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An analysis of the likelihood that more and more universities in the UK will find themselves running into financial difficulties and the implications this could have on university art collections across the country. It is suggested that, while traditionally universities have been loathe to sell off artworks that have been bequeathed to them, an expected contraction of university funding could force universities to sell off their collections.

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly has warned universities that they must identify and confront extremist behaviour on campus and defend the 'moderate majority' of students. Kelly noted that, in the aftermath of the London terrorist bombings of 07 July 2005, universities had a duty to tell the police of they had concerns about criminal acts or 'unacceptable behaviour'.

Universities in the UK are to receive a 60-page guidance document from Universities UK and the Standing Conference of Principals which will provide instructions on how to deal with extreme religious or political activity and on how to promote good race relations. The release of the document, which is expected to be revised in the light of the bombings in London, comes as evidence has mounted relating to the activities of extremists on university campuses.

An analysis of the results of a survey of over 10,000 undergraduates in the United Kingdom which aimed to uncover their opinions of the country's universities. The survey, which the organisers hope will help identify the strengths and weaknesses in the approaches adopted by the various universities, identified Strathclyde University as the best in the UK in the perception of undergraduates.

An analysis of the results of a survey of 10,000 16 to 18-year-olds in England and Wales which aimed to gain an insight into their views on higher education, tuition fees, student debt, and on their own academic interests, abilities and ambitions. Of those surveyed, 48% agreed that it is too expensive to go to university, 44% worried about being in debt and 43% said they were very aware of the plans for top-up fees.

An analysis of a survey of some 500 academics in the UK conducted in order to ascertain their opinions of life on campus and the health of higher education ahead of the general election on 05 May 2005. Also included are profiles of the education spokes persons for the various parties, Phil Willis for the Liberal Democrats, Tim Collins for the Conservatives and Ruth Kelly for Labour.

The electoral dominance of the Labour Party on campuses in the UK is set to come to an end on 05 May 2005 as a result of a growth in support from the Liberal Democrats amongst academics and students. Polls reveal that while Labour could count on about 65% of academics voting for them in 2001, the party can now only count on 41% of the academic vote, whereas the Liberals have seen their share of the academic vote grow to 44% from 22%.

An overview of the various incentives and support schemes that universities in the UK intend to offer from 2006, when top-up fees come into effect, in order to attract students. Universities will offer bursaries, ranging from the legal minimum of UKPd300 up to UKPd5,000, as well as other incentives such as rent discounts and help towards the cost of computer equipment.

University heads doubt that the new fee and bursary regime will generate enough additional income to prevent course closures or attract more working-class students to higher education, according to a survey by KPMG and The Times Higher Education Supplement of 72 universities and colleges. While 82% of those surveyed acknowledged that the extra money from variable tuition fees, bursaries and grants would help their financial position, 44% believed that this would not be enough to prevent course closures.

Statistics reveal that students from a poorer background in the UK are more likely to stay in their home area and go to one of the new universities, even if they have received top grades in their A-levels. If these students took up the places that they should have in the leading universities, then 3,000 privately educated students would be denied their places and would have to go to other universities.

An analysis of the growing imbalance in the UK between the number of male and female university students. Statistics reveal that between 1994 and 2001, the number of women entering university increased to 427,000 from 299,000, while the number of men entering university rose by just 16,000 to 305,000. This disparity between the sexes has led some to argue that entry standards for men should be made easier than those set for women.

Sir Martin Harris, head of the Office for Fair Access, has warned students that they will face a 'volatile market' in scholarships and bursaries in 2006 as the majority of universities in the UK plan to begin charging tuition fees of UKPd3,000/yr. Of the 127 universities and colleges expected to lodge their plans for 2006, so far only one, Leeds Metropolitan University, has announced that it plans to charge less than UKPd3,000.

The Government has broken a promise to give the UK's post-92 universities the lion's share of funding for knowledge-transfer work and applied research, according to Michael Driscoll, chairman of Campaigning for Mainstream Universities, the body that represents new institutions. Provisional figures outlining the allocation of the latest round of the UKPd238 million Higher Education Innovation Fund in 2006-2008 reveal that the highest levels of funding will be received by old universities, which will receive up to UKPd3 million each.

