Author

Alec Charles

Press, PR & Comms Officer, QAA

12 August: The Times reports that "some" working-class students have been affected by "classism" and "say they have been made to feel alienated by elitism at top universities". It characterises "working-class life at top universities" in terms of students being "mocked for using the wrong spoon".

13 August: Cumbria's Claire Inglis tells Wonkhe that "higher education's overreliance on resilience… masks systemic failures and burdens neurodivergent students with unrealistic expectations".

14 August: Manchester's Rebecca Hodgson and Sheffield Hallam's Liz Austen tell Wonkhe about strategies for "supporting student access and success when there's no money".

14 August: The Bedford Independent reminds its readers that "if your A-level grades don't go to plan… your first step should be to check your UCAS Hub… [and that] you can also resit your A-levels, take a gap year to reassess your options, or consider an Access to Higher Education Diploma".

7 August: THE reports that "the number of school-leavers planning to study full-time at university has dropped to just over half, with almost two in five now saying they believe they can have a good career without a degree".

8 August: The i Paper reports that "universities are offering cut-price courses, cash handouts, and free laptops in a bid to entice a higher number of UK students ahead of this year's clearing scramble".

11 August: THE reports: "All the ingredients are there for a bumper year of UK university entrants, according to experts – with institutions ramping up advertising, freebies and more favourable offers to ensure they attract enough students to survive. Ahead of A-level results day on 14 August, early data suggests the sector could experience another record year of students continuing into higher education." The Guardian observes that "career-focused subjects such as business studies and economics [are] surpass[ing] traditional academic disciplines like history in popularity". Meanwhile, BBC News reports that "university applications from Wales fall again" – adding that Medr "said data suggested a 'mixed picture', with UCAS figures suggesting an uptick in applications from disadvantaged areas". And the Telegraph's Roger Bootle declares that "it's time Britain realised that going to university is a scam" – calling the "Blairite dream" of widening participation to half the nation a "waste of resources" and supposing that "the evidence is accumulating that we send far too many young people to university".

12 August: UCAS CEO Jo Saxton talks to THE about Clearing: "For current applicants, it's the mechanism by which they change their mind… It's a misrepresentation to suggest that it's a trading-up activity. It is about students trusting their instincts and going back to their curated playlists of favourites, which they've researched and probably visited. They're not blindfolded, throwing a dart at a dart board. It's researched.”

13 August: The Independent and BBC News anticipate the release of exam results in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Wonkhe's David Kernohan writes: "Results day is stressful and horrible in and of itself. In a sane and rational world we wouldn't make judgements about the life chances of young people based on their performance on a single, sweaty, afternoon in the school gym. But this is England, and your level 3 (A level, T level, BTEC, etcetera) results feel totemic." BBC News talks to a number of people who secured employment without going to university: a celebrity photographer, an assistant TV producer, a zookeeper and a nail technician.

14 August: One graduate tells Metro that her university studies left her unprepared for "the world of work". The Telegraph warns of "the pretend graduate jobs popping up in Britain's blated universities" – "low-skill roles saddling young people with debt for little gain". The Telegraph also explores which subjects students should study if they want to "get in with Cs and earn thousands more than a Cambridge graduate". The Telegraph's Rowan Pelling declares that "exam results mean less than ever" and that therefore "it's time to abandon the hassle of results day". She adds that "young people think that missing top grades will ruin their lives, but this couldn't be further from the truth". Meanwhile, RPN and ITV News hail the "record number of students accepted into UK universities" – and THE reports: "A record number of students have been accepted on to UK university courses, with the most-selective universities the biggest beneficiaries of the rising demand. On A-level results day, data from the admissions service UCAS show that a total of 439,180 applicants have been accepted in 2025 – up 3.1 per cent on last year." The FT says that "top-tier UK universities" have boosted their "domestic intake". And UCAS CEO Jo Saxton tells Radio 4's Today programme that more than a quarter of a million young people have secured places at universities - with 82 per cent accepted by their first-choice institutions - as the country sees a "real surge" of interest in higher education, with particular growth in STEM subjects. She encourages listeners who want to "shop around" through Clearing to "pick up the phone" to UCAS: "We will help fulfil your dreams." BBC News speaks to "Maisie in Middlesbrough" whose "results of A*, A and B" offer "a bridge for her to start an apprenticeship to become a solicitor". It adds: "She is now off to the pub with her family before a 04:00 flight to Rome tomorrow to continue the celebrations."

13 August: FE Week covers calls from the Fabian Society for the government to "reverse the 'failure' of the apprenticeship levy by tripling the number of businesses that pay into it and releasing all funding raised by the tax to be spent on training".

7 August: FE Week reports that "a 'mitigation fund' has been created to continue level 7 apprenticeships in health and care professions for three years following the government's decision to scrap public subsidy for the master's level programmes".

11 August: The UK Government announces that "thousands of new jobs will be unlocked across the healthcare sector thanks to government action to make sure there are enough jobs for every newly qualified nurse and midwife in England". The news is welcomed by the NMC and covered by Nursing Times, Nursing in Practice and the RCN's Nursing Standard.

13 August: THE reports: "A YouGov survey commissioned by University Alliance shows that 85 per cent of voters support government-funded loan forgiveness, grants or bursaries for students training to work in the NHS. Approval for this policy spans the political spectrum, with 80 per cent of Reform UK voters in favour of it." Wonkhe's David Kernohan adds: "Respondents were clearly in favour of loan forgiveness or bursaries for graduates working as NHS staff (85 per cent), social workers (68 per cent), teachers (75 per cent), and police (65 per cent). As in previous polling, the public feel that undergraduate courses should be more focused on skills and experience (57 per cent)."

