail out at-risk institutions but says she wants to secure ‘financial stability’ of sector
As they brace for big policy shifts, inflation and flat domestic demand have left Australian universities more vulnerable than before Covid
Universities must not use international education reforms as a smokescreen to jettison staff, Australian union says
Need to pay athletes, including in money-spinning American football and basketball, could limit subsidies for other sports
It is heartening to have an education secretary who values universities as a public good, but public goods require public funding, says Jo Grady
Proposal denigrated as ‘wealth tax’ better than the alternative, architect says, as Australian universities unite to oppose caps
Labour has placed its faith in better regulation sorting out the financial issues in the sector, but what tools and powers does an already overburdened organisation need to tackle its biggest challenge yet?
Canberra should avoid unnecessary damage by waiting to assess the impact of no fewer than nine other policy changes, professor says
Fees for humanities degrees reach dizzying milestone, raising questions over how many will ever be repaid
University funding across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland ‘consistently unstable’ despite policy divergence since devolution, report highlights
Future financial health of UK institutions reliant on increasing student numbers after Labour rebuffs funding requests
Larger proportion of people back charging more for certain courses when given context, Policy Institute at King’s College London finds
Returning leader says UK instead needs ‘major rethink’ of funding model and how it supports low-income and mature students
Government urged to appoint new higher education commissioner to oversee £2.5 billion loan scheme in case of institutions going bankrupt
Almost half of institutions say insufficient funding is biggest obstacle to better teaching and learning