The Russell Group of research universities is to appoint a director-general as part of a change in its lobbying activities ahead of the Government's 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review. The group also announced that Malcolm Grant, provost of University College London, will replace Michael Sterling when he steps down as chairman of the group in June 2006.

Chancellor Gordon Brown has announced a new UKPd4 million fund to foster links between UK and Chinese universities and changes to the immigration rules for overseas students as part of efforts to 'boost higher education exports'. The changes to the immigration rules are expected to benefit as many as 50,000 students.

Fears that universities could ask their academics to police extremism on campus have been eased, but the Government's new Terrorism Bill has raised fresh concerns about academic freedom. New guidelines for universities about 'dealing with hate crimes and intolerance' stress that staff will not be expected to monitor the political activities or beliefs of their students. Academics have urged the Government to rethink its Terrorism Bill, arguing that as it is currently worded chemists, social workers and librarians could be subject to prosecution.

Employers and universities could help boost recruitment to the graduate professions by offering additional bursaries to undergraduates on relevant degree courses, according to the 'Gateways to the Professions' report produced by Sir Alan Langlands, vice-chancellor of Dundee University. While the report notes that there is 'no evidence' that the introduction of tuition fees in 1998 provided a disincentive for people to go to university, it does note that bursaries should be considered for courses leading to careers in architecture, engineering, law, social care, teaching or medicine.

Lieutenant-General Sir John Kiszely, director of the UK's Defence Academy, is to tell a conference of 120 senior university figures, that closer links need to be forged between the Armed Forces and academe. Kiszely is to call for more undergraduate courses in fields such as languages, conflict prevention and cultural studies to be established and for a better understanding of the mutual needs of universities and the Armed Forces to be developed.

Reports of the level of Islamic extremism prevalent on university campuses in the UK have been overstated, according to a report produced by the Federation of Student Islamic Societies. However, the report also noted that one in ten Muslim students would not tell the police if they found out that a fellow Muslim planned to commit a terrorist act, a figure that Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell described as 'extremely worrying'.

Student dropout rates at institutions which have had the worst retention rates in recent years have been falling, according to the latest university performance indicators published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. The universities are using schemes such as personal tutors for new students in their first few months at university in order to reduce dropout rates. Cambridge University, with a 1% dropout rate, was the university with the lowest dropout rate in 2002-2003, while Bolton, with a 31.9% dropout rate, was the university with the highest dropout rate.

A number of universities in the UK have criticised the Government's plans to reform the admissions system. They claim that the move to do away with the old system, under which candidates applied to universities with estimates of their A-level grades, for a new system under which candidates will make their applications once they have their A-level grades, will result in a last-minute 'panic' for places.

A profile of Drummond Bone, vice-chancellor of Liverpool University and president of Universities UK (UUK). Bone contends that there is no need for everybody in he higher education sector to agree with each other and says that one of his aims as president of UUK is to help the organisation change and develop.

Academics working in the UK are better off in real terms than those working in Japan, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand and are on a par with those working in Canada, France and Denmark, according to a government-commissioned study carried out by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. The report warns that, while lower-paying countries may prove to be a valuable source for recruits, foreign staff are also more likely to leave academia in the future, which would lead to future retention problems.

Academics should be allowed to spend less time on teaching and administration and more time on research if recruitment and retention in higher education is to be improved, according to a government-commissioned report produced by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. The report also warns that plans to create research-only or teaching-only universities (or jobs) could serve to exacerbate retention and recruitment problems.

Arts and humanities departments at universities in the UK will need to demonstrate how they develop the careers of their young academics in the upcoming 2008 research assessment exercise. Those responsible for overseeing the assessments in subjects ranging from modern languages to history and philosophy have made it clear that one of the elements they will be examining is the steps being taken by departments to sustain their subjects in the future and bring on their young talent.

