On the 4 May, Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, announced a package of measures to protect the higher education sector from the impact of coronavirus. Although they were drawn from proposals from the universities sector, and were intended to safeguard students and help universities, many fear that the financial measures do not go far enough and…
Students now able to opt-in to new UEA mental health initiative
From today students at UEA are now able to opt-in to a mental health initiative allowing the University to inform a person of the student’s choice about significant concerns over a student’s welfare via e:Vision. In a statement the University said: “The opt-in contact scheme is another way in which the University has implemented a…
Universities set to lose £2.5bn due to coronavirus
The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant losses for businesses in many sectors, and universities are expected to be among the hardest hit. According to a new report by the University and College Union (UCU), UK universities may lose £2.5bn in tuition fees for the next academic year. A large part…
UK Universities fear coronavirus impact
UK universities fear that the coronavirus impact on international students studying in the UK will have a dire impact on the level of funding universities have. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, International Students represent one-third of all tuition, and with an estimated 50-100% drop in international student attendance, that would create a sizable…
Universities to scrap predicted grades
Universities could be scrapping predicted grades as part of their entry systems. The new review comes after most universities have been scrapping unconditional offers in the last few years. A potential outcome from these new discussions about university admissions processes might see applications being delayed until after A-level results day. This may mean that students…
Universities to hand out fewer unconditional offers
For years, numbers of unconditional offers issued by universities in the UK have been steadily rising, contributing to regular interventions from figures in government, most recently Education secretary Gavin Williamson, who stated that unconditional offers lower attainment by making recipients of such offers less likely to achieve their predicted grades. However, a UCAS forecast for…
Universities divest amid protests
About half of UK universities with shares in fossil fuel companies have committed to selling their shares in these companies after sustained pressure from eco-conscious students who have occupied buildings, carrying out hunger strikes. Seventy-eight of the UK’s 154 public universities have joined the divestment campaign, either divesting, or pledging to divest hundreds of millions…
Students wanting refunds
Starting on the 25 November, over a million students will face disruption as academics from 60 universities signed up to strike over their pay and pension. More than 43,000 members of the University and College Union (UCU) are taking part in the eight-day walkout on Monday over disputes about pension and pay. University chiefs have…
Brexit concerns cause UK universities to drop in global rankings
Numerous UK universities have found themselves falling in terms of world university rankings. Experts state that this is caused by the uncertainty around Brexit over research funding and immigration. UK universities have been seeing a fall in terms of university rankings since 2016. Along with University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, King’s College London, and…
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