Bias, error and the limits of the regulator
HEPI examines the High Court’s findings in the Sussex case — errors in law and possible bias in how the Office for Students investigated — and what it leaves standing. The free speech duties remain in force and students can still complain under them; what the judgment constrains is how the regulator investigates and how it calculates a fine.
Visa uncertainty is now reshaping where students apply
A survey of more than 5,800 prospective and current international students across 118 countries finds visa uncertainty, rather than cost or ranking, increasingly determining destination choice. Countries offering a clear post-study route are gaining applications from those that do not, which is the mechanism behind the UK’s 30 per cent fall.
Part-time student finance forms for next year
The Student Loans Company has published application forms for new part-time students taking tuition fee support for 2026/27, along with the evidence guidance that goes with them. Part-time funding is assessed differently from full-time and the intensity of study decides what you get — which is the detail that catches people who reduce their hours mid-course.
A Reform society, and where a union’s limits now sit
The president of a newly founded Students for Reform UK society discusses the limits of free speech on campus with a student paper. After a term of bans, threats and a withdrawn funding threat, the position is clearer than it was: a union that refuses to register a lawful society can be complained about to the regulator.