BU Research Blog

Monday

Graduate Employment

The Graduate Market in 2015 report has shown that for Britain’s leading employers, the average graduate starting salary will rise to £30,000 this year and graduate recruitment is set to expand by 8.1% (the highest in the past decade). Graduates are getting record salaries (The Times).

Tuesday

Counter Terrorism and Security Bill

The Joint Committee on Human Rights advised that the government should remove universities from the list of authorities covered by proposed new powers in the Counter Terrorism and Security Bill. They say the plans to require universities to stop people from being drawn into terrorism would stifle academic freedom. Terror plans ‘threaten academic freedom’ (BBC News).

Wednesday

US Universities

There is concern that students are choosing to go to US universities amid concerns over rising fees and quality of degree courses – including contact time. British students shun Oxbridge in favour of ‘value for money’ US (The Independent).

Campus Safety

A third of female students in Britain have endured a sexual assault or unwanted advances at university, new research conducted for The Telegraph shows. The End Violence Against Women Coalition, an alliance of charities and campaign groups, warned that higher education institutions are avoiding their legal responsibilities by refusing to investigate sexual assault allegations. One in three UK female students sexually assaulted or abused on campus (The Telegraph).

Thursday

International Students

Higher education leaders have called on Theresa May to stop using international students as a political football in a Conservative Party power struggle, as details emerge of more proposed visa restrictions. Foreign students used as ‘pawns in a political game’ (Times Higher Education).

Friday

Degree Quality

HESA figures show that one in five graduates were awarded a first-class degree last year, prompting claims that universities are handing out more top grades to boost their league table positions. The number of students attaining a first has doubled in the past decade, rising by 14 per cent in 12 months to a record of almost 80,000 last summer. Universities ‘handing out more firsts to lift rankings’ (The Telegraph).

Part-Time Students

Nearly 55,000 fewer part-time students were studying in the UK in 2013-14 than in 2012-13, with overall numbers dipping to 603,325 last year according to data released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. Part-time student numbers continue to dive (Times Higher Education).

Chinese Students

Last year, 58,810 first-year students from China started undergraduate degrees at UK universities – a rise of 4 per cent on last year. The number of new Chinese students has rocketed by almost 60 per cent since 2009-10. However, students from India declined by 12 per cent and Pakistan by 7 per cent, suggesting that the government’s clampdown on student visas and tough rhetoric on immigration had put many off coming to the UK. More students here from China than whole of EU (The Independent).

 2015 Election

Several Vice-Chancellors have been asked to share their expectations for 2015 party manifestos for the Guardian HE Network, the article includes comments from Professor John Vinney. Vice-chancellors share their expectations for 2015 party manifestos (Guardian HE network).