By John Morgan. The government has delivered a £125 million cut to higher education funding in today’s grant letter, while criticising vice-chancellors on pay. The letter, sent by David Willetts and Vince Cable to England’s funding council, scraps the dedicated £37 million Access to Learning Fund, which gave discretionary grants to the poorest students. More...

By David Matthews. Academics who complete their PhDs during a recession are significantly more productive in the long-term than those who do so during a boom, research suggests. Michael Boehm, a researcher at the London School of Economics’ Centre for Economic Performance and Bonn University, looked at data from the top 30 universities in the United States from 1955 to 1994. More...

By David Matthews. The Home Office has suspended an organisation’s English language tests for immigration purposes after cheating was allegedly uncovered on some exams.
Theresa May, the home secretary, told the education sector to “put its own house in order” following revelations about the immigration scam. The BBC’s Panorama programme found that students were able to get others to take the English Testing Service (ETS) exams for them in order to get round English language requirements for student visas. It found that an undercover reporter was able to pay £500 to an immigration consultancy for a “guaranteed pass” on the English tests. More...

By David Matthews. But possibility could still be open if strong case made to EU.
The Scottish government’s plan to charge English students tuition fees in the event of independence would have no precedent in the European Union, according to the European Commissioner for education. More...

By David Matthews. But more than 40 per cent are registered with Oxford Brookes, says Hesa.
Nearly 600,000 students are studying for a UK higher education qualification overseas, new statistics have revealed, a 4.9 per cent increase on last year.
These are students studying at UK branch campuses overseas, on distance learning programmes, or taking programmes offered by local partners validated by British universities. More...

By Eleanor Muffitt. Despite a growing interest in science at school, Eleanor Muffitt, opted for humanities at university; she asks why girls let their talent fall by the wayside.
 As a pupil, I was never a fan of science: while I enjoyed learning about Newton's apple and nerve endings, it was history I most looked forward to throughout the day.
However, as I advanced through the year groups, I became more interested in science and managed to chalk up two As in my science and advanced science GCSEs. Despite my success and growing interest though, I opted for humanities at A level and university – just as the majority of my sex seem to be doing. More...