13 August: The NMC announces that it "is pleased to approve Canterbury Christ Church University's new midwifery programme".

12 August: RPN covers the publication of a HEPI report which reveals that maintenance loans in England cover only half of students' costs. The Russell Group's Maddy Godin warns that "there is a real risk that this is undermining widening access efforts and creating a divide on our campuses, where those without additional financial support from their families face a much tougher student experience". The Standard stresses that "university students in England must undertake more than 20 hours of paid work a week to meet the basic standard of living". THE observes that the research shows that "a three-year university degree in England now costs a student approximately £90,000, including tuition fees and a 'minimum standard' of living expenses". Wonkhe's Jim Dickinson observes: "If the country really can't afford mass participation in higher education, and students can't afford to be students, the only morally right thing to do is admit it. And if telling students they need £21,126 per year to live on might put some of them off, then maybe it should."

12 August: Wonkhe's Jim Dickinson considers the findings of the latest NatWest Student Living Index: "The central conceit of the exercise is, for some reason, to take average monthly living and accommodation costs and then divide them by average monthly income – all while, for some reason, excluding the student loan that home students in the sample have. That then supposedly gives us a “Student Living Index” score for each university town and city… This is all derived from a survey of 5,001 undergraduate students – a sample which does not appear to be weighted for any characteristics, and bases any reported city results on sample sizes of 50 or more. As a result, the results are pretty much impossible to trust at both local and national level… The odd dodgy survey from a company trying to flog things to new students is probably fine. But as I've noted in previous years, this is an actual high street bank – whose figures may be relied upon by prospective students to do their budgeting. Students still need much, much better, nationally coordinated, accurate and up-to-date information on this sort of stuff – and surveys like this from bodies like banks really ought to be banned. But as long as they're still being published, the very least that universities can do is to refrain from bragging about how well they've done in them. That will help avoid any later… regrets." 

13 August: Sky News supposes that "on the eve of the A-level results, students and employers will be asking whether rising costs, debts and the rise of AI makes the experience of going to university still worth the effort".

13 August: THE reports: "Under the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, an overhaul of the student finance system set to come in from 2027, tuition fee limits will relate to the number of credits in a course, rather than the time spent studying. Currently, students on accelerated undergraduate degree courses – which typically take two years to complete instead of three – can access up to £11,440 in tuition fee loans per year. This is also the maximum fee that registered providers are allowed to charge per year, meaning they receive less total revenue than they would from a standard degree course… Although students will have to pay more under the incoming LLE, which will bring fees for accelerated degrees in line with those for standard degrees, advocates suggest that the former is still a more affordable option."

11 August: Reflecting on the results of her organisation's annual Student Wellbeing Survey, Studiosity's Isabelle Bristow tells HEPI: "The widespread adoption of AI tools is linked to considerable student stress…. The way AI is currently being used appears to be affecting students' confidence in their own learning. Some 61% feel only 'moderately' or less confident that they are genuinely learning and improving their own skills when using generative AI."

13 August: BCU's Professor Islam Issa tells THE: "Now is the time to remember what makes us human as we face AI advancement and other challenges – humanities are key to this." Meanwhile, BBC News reports: "Rolls-Royce's plan to power artificial intelligence with its nuclear reactors could make it the UK's most valuable company, its boss has said. The engineering firm has signed deals to provide small modular reactors to the UK and Czech governments. AI has boomed in popularity since 2022, but the technology uses lots of energy, something which has raised practical and environmental concerns."

11 August: Wonkhe takes a deep dive into HE leadership, with London Higher's Darren de Souza detailing an initiative to develop a more diverse leadership pipeline, and Jaya Gajparia presenting the perspective of a participant in that programme, while Minerva's Juhi James and Louis Stephenson explain why their organisation supports it.

8 August: THE reports that policy experts are urging university leaders to engage with Reform UK. It notes: "The party has previously outlined its overall approach to higher education. This included a pledge to restrict undergraduate numbers 'well below' current levels as 'too many courses are not good enough and students are being ripped off'. If elected, the party would also 'enforce minimum entry standards' and cut funding to institutions 'that undermine free speech', and force universities to provide two-year undergraduate courses."

11 August: Cardiff's Dr Huw Williams tells Unherd: "With polling for the Senedd indicating that Labour's days at the helm are numbered, Welsh higher education may soon face some more stark choices. While Welsh Labour's fall from grace reflects Starmer's struggles, in Wales there is the added issue of negotiating the national question, with the contenders for next year's election representing rather more defined responses to the conundrum of Welsh identity. Plaid Cymru's nationalism at least acknowledges the importance of our universities, even if their exact approach needs further elaboration. Reform's blend of turbo-charged Britishness and neoliberalism is somewhat less ambiguous in its consequences: a continuing struggle on the margins of an ever-more competitive market."

9 August: Nation Cymru reports that Bangor University, Wrexham University, Coleg Cambria and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai have formed the North Wales Tertiary Alliance – "a landmark partnership to strengthen education and skills development, fuel economic growth and improve life opportunities across the region".

13 August: Herald Wales reports that "Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, is backing the newly formed North Wales Tertiary Alliance".

13 August: The FT reveals that UK universities are looking at "merging language courses as enrolment fails".

14 August: THE carries a warning from a group of "academics and public figures" (including former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams) that theology programmes are "hardest hit" by cuts.

14 August: UUK's Professor Malcolm Press tells Politics Home that "we must help future graduates excel by giving universities sustainable funding".