The Higher Education Show

Epizódy

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  The end of the year show 16.07.2026 54min

  This week on the podcast Team Wonkhe looks back on the year in higher education policy and politics – from the Post-16 Education and Skills white paper to the financial pressures pushing institutions towards closures, mergers and deeper collaboration.Plus the team discusses the fallout from the Office for Students' High Court case against the University of Sussex, the shifting narrative around who goes to university and why, and the growing gap between students' financial pressures and what the system assumes about their time and money.With Debbie McVitty, Editor at Wonkhe, John Blake, Director of the Post-18 Project and David Kernohan, Deputy Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.
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  Funding, student loans, NSSmass 10.07.2026 31min

  This week on the podcast the government's Strategic Priorities Grant allocation lands with a cash cut of just over £50m – and a much wider list of subjects losing high-cost teaching support, including the creative arts, computing and nursing.Plus two competing views on student loans this week – the House of Commons Treasury Committee concludes the government has, in effect, mis-sold student loans, while the Post-18 Project's John Blake argues the loan book itself is an accounting fiction obstructing reform of university funding in England. And DK has your NSS headlines.With Sarah Cowan, Head of Policy (Higher Education and Research) at the British Academy, Chris Shelley, Director of Student Experience at Queen Mary University of London and James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, presented by Mark Leach, Editor in Chief at Wonkhe.I’ve stopped believing in Father NSSmas. Here’s whyStudent loans can no longer be patched up. The system is rottenThe NSS shows us that students still seem to like higher educationThe Silence of the Loans: How student loan book fictions prevent higher education reformThe Treasury committee proposes tinkering with student loans
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  PhD students, Burnham 02.07.2026 47min

  This week on the podcast we ask why UKRI is spending more on PhD studentships while the number of funded starts falls. New analysis shows doctoral stipends have taken priority over the volume of studentships, with UKRI-funded starts 22 per cent lower than a decade ago – so do we have the right number of PhDs, and what does this mean for institutions, disciplines, UK science and academic careers? The team also digs into a new Martingale Foundation report on the experiences of doctoral students from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds, and the culture around "not belonging". Plus the Post-18 Project has launched a paper calling for a new Department for Skills, Research, and Prosperity, uniting higher education teaching and research, further education, apprenticeships and the industrial strategy around a presumption in favour of local decision-making. With Eunice Simmons, Vice Chancellor at the University of Chester, John Blake, Director at The Post-18 Project, Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.A Ministry for Manchesterism: Rewiring Whitehall for locally-driven prosperity and changeDevolution is a means not an end for researchThe doctoral experience remains shaped by socioeconomic status
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  Burnham, IFS on value of HE 25.06.2026 43min

  This week on the podcast we examine the implications of a change at the top of government, as Keir Starmer prepares to depart and Andy Burnham appears set for a swift coronation as Labour leader and Prime Minister. With new policy priorities, new ministers, and a new political centre of gravity potentially taking shape, what might “Manchesterism” mean for higher education?We discuss what new evidence on graduate earnings tells us about the value of higher education, as the Institute for Fiscal Studies reports on returns to study and government edges closer to using outcomes data to shape student loan access and course provision, and we discuss the higher education stories catching attention this week, from science funding and postgraduate research student experience to English language standards, applicant trends, health and wellbeing, and the future of apprenticeship funding.With Vivienne Stern, Chief Executive at Universities UK, Paul Greatrix, Director of Higher Education Consultancy at Shakespeare Martineau, Livia Scott, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.The Starmer era in English higher educationHigher education study still makes financial sense for mostWhat can GCSE performance tell us about salaries aged 27?Can we really separate student experience and student life?There is no growth without universities
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  Minimum entry, Governance, Working class boys and girls 19.06.2026 48min

  This week on the podcast reports suggest the Department for Education is considering restricting access to the student loan book to those who hold a pass in GCSE English – a move that could prove financially devastating for institutions with large numbers of students who lack that qualification, many of them linked to franchised provision.Plus, the Committee of University Chairs has published a revised Code of Higher Education Governance, and we discuss the Sutton Trust's latest research on opportunity which complicates the narrative around white working-class boys.With Mike Ratcliffe, Interim Academic Registrar at Canterbury Christ Church University, Annie Bell, Associate Director Higher Education at Public First, and David Kernohan, Deputy Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.Opportunity is shaped by where you live, who you are, and how much money your family hadThe Code of Higher Education Governance has had a complete rewriteIs the government really re-immersing itself in the MERs debate?
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  TEF, student experience, demographics 11.06.2026 51min

