The right of set-off, and whether it exists for students
Wonkhe examines whether university fee rules leave students any meaningful leverage when teaching is not delivered as promised — the legal concept of set-off, where you withhold payment against a failure to perform. The conclusion is uncomfortable: fee regulations and loan payment routes leave most students with a complaint rather than a remedy. Cardiff’s £700,000 in settlements shows the complaint route does work, slowly.
LGBTQ+ visibility, from students who looked for it
Durham students describe what LGBTQ+ life is actually like there — the societies, the gaps, and the difference between a university’s stated position and the daily experience of finding people. Worth reading before choosing, and worth knowing that the picture varies enormously between institutions in the same city. LGBTQ+ life at university covers what to look for.
Universities told to broaden their approach to Sub-Saharan Africa
A British Council report urges UK universities to diversify their strategies across Sub-Saharan Africa rather than concentrating on two or three markets. For students in those countries, concentration is why a single policy change — a visa rule, a compliance threshold — can close off the UK entirely.