Offers held, evacuation unresolved
Students in Gaza holding offers from UK universities remain uncertain whether they will be evacuated, despite government assurances. Their position is unlike any other applicant’s: the offer is conditional on arriving, the visa on documents that cannot be obtained, and the academic year on a route out that has not opened. Several universities have deferred places and held scholarships open while it continues.
Who is stifling whose free speech?
HEPI’s policy director examines the free speech argument now running across campuses and finds both sides claiming to be the silenced party — societies blocked from hosting speakers, students who say they cannot discuss Palestine, academics who say they self-censor. The regulator’s new complaints scheme will produce the first rulings on which claims it recognises.
Student Finance England opens its list for 2026/27
Student Finance England has opened its mailing list for the 2026/27 academic year — the practical value is being told when applications open rather than finding out in June. Applications for next year usually open in the spring and the full-assessment deadline falls in May, months before you know where you are going, which is why people miss it. Student finance explained covers the timetable.