Scottish fee questions raised by pro-union campaign It is “hard to see” how an independent Scotland could legally continue to charge students from the rest of the UK tuition fees By David Matthews 13 January
Universities' Freedom of Information responses vary Times Higher Education assesses the differing attitudes to rising FoI demands By Paul Jump 9 January
Syria’s conflict takes its toll on academy and academics alike Exiled scholars speak of hopes for renewal and fears for lost generation By Joe Sandler Clarke 9 January
Ring-fenced science budget under threat V-cs fail to get David Willetts’ commitment to protect research spending By John Morgan 9 January
Labour MP calls for more polling stations in universities More polling stations should be set up in universities to encourage students to vote, an MP has told the House of Commons. By John Morgan 7 January
Langlands said he argued 9k fees were ‘too high’ The former head of England’s funding council thought the government was setting fees “too high” at ?9,000. By John Morgan 4 January
Students’ unions hit back at group monitoring campus extremism Student Rights’ agenda questioned by LSE, Birkbeck, Goldsmiths unions By David Matthews 2 January
Miley and May: an alternative honours list Times Higher Education columnists suggest some thought-provoking options for new year commendations 2 January
Reputational damage The reckless pursuit of rank threatens the academy’s future, argues Roger Brown 2 January
Ivor Crewe on why Whitehall blows it again and again New head of Academy of Social Sciences probed government mistakes and found no shortage of data By Matthew Reisz 2 January
David Willetts on the case for expansion We’ll make the principles of Robbins a 21st-century reality, minister promises 2 January
Non-EU scholars struggling with the UK’s visa policy Academics describe the complex, arbitrary bureaucracy, emotional turmoil and career limbo wrought by Britain’s policies 2 January
NHS charges likely to hit overseas students International students could be hit by new healthcare charges for migrants in the UK. By David Matthews 31 December
New Year’s Honours revealed for higher education A clutch of professors have been knighted while the former head of Loughborough University is among those made a dame in the New Year’s Honours. By Holly Else 30 December
Removal of student number cap is?a ‘Tory electoral manoeuvre’ Reading v-c condemns Autumn Statement announcement as a purely political move By John Morgan 19 December
Religion and democracy: never the twain Sally?Feldman on UUK’s attempts to reconcile incompatible truth claims 19 December
Rwanda’s subtle forms of intimidation The government doesn’t need to resort to violence to ensure foreign scholars’ compliance, argues Erin Jessee 19 December
China on the fast track Beijing wants to supercharge its nation’s universities as it has its railroads, but might its ambitions falter for want of academic freedom and cultural change? By John Morgan 19 December
Expert voices raise alarm over capless costs Hepi head and HE analyst tell MPs that coalition sums don’t add up By John Morgan 19 December
Graduate earnings: ‘human capital’ gains subject to scrutiny ‘Manhattan Project’ that some think could pave the way for variable fees proceeds with Nuffield funding By John Morgan 19 December
Hepi compares expansion plan to ‘Ponzi scheme’ The government’s plan to finance extra student places by the future sale of student loans is like a Ponzi scheme, according to a thinktank. By John Morgan 17 December
Willetts: student expansion plan ‘perfectly possible’ It is “perfectly possible” to fund the government’s plan to abolish the by selling off graduate debt, David Willetts has claimed. By Chris Parr 17 December
Academics urged to do more on human rights A leading activist has called on the academic community to do far more “to help promote and defend human rights”. By Matthew Reisz 13 December
UUK gender segregation case study withdrawn Controversial passage removed pending review as prime minister intervenes By Jack Grove 13 December
Osborne admits numbers plan omits lost repayments The government’s plan to fund extra student numbers by selling loans omits billions of pounds in lost repayments, the chancellor has admitted. By John Morgan 13 December
Gender segregation row: UUK publishes legal advice Universities UK has published legal advice which backs its controversial guidance on the segregation of men and women at campus events. By Jack Grove 12 December
Student loans guardians savaged by Hodge The government’s claim it can fully fund extra student places by selling loans is “wrong”, according to the MP in charge of examining public accounts. By John Morgan 12 December
Croatia weighs a strategy for higher education reform Following student protests, government mulls a sector report calling for change. Cyrille Cartier writes 12 December
Experts demand quality control for capless ‘free-for-all’ Legislation a must after scrapping of student quotas By Jack Grove 12 December
Australian v-c counts costs of uncapped system Admissions standards have fallen to balance budgets, Adelaide chief argues By Paul Jump 12 December
