University funding/finances

Institutions assume they will be bailed out if enrolments fall because they are ‘too big to fail’, says report

Massive fee for those narrowly missing acceptance seen as warning of abandoned principles

First Complete University Guide survey since Augar review raises prospect of domestic master’s fees overtaking annual charges for undergraduates

Under pressure, state leader spreads smaller reduction over three years

Legal structure could offer opportunities for horse trading on proposed scheme

Diverse measures guard against unintended consequences but suggest few universities can achieve top marks

Deloitte report suggests teaching costs have accelerated as funding stalls

Lords committee says Augar panel ‘missed mark’ in not considering how reducing tuition fees could force universities to divert research income to teaching

‘Distinctive Australian’ scheme will ‘buffer out unintended consequences’, architect says

Retention, graduate employment, student feedback and widening participation to guide distribution

States have rolled back funding as Washington has stepped in – and this must stop, says Louisiana State president

Decades of racial division hindering academia’s ability to alleviate poverty

Tuition comprises less than half the cost of attending US universities, but taxpayers may be unwilling to cover it, says Anthony P. Carnevale

The live unveiling of Germany’s Excellence Strategy institutions is greeted by champagne, confetti and a changing of attitudes

Lack of a functioning executive and threat of a no-deal Brexit have put Northern Irish universities in jeopardy: could a new university help?

As Labor hands EIF potential lifeline, ex-chair of its board says money could insulate HE against international income risks

New campus after seven years of CMU operations in Rwanda raises hopes, questions of sustainability

Minority institutions wary of big candidate promises to lavish them with support

Universities should cut enrolments rather than allowing further erosion of base funding rates, expert says

'We have budget troubles too', provost of China’s leading university insists

Provision of teacher residencies and mentoring by universities seen as key to long-term science improvement

University of Alaska cuts are just the latest example of what is probably the new normal in US political culture, says Ben Trachtenberg

Student satisfaction appears to be higher with some humanities courses like history, and lower with certain STEM subjects 

The well-known economic and social benefits of higher education have been tossed aside for short-term political gain, says Steven Brint 

Graduate dissatisfaction also on the rise despite overall positive report card for universities and colleges

UC system looks to job-focused courses to ease budget woes, but critics see erosion of HE as public good

State’s budget crisis seen as highlighting growing doubts about lawmakers’ confidence in the value of knowledge

Universities need flexibility to admit more students and it is wrong to call full-fee places ‘elitist’, deputy v-c argues

US’ top producer of research papers hopes stance will force major gains in open access

The coach, Peter Brand, had accepted high home purchase price from applicant’s father

Time running out for clarity on course subsidies, experts warn

Increasingly popular repayment system eases stress on graduates and governments alike, says Bruce Chapman

Review chair’s comments on ‘discretionary’ funding raise disturbing questions, say Mark E. Smith, Sarah Randall-Paley and Andrew McConnell

New analyses highlight the risks of over-dependence on single income source

While fighting huge state funding cut, James Johnsen concedes overcapacity and low interest

Reduction in budget to tune of $135 million (£107 million) could lead to 1,300 job losses, officials estimate

Scholars say cuts to Higher Education Commission’s budget will drive academic brain drain

Means-tested fees discounts would remove the rationale for fruitless widening participation efforts, argues Norman Gowar

Universities’ income, collaborations and reputation will all suffer if the country doesn’t re-engage with expertise before it is too late, says Gavin Esler

Financial services firm bills plan for 3,000 homes and two science parks as model for how UK universities can help modernise cities

Change of guard suggests tough times ahead for leading Australian universities

Corruption, poverty and inequality can’t be tackled by weakening the state and driving academics abroad, says Mark Aspinwall

Planned securitisation deal aimed at improving student experience and ‘market share’, says v-c

Augar’s failure to grasp the differential effect of government policy on different kinds of universities is his report’s Achilles heel, says Greg Walker

Chair of England’s post-18 review says £7,500 fee a cap a fair deal after ‘windfall’ years and that universities in financial trouble are guilty of ‘bad management’

University cuts courses but will become first foreign institution to offer law degree in country

Final budget, pending Senate and White House input, may be slightly less generous

Asking for higher contributions is painful but unavoidable in such uncertain times, says USS chair Sir David Eastwood

Uncapped funding best way of dealing with demographic ‘kinks’, Australian forum told

Lifting cap increased participation but was not accompanied by more support for non-traditional students, says Productivity Commission

Government reportedly suspects campuses are not fully transparent about global ties

Narrowing financial buffers raise questions over Australian universities’ goals of being comprehensive

Last year’s scandal over the ministerial vetoing of Australian research grants coincided with the centenary of the fabled principle that politicians should keep out of such decisions. But with governments becoming increasingly ideological and desperate for innovation-fuelled growth, does scientific autonomy have a future? Rachael Pells investigates 

After fears that government could seek to cut fees without replacement funding, review chair stresses plans are interconnected

Australian universities kept doing what they were already doing after government froze teaching funds

V-c who chairs financial sustainability group warns that deficit on doctoral training raises major questions

Administrations ease back on foreign fee splurge to avoid financial overexposure and to protect student experience

Augar review’s call to replace lost income ‘not credible’, says Lord Willetts, while Jo Johnson warns that any such funding stream could be ‘slush fund’ for ministerial projects

Peers hear debate about whether English universities might become more reliant on international students if fee cut recommended by Augar review is implemented without replacement funding

Reviving maintenance grants will redirect taxpayers’ money to those who don’t need it. Better to spend it on lifelong learning, says Ryan Shorthouse