Degree debates
Although some attention is already being directed onto what an Andy Burnham administration might do on R&D policy (£), away from the soothsaying there have been other news stories based on more tangible evidence.
The latest British Social Attitudes survey indicated that public confidence in universities has plummeted, with the proportion of people who believe a degree is not worth the time and money now at a record high. The data were released on the same day as the start of an inquiry by the UK Parliament’s Treasury Committee into the student loan system in England. In the Committee’s first session, UUK chief executive Vivienne Stern warned (£) that existing financial pressures will be exacerbated as a result of Department for Education cuts to the strategic priorities grant (£) which subsidises the teaching of high-cost subjects at universities in England.
In a further example of the dissonance surrounding HE and research amidst current culture wars, the same day that UUK called for a doubling of external investment into UK university innovation, right-wing thinktank Policy Exchange released a report arguing that only 22 universities should be allowed to take part in REF (and a 30% reduction in university places).
Other news in brief
- Scottish research integrity spotlight: A new policy published by the Scottish Funding Council sets out how Scottish universities will be required to demonstrate robust research integrity systems and report formal research misconduct investigation outcomes.
- HEPI reading: A new report from the Higher Education Policy Institute proposes capping student numbers for high-tariff universities with soaring undergraduate recruitment. It argues that predatory recruitment practices by high-tariff UK universities, coupled with a predicted decline in the number of 18-year-olds, will cause “perfectly good universities” in other parts of the sector to fail. Elsewhere, HEPI released survey data showing current students’ views on a range of social issues; it makes for interesting reading.
- LERU report: A new paper by the League of European Research Universities argues that the collapsing divide between civil and military research poses a challenge for universities. It examines where “genuine value conflicts exist” around work related to defence and “why procedural improvements alone cannot resolve them”. The paper also explores the greater complexity of international relationships, acknowledging that China is “a major research partner, an economic competitor, a strategic rival, and – in certain domains – a security threat”, but with no clear guidelines for universities on how to navigate this complexity.
- REF SPRE weightings: Research Professional covered a warning from the Academy of Social Sciences (£) that the Research Excellence Framework’s culture weightings risk perpetuating inequalities.
- New SHAPE dashboard: The British Academy has launched a Who Studies Shape tool, which shows how social sciences, humanities and arts participation varies across UK higher education. It shows which subjects are declining, how groups of students are represented across subjects and where students study in relation to where they come from.
- RE changes: Jessica Corner, executive chair of Research England, has announced that she will step down from her role in Spring 2027, slightly beyond the end of her four-year term in September.