Students polled at Lancaster reject Turnitin using their coursework to train AI
Turnitin, the submission checker almost every UK university runs your work through, has proposed a licence change that would ask students and staff to agree to their submissions being used, anonymised, to develop its AI tools. Of more than 700 replies to a Lancaster Tab poll, 95 per cent said they would not be happy with that. Turnitin says nothing takes effect before September 2027. Southampton is already dropping the software and York says it has been assured its students’ work will not be used.
UCAS applications are offline until late on Sunday
UCAS has taken its application service down for planned maintenance from 18:00 on Friday 25 September until 23:59 on Sunday 27 September, UK time. Whether you are starting an application, editing one or ready to send it, nothing can be done in that window and the notice offers no other way in. Draft or revise your personal statement in a document over the weekend and paste it across once the service is back on Sunday night.
The government will rewrite how student loan terms are explained in England
This covers student finance in England only. After the Commons Treasury Committee found that teenagers had in effect been mis-sold their loans, ministers have agreed to state plainly that future governments can change the repayment rules and that the career you go into affects how much you repay and when. Wider reform was turned down, including ending the use of the Retail Price Index. Dame Meg Hillier is still pressing the chancellor to look again.
Universities in England told to publish the conditions on any accommodation guarantee
The Department for Education has set out what it expects of higher education providers in England: plan five years ahead with the local planning authority so beds match the students they recruit, and tell applicants and current students clearly what any accommodation guarantee covers, along with the conditions, limits and eligibility rules on it. Care leavers, care-experienced and estranged students should be prioritised, including housing outside term time.