A generation of student leaders adjusting their expectations
Research with student leaders finds the class of 2026 has stopped expecting university to deliver an education, a community and a transformation at once, and is choosing which of the three to pursue. It is a rational response to paid work, commuting and cost — and a quiet indictment of how the offer has been sold.
A graduate says she was assaulted over a Palestinian flag
A Cardiff student carrying a Palestinian flag has said she was assaulted by venue staff during an altercation at a graduation ceremony. Ceremonies are run under venue rules that permit restrictions on banners and flags; how those rules are enforced, and by whom, is a question for the university rather than the venue.
Where applications fell most
Southampton saw the largest fall in applicants of any Russell Group university in the 2025 cycle, down 2.6 per cent. Application falls at individual universities feed directly into next year’s finances, which is how a popularity statistic becomes a staffing decision two years later.
“From golden ticket to dead end”: the UK degree in Malaysia
An academic in Malaysia describes how a UK degree has lost its standing there — graduates returning without the advantage their families paid for, as local employers stop treating it as a differentiator. It is a warning about what happens to a country’s education export when quality and post-study opportunity both slip.