Debt-saddled grads ‘risk earning less than minimum wage’ five years after leaving uni Education For nearly half of all university courses, those in the bottom quarter of the cohort end up earning less than minimum wage five years on from graduating, according to a new report on the outcomes crisis in higher education. The think tank Policy Exchange has found that rampant grade inflation and an explosion in university [...]
One in ten graduates to flee UK’s worst job market in 30 years Education One in ten students due to graduate university this summer do not plan on staying in the UK to find work, according to a new survey from graduate recruitment research firm High Fliers. The survey revealed that out of the 15,000 students surveyed from over 30 universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, and the London School [...]
‘Lacking motivation’ – UK employers worry about graduates’ attitude Business Over half of employers are concerned over the professional conduct of graduate hires, according to new research. As many as 52 per cent of companies said they had increased time spent undertaking professional conduct training and supporting employees in the shift from education to employment, according to the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) The Institute, [...]
Don’t believe Starmer’s spin on skills October 9, 2025 Keir Starmer has abandoned the target of sending 50 per cent of young people to university, but he risks extending the worst failings of universities into further education, says Iain Mansfield Last week, to great fanfare, Keir Starmer tore up Tony Blair’s target of sending 50 per cent of young people to university. He is [...]
Industrial strategy vs journalism: The battle for UK university funding September 17, 2025 The future of journalism courses in UK higher education is under threat after the government confirmed plans to divert funding away from media and communications courses and towards subjects more directly tied to its industrial strategy. In May, ministers announced a £108m cut to the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) for 2025-26 – reducing the total [...]
University students lack basic financial knowledge, research finds September 9, 2025 Incoming university students lack basic understanding and knowledge of personal finance, leaving them at risk of running out of money, new research has found. Nearly 50 per cent of young adults felt stressed about their financial situation ahead of starting Higher Education, while four in ten didn’t feel at all prepared financially, according to retail [...]
Good A-levels are no guarantee in Labour’s abysmal jobs market August 14, 2025 As teenagers open their A-Level results, Andrew Griffith laments a job market that is punishing today's young people.
The ‘university for all’ rhetoric is hurting students and the taxpayer August 12, 2025 Decades of “university for all” rhetoric is hurting students whose degrees no longer pay off, and taxpayers who are stumping up the cost.
AI isn’t undermining university, it’s exposing it May 29, 2025 The crisis in universities didn’t start with ChatGPT, it began when the acquisition of knowledge became a transaction. To tackle it, universities should rediscover their foundational purpose: intellectual innovation, says Eliza Filby Universities are at a tipping point with AI. One recent survey found 88 per cent of students have used Gen AI for written [...]
Gary Neville’s university UA92 plots move to ‘stronger footing’ in 2026 May 1, 2025 Accounts show income has increased at University Academy 92 (UA92), the higher education institution set up by Gary Neville and other members of the Class of ’92, amid a rise in costs and “a tough financial climate.” UA92, which has bases in Trafford as well as the city centre, has reported a deficit before tax of [...]