Universities in the UK could be forced to provide the security services with details on student and academic applications and will be expected to keep track of academic debates on campus as a result of a series of initiatives taken by the Government in the aftermath of the London terrorist attacks on 7 July 2005. Universities in the UK already operate under a voluntary system under which universities alert the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to overseas research applicants suspected of planning to develop weapons of mass destruction, but this system could now be made compulsory.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) has ruled out the creation of a 'central command-and-control' system to protect academic subjects, such as maths, sciences and languages, that are deemed strategically important, declaring that the closure of university courses in the future would simply represent natural adjustments in the higher education market. Sir Howard Newby, chief executive of Hefce, argues that the creation of one or two national centres of excellence in these strategically important subjects would be preferable to trying to maintain facilities to provide these subjects across the country.

A survey of 10,000 first-year undergraduate students at universities in the United Kingdom has revealed the issues that influence students' decision on where to study. The survey revealed that location can be a decisive factor for many students, while 80% of those questioned stated that 'a friendly campus feel' was an important factor in their choice and 72% stated that it was important that the university they selected had an image of being 'strong in league tables'.

Students planning to go to university in the UK following the introduction of top-up fees in 2006 are expected to hit universities with a number of demands, including better quality teaching, better campus facilities and free gym membership, according to a survey of 10,000 teenagers conducted for The Times Higher Education Supplement. In return for the introduction of fees, 62% of those surveyed stated that they expected improved teaching quality, while 39% stated that there should be no additional hidden charges, including extra charges for university accommodation.

A working group chaired by Sir Alan Wilson, the Government's director-general of higher education, has raised concerns that allowing students to apply for university places after they have received their A-level results could pose practical problems for university admissions tutors and actually make life more difficult for the most disadvantaged applicants. Others note that experts have been advocating a post-qualification system for several years and that it is now time to devise a workable system.

A survey of students in the UK has found that only 12% of students believe that universities should use some of the funds raised through the introduction of top-up fees in 2006 to increase the wages and motivation of staff. Instead, 30% of students believe the money should be invested in campus security, while 31% believe the money should be invested in university libraries.

Education Secretary Charles Clarke has written to the Higher Education Funding Council for England to warn that universities that sacrifice teaching quality and take on too many students in the run-up to the introduction of top-up fees will be hit with cash penalties. The move is part of efforts to enforce a government commitment that puts the quality of teaching ahead of student expansion.

Sir Martin Harris is the newly appointed director of the Office for Fair Access (Offa). Harris argues that the job of Offa is to help and encourage universities and colleges to identify talent from all areas of the social spectrum and to expand the pool of qualified candidates.

The Office for Fair Access is to publish a 20-page booklet on 08 November 2004 in which it will tell universities in the UK that they will have until March 2005 to reveal their plans for outreach schemes, bursaries and perks for students in 2006. Concerns still remain, however, that students could be confused about key financial information as they make their choice of which university to attend.

Alison Richard, vice-chancellor of Cambridge University, has warned in her annual address to the university's Regent House that the university risks damaging the quality of the student experience if it takes on too many more undergraduates. The number of students at Cambridge has risen to nearly 18,000 from just over 11,000 over the past 30 years, with the number of undergraduates and postgraduates rising to 11,751 and 5,967 respectively in 2003-2004, vs 8,855 and 2,513 in 1973-1974.

The divide between new and old universities in the United Kingdom remains, according to official figures which reveal that the new universities are having difficulties in reducing student dropout rates and that the old, research universities are struggling to open their doors to students from working-class backgrounds. Tables listing the top ten universities in terms of ratio of research income to student costs, highest participation rates of students from lower social class groups, lowest participation rates of students from lower social class groups, highest projected student dropout rates and lowest projected student dropout rates are also given.

Managers at Cambridge University are too cautious in handling underperforming academics and administrators, according to an internal report for the university. The report concluded that there is a widespread perception that the university's personnel division is averse to taking risks in the management of staff and that while decisions should be made in the light of current employment law and practice, 'the efficiency of the university's teaching and research should be the primary consideration'.

The use of admissions or aptitude tests by universities to attract more pupils from under-privileged backgrounds has been endorsed by Stephen Schwartz, the head of the Government's inquiry into fair access, just days before he is due to publish his final report. Schwartz, speaking at a conference, stated that such tests could be used to talent-spot gifted youngsters who might not be considered by universities if only their A level results were taken into consideration.