Campaigners decry curbs on right to protest Academics and students unite in condemnation of ‘violent’ crackdown on sit-ins and demonstrations By Jack Grove 12 December
UK door ‘open to all’ migrants, not just brightest and best As long as applicants fulfil language, qualifications and maintenance criteria, ‘they are welcome’, says BIS spokeswoman By David Matthews 12 December
Mandela saw education as a powerful weapon for freedom Martin Hall considers the legacy of academic values left by South Africa’s first black president 12 December
Willetts astonished by elite reaction to expansion Russell Group critical of abolition of student numbers cap By John Morgan 12 December
Mandela’s death triggers memories of anti-apartheid struggle How big a role did scholars play in abolition of heinous system? By David Matthews 12 December
Treasury loan book calculations ‘omit ?1.7 billion’ The Treasury’s stated plan to fund expansion in student places by the sale of loans omits ?1.7 billion in lost repayments arising from the sell off. By John Morgan 11 December
University of London v-c steps into student protests row Sir Adrian Smith suggests protesters wanted police involved to generate ‘headlines’ By Jack Grove 11 December
Universities are playing an ‘elite international sport’, says Byrne Shadow universities minister delivers vision for sector in first major speech By John Morgan 9 December
Muslim chaplains to 'challenge campus extremism’ Universities are to work with the government to appoint Muslim chaplains to “challenge extremist views” on campus. By David Matthews 8 December
Numbers expansion plan is economic ‘nonsense’ The plan to fund extra student places by selling the student loan book is “nonsense” in economic terms, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. By John Morgan 6 December
Abolition of student numbers cap: the sector responds that student number controls are to be abolished has attracted comment from all quarters. Here is a round-up of responses: 6 December
Mandela tributes pour in from academia Universities across the UK have been paying tribute to Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, who has died at the age of 95. By Chris Parr 6 December
Russell Group criticises student expansion plan The Russell Group has attacked the government’s decision to abolish student number caps, warning of a potential decline in quality. By John Morgan 5 December
Undergraduate numbers cap ‘to be abolished’ – Osborne The government will abolish the cap on student numbers “altogether” the year after next, George Osborne has announced By John Morgan 5 December
Willetts has ‘lost control’ of budget - Byrne David Willetts has “lost control” of his department’s budget in “spectacular fashion”, according to his Labour counterpart Liam Byrne. By John Morgan 5 December
Lord Krebs issues warning over science funding The government has been warned by a leading peer not to cut the science and research budget in today’s autumn statement. By John Morgan 5 December
Labour plans long-term move to graduate tax, says Byrne Shadow universities minister also vows to tackle overseas recruitment barrier By John Morgan 5 December
Autonomy the best defence for universities under attack Global coalition advocates ‘insulation’ against state and non-state actors By Matthew Reisz 5 December
Gender segregation allowed as long as it isn’t ‘forced’ Times Higher Education poll finds few bans in place as UUK guidance elicits criticism By David Matthews 5 December
Turkey: liberty and repression The state is confronting student protest with an iron fist while promising to relax its grip on the academy. Jack Grove reports from the country 5 December
University of Sussex occupation ends The latest student occupation of Bramber House at the University of Sussex has ended after seven nights. By Holly Else 3 December
Warning issued over threat to student funding Social mobility could be harmed if cuts of ?45 million are focused on the so-called “widening participation premium”, a new study says By Jack Grove 30 November
Student funding suspended following budget problems The government has suspended all funding for overseas EU students at private colleges, and for Bulgarians and Romanians at public universities. By John Morgan 29 November
Private colleges suspended from student loan access The government has suspended 23 private colleges from the publicly-funded loans system after a surge in their student numbers. By John Morgan 29 November
Ministers bring forward student support cutbacks Britain’s poorest students are set to lose bursaries and other support worth ?100 million next year after ministers fast-tracked planned cuts. By Jack Grove 28 November
Student loan forecasts ‘consistently’ wrong, says NAO Ministers have been accused of “industrial scale incompetence” after a damning report on student loans was released by the public spending watchdog By John Morgan 28 November
Pearson profits from private expansion ‘Uncontrolled’ growth in HNCs and HNDs may lead to university retrenchment By John Morgan 28 November
Twilight of the mission groups? Ourania Filippakou and Ted Tapper consider whether they are heading for extinction 28 November
Our ‘world-class’ status may be greatly exaggerated Bahram Bekhradnia warns of the clear and present dangers facing the UK academy 28 November