Admissions

Universities should increase communication with education agents, especially over Covid fears, says working paper

Higher education is no panacea, but critical thinking is the best antidote to inequality, say Chris Cunningham and Colin Samson

Appointing Sir Steve Smith to spearhead the UK’s strategy could see Australia lose ground, warns Tim Dunne

Two years ago, universities claimed to be selling the student experience. So where are our lockdown refunds, asks Maria Magdalena Gajewska

Study also shows that the most advantaged teenagers are more likely to apply to Oxford or Cambridge than the least advantaged

Michelle Donelan’s view on entry rates of different social groups to higher education described as apparent ‘significant departure’

A string of anti-immigration moves has already made the US significantly less attractive to international students, says Rajika Bhandari

Students and parents despair at disparity between predicted and final scores, with many saying that university places are at risk

Applicants face ‘mixed messages’ from sector, with institutions adopting varying tactics

China holds what is probably the world’s largest in-person event since Covid-19 began  

Pathological corporate branding is detrimental to the very image universities want to portray to students, says Philip Moriarty

Universities that boost numbers in lucrative courses are unlikely to attract the attention of Australian regulator’s new watchdog

New rule represents scaling back of ‘alarmingly broad’ original proposal from regulator

Online lectures may enable applicants to broaden their horizons, predicts consultant

Lawmakers approve referendum on reversing 1996 ban, although with tempered expectations

Ucas data suggest expected spike in delayed starts yet to materialise

Increasing numbers of postgraduates appears to be a win-win, with graduates seeking refuge from a poor job market and universities able to make up for lost income, but there are concerns over the quality of those being considered

While Australia’s fee and subsidy reshuffle favours job-growth areas, student and institutional recalcitrance may blunt its impact

Fee caps should be dependent on what universities can actually provide in a pandemic, says prospective fresher Nélson Fernandes Serrão

Historical data from New Zealand give cause for optimism on student demand. But how much is unclear, says Roger Smyth

Caltech suspends requirement for two years while University of Washington commits to long-term shift in entry criteria

Taboo-breaking Parcoursup reforms in 2018 are seen to have reduced failure rates, but there are fears Parisian universities will now hoover up the best students nationwide 

Public backlash to an admission of cheating reveals underlying tensions in China’s college entrance exam process

Prospective overseas students are worried about travel restrictions, scholarship complications and finances, Dutch survey shows

Selective institutions’ claims that they try to help low-income students are ‘hype’, says author of new book on higher education inequalities

Former biotech chief cooperating in expanded investigation

UC plans four years without requirement while it tries to write its own test

Actor and fashion designer husband accept months in prison over fraud in daughters’ USC admissions

Experts warn that, while it is important to stabilise the sector, the proposed conditions threaten university autonomy

Government backs universities on imperative of satisfying full-tuition visitors

Initiative hopes to drive promising performers into fundamental science and basic research

Longevity experts predict that with universities forced online and desperate for new revenue, shift to older students will follow

Student wariness may deliver final blow to crisis-weakened institutions

The disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on poorer students makes the case for a stripped-down ranking in 2020, says Conor King  

Data on prospective student enquiries show demand to study in UK is strong despite coronavirus

Lawyer warns over alleged meeting between institutions on foreign students

Concerns over student number control proposal aired as universities consider starting autumn term online

Inequities understood at undergraduate levels seen lacking in graduate admissions

Maker concedes that SAT, already controversial, could grow even more inequitable

With admissions already in decline, Brian Rosenberg wonders whether the end may finally be nigh for many colleges

Dreams will be dashed and the sector could take a decade to recover, expert warns

ANU ditches reliance on admissions scores and invites early bids from the class of the coronavirus

Other Asian nations weigh whether it is fair to test students during a time of mass disruption  

With foreign student numbers down and forlorn hopes for a government bailout, sector’s hopes may lie in expanded domestic enrolments

Virus crisis will affect domestic recruitment, but impact of falling overseas admissions seen as greater

Survey of undergraduates also finds just under half of students are satisfied with online teaching during pandemic

Bumpy road ahead, as education ministers fail to agree terms on tertiary admissions rank

Pandemic-driven grading shifts illuminate long-accepted inequities

Post-qualification applications will greatly improve access to UK universities, says Robin Hardman 

Ucas says overall applicant behaviour has so far been consistent with previous cycles

Early figures in Australia suggest the pandemic may be whetting rather than dampening appetite for study

A post-coronavirus recession could drive higher university enrolment and enhance human capital, says Nick Hillman

The gao kao, taken by 10 million students annually, will be delayed until July because of pandemic

Coronavirus crisis may make institutions more eager to please to students, but ‘tensions’ already in evidence

Sheffield Hallam vice-chancellor argues for ‘radical action’, while Alistair Jarvis says Universities UK will explore the possibility

Students will also have the option of sitting an exam in September, as NUS says proposed methodology is ‘heartening’

Experts say institutions should allow students to delay start date and relax entry requirements

Student number controls on subject areas within institutions could be seen as ‘the most technically feasible’ option, policy expert predicts

Survey reveals how US universities are managing travel restrictions and test suspensions

Commentators welcome chance to review admissions but warn that OfS proposals could lead to new problems