Students

Cardiff asks Helen McCarthy to stand down from extenuating circumstances chair ‘to retain student confidence’

Office for Students suggests universities may need to provide extra lectures or repeat courses after pandemic-related disruption

Researcher says study demonstrates need to encourage more care leavers to enter higher education

National Union of Students calls on more accommodation providers to issue rebates

With new lockdowns upon us, it’s time students received the financial relief they deserve, says David Green

New book calls on ‘natural cosmopolitans’ to find solutions to today’s crucial challenges

Institutions cut fees after students threaten accommodation rent strikes over lockdown

More than 13,000 sign petition calling for blanket policy to protect students’ grades from impact of coronavirus pandemic

Policymakers urged to spread best practice rather than use heavy-handed regulation to force focus on retention

University administrative staff are often the first point of contact for troubled students but training on how to manage these encounters is non-existent, says Sarah Bones

Turing scheme will not cover tuition fees, travel costs to the UK or staff exchanges, leaving UK universities to negotiate fee waivers

Metrics rarely reflect how students have addressed their weaknesses, which is itself the most rewarding part of university teaching, says Megan Argo

Rest of students’ return to English universities should be staggered from 25 January, while international students asked to reconsider urgency of need to travel to UK

Australian incident could reflect exasperation at ‘spike’ in misconduct detections

Study challenges image of campuses as places that cultivate liberalism, with limited sway favouring conservatives

Students can travel home once between 3 December and 7 February, says minister

Daily check-ins launched during the Covid outbreak appear to be increasingly normalised

Report from Education Committee says support should be focused on students on courses in ‘priority skill areas’

Creators suggest long-term value, but critics see failure to understand campus communities

Long-standing cost pressures exacerbated by the pandemic swamping Canberra’s efforts to mould university efforts to economic needs

Essay mills’ opportunism, preying on student anxiety about online assessment methods, strengthens the case for legislation, says Douglas Blackstock

Community Security Trust finds 123 incidents affecting Jewish students, academics and student bodies over past two years

University of East Anglia figures show positive cases among students declined dramatically throughout first term, with very few cases among staff

Early data from University of Bristol survey suggest asymptomatic testing will be crucial in understanding spread among students

Shift to online learning has thwarted potential for student demonstrations, but unrest may return next academic year

Analysis from University of Portsmouth suggests regular testing and support for isolating students has limited spread to wider public

Professor calls on sector to embrace virtual connections and challenge international academic identity 

Survey finds females already carry disproportionate debt burden, ahead of fee hikes tipped to make things worse

Holyrood also announces plan to stagger students’ return to campuses after Christmas

Survey suggests move to regional mobility may have been temporary response to pandemic

Yet in era of gridlock, a poor option may be only one for delivering federal aid

Institution aims to end national reluctance to ask about racial and ethnic identity, with other universities across the country showing interest in following suit

The PhD viva is one of the most demanding situations students will find themselves in – and now this process has moved online. Alison Baverstock offers tips for chairing a Zoom viva that is as stress-free as possible for all involved

Universities’ ethics oblige them to pay their own interns, so why do they permit their students to work many months for free, asks Sam Scott

English regulator to work with students and their unions to increase awareness of its powers

Survey of UK-based undergraduates reveals fears over spring term restart despite overall satisfaction with universities’ handling of Covid-19 pandemic

Survey finds new international students at UK institutions received most non-academic assistance and support

Experts predict a post-Covid wave of emigration to the West, but university enrolment likely to unscathed

Students are lobbying for extensions to the pass-fail grading system that was widely adopted earlier this year, but most universities are proving less lenient than they were in spring

Phased return to campus and more clarity on rules for returning international students are needed, says the UK opposition

The government points to a decade of funding guarantees, but critics have taken aim at draconian punishments for campus protests and the rushed scrapping of a PhD vetting body

Experts say the crisis should have been used as a good opportunity to rethink a notoriously stressful assessment system

Until they have their allotted departure time, no one is meant to travel home. So, asks George Bass, should security guards dive on anyone pulling a suitcase? 

Nottingham agrees undisclosed settlement after undergraduate cleared by fitness-to-practise panel 

Australian officials mute as exasperated foreigners watch study and career opportunities evaporate

‘Technocratic’ solutions alone cannot solve a societal problem, expert says

Pandemic hardship has helped make domestic students aware of their overseas peers, study finds

Premier offers latest on-again, off-again signal about resumption of student flows

Father of multiple intelligences theory says pursuit of deep inquiry is ‘a foolish investment’ in today’s AI-driven world

Words and their interpretations assume significance when lives are at stake, Australian research shows

Expert views conflict on humanities graduates’ employment prospects, and whether Australian funding changes will make arts the preserve of the elite

Young researchers have been locked out of labs and clinics for 10 months because of Covid

Report from OfS shows slowing in rise of ‘unexplained’ firsts and sudden drops in share gaining top honours at some institutions

But survey finds that international applicants still overwhelmingly favour face-to-face teaching

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

Incoming US president stresses need for action but avoids key details

Australian report also advocates expansion of online counselling

Experts are optimistic at signs of success from new Australian bill, but warn pandemic has added new problems to fight against contract cheating

Experts urge universities to see Covid disruption as an opportunity to broaden access

Pre-arrival checks and continuous monitoring of student health are replicable elements of China’s successful approach, say Yingru Li and Jane Duckett