Ministers should consider establishing a two-tier foundation degree system by allowing exam boards to award foundation degrees as well as universities, according to a report produced by a Government-appointed task force. The report states that foundation degrees are well regarded by students, colleges and employers and states that the Higher Education Council for England and the Government should work towards increasing the number of foundation degree places fourfold by 2010 by funding 100,000 places.

Any analysis of the university clearing processes at Kingston and Wolverhampton Universities in mid-August 2004. Kingston estimates that it will fill between 800 and 1,000 places this year through the clearing process, while at Wolverhampton it is estimated that about 400 places will be filled this way.

Figures released by the Fulbright Commission, which provides students interested in an American higher education with advice and scholarships, reveal that more and more students in the UK are looking for information about studying in the US. However, while the number of students looking for information is rising quickly, the number actually taking up places in the US has only risen a little, rising by 500 to 8,326 in 2003 vs 10 years earlier.

Laura Spence, a state-school pupil who sparked a row in 2000 about university elitism when she was rejected by Oxford University despite predictions that she would receive A grades at A level, has come back to the UK to study medicine after spending four years at Harvard University studying biochemistry. Spence urges other British sixth form students to consider applying for places at universities in the United States, noting that there are a number of forms of financial aid available for students who do make this choice.

Universities will be required to provide the Government with one year's notice before shutting down struggling departments under chancellor Gordon Brown and the Treasury's new 10-year investment plan for science. The plan signals a more interventionist role for higher education funding chiefs and has prompted charges that the Government is encroaching on university autonomy.

Universities concerned about the levels at which to set their bursaries and tuition fees may withhold information from their 2006 prospectus, thereby leaving sixth-formers temporarily unaware of the cost of study. The Secondary Heads Association reacted by stating that sixth-formers would avoid universities that failed to divulge the information in a timely manner and that the late publication of the financial details would be 'self-defeating'.

An analysis of new figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency that reveal the gender divide in university courses. The figures show that while in subjects such as the biological sciences, social sciences, creative arts, humanities and subjects allied to medicine women make up the majority of students - accounting for 85% of undergraduates in subjects allied to medicine - in subjects such as computer science or engineering and technology they are still outnumbered by men - accounting for only 14% of engineering & technology undergraduates.

The Open University (OU) plans to swap its schedule of pre-dawn educational TV programmes for prime time slots when its final coursework programmes are broadcast on BBC Two in 2006. The first OU student programme was broadcast on the BBC in January 1971. The OU will in future broadcast course-related media on the Internet, or it will send it out by post on DVD or video.

Universities in the United Kingdom stand to lose millions of pounds in revenues because they will no longer be able to charge students from the 10 countries that are due to join the European Union (EU) on 01 May 2004 full-cost tuition fees. Institutions currently earn about UKPd27 mil from 3,400 undergraduates from the 10 countries, according to Higher Education Statistics Agency figures. These students are charged between UKPd7,000 to UKPd8,000/yr as non-EU students, but after they join the EU this will fall to a maximum of UKPd1,125/yr.

Academic chiefs have predicted that, once top-up fees are introduced, universities will compete for students with bursaries and perks, rather than by varying the level of top-up fee they charge. Vice-chancellors believe that the vast majority of old and new universities will set fees for all degree courses at the UKPd3,000/yr maximum from 2006, despite worries that some institution could run into trouble if they make mistaken judgements about their position within the higher education market.

Fears have been raised at Cambridge University about the implications of planned new intellectual property proposals. It is claimed that the proposals would result in academics having to ask the university's authorities for permission to make money from their ideas, giving the university a level of control over the side activities, such as publishing and inventing, of most academics.

Labour ministers saw the government's higher education bill, which includes plans to introduce variable tuition fees of up to UKPd3,000/yr, pass its third reading in the House of Commons with its core proposals intact, despite opposition from Liberal Democrats, Tories and a number of rebel Labour backbench MPs. The bill will now enter the House of Lords where the government will rely on the 182 Labour peers, plus the majority of the 180 non-affiliated crossbench peers to get the bill past the 272 Tory and Liberal Democrat peers without any amendments.