A disaffiliation referendum goes against the national union
University of Manchester students have voted to disaffiliate from the National Union of Students. Disaffiliation removes a union from national campaigning and from the NUS’s collective services, and it is usually driven by a mix of cost and politics. It is one of the larger unions in the country, so the result will be read as a verdict on what the NUS is currently for. Students’ union explained covers the difference between a local union and the national one.
The official count of students who leave early
The Student Loans Company has published its statistics on early-in-year withdrawals up to February, covering every year since 2018/19. It is the only national measure of how many students leave in the first months, and it is worth knowing it exists: leaving is common enough to be counted quarterly, and telling your university before you go protects your finance position.
Student Loans Company, 26 March
What if universities were judged on the progress students make?
A vice-chancellor argues that ranking universities by entry grades and graduate salaries rewards those who admit advantaged students, and that measuring the distance students travel would produce a different — and more useful — list. It is the same argument underneath this week’s social mobility index, made by an institution that would do well out of it.