  This week on the podcast we examine the next phase of the Teaching Excellence Framework, as the Office for Students confirms its first decisions on a revised approach to assessing education quality. With all providers in scope, apprenticeships included, and ratings linked to future incentives, interventions, growth limits, and potentially funding, the stakes around TEF are set to rise.Plus we discuss new findings from the Student Academic Experience Survey, with students reporting the highest levels of perceived value for money in a decade despite ongoing pressures from paid work, costs, and expectations. And we consider what long-term demographic change means for higher education, as projections point to a shrinking pool of 18-year-olds and a growing need to rethink participation, access, and financial sustainability.With Paul Ashwin, Professor of Higher Education at Lancaster University, Rachel Macsween, Director of Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement for UK and Europe at IDP, Debbie McVitty, Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.First round of consultation on future TEF sees movement on the implications of a Bronze awardStudents are coping better because the system is demanding lessThe Big Shortfall: Demographic downturn and the post-18 education system
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  Cuts, International, Friends 29.05.2026 46min

  This week on the podcast we discuss the scale and shape of cuts across UK higher education, as new survey findings from Universities UK suggest institutions are considering mergers, groups, hiring freezes, redundancies, campus closures, and reductions in student support as financial pressures deepen.Plus we discuss the latest international recruitment data, and we consider new Wonkhe research on belonging, friendship and student experience, asking whether universities are designing the structural conditions students need to form meaningful academic and social connections.With Emma Maslin, Senior Policy and Research Officer at AMOSSHE, Neil Mackenzie, Chief Executive at Leeds Beckett SU, James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.The international student boom is over – and the bust is being delivered by stealthFriends, it turns out, have benefitsAre universities supporting students too much?Managing immigration compliance risk through large deposits is immoral and probably unlawfulUUK: Two in five universities consider joining forces through 'multi academy trust' style models or mergers, new survey shows
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  LLE, Milburn review 22.05.2026 37min

  This week on the podcast the final pieces of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement puzzle are falling into place, so what do the new regulations, the long-awaited transcript guidance and the list of 130 approved providers tell us about how flexible the future of student finance will really be?Plus former health secretary Alan Milburn's review argues that too many young people are being pushed towards university rather than technical education as youth unemployment climbs to its highest level in over a decade, and our guests each pick a higher education story that has caught their eye.With Anne-Marie Canning, Opportunity Mission Challenge Director at UK Research and Innovation, Johnny Rich, Chief Executive at the Engineering Professors' Council and Push, Debbie McVitty, Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.The Times: Thousands of young unemployed are university-educatedWho gets to offer LLE modules?
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  Starmergeddon, Insolvency, Europe 15.05.2026 54min

  This week on the podcast we talk a turbulent week in Westminster, as Labour’s poor performance in the national and regional elections intensifies pressure on Keir Starmer, and the King’s Speech leaves higher education waiting for a legislative vehicle for promised reform.Plus we discuss the Education Committee’s call for a bespoke insolvency regime for English higher education providers, what should happen if a university goes bust, and new comparative research on the pressures facing higher education across Europe.With Brooke Storer-Church, Chief Executive at GuildHE, Jonathan Simons, Partner and Head of the Education Practice at Public First, David Kernohan, Deputy Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.What the Education Committee said about higher education fundingEuro visions: Key changes and wind machines won’t save the sectorKing’s College London and Cranfield to merge
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  Public opinion, Missing middle 04.06.2026 38min

  This week on the podcast a third of the public now thinks a university education just isn't worth the time and money it usually takes, according to the latest British Social Attitudes survey – a share that has climbed steeply from 14 per cent in 2005.We dig into what is driving the erosion of public confidence in higher education, how attitudes are pulling apart along political lines, and what it all means as the House of Commons Treasury Committee opens its inquiry into student loans. Plus a new report from the Lifelong Education Institute asks whether England will finally get serious about the "missing middle" at levels 4 and 5.With Andy Westwood, Professor of Public Policy, Government and Business at the University of Manchester, Eve Alcock, Executive Director for External Affairs at the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.
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  Antisemitism, AI and graduate jobs, universities and working class voters 07.05.2026 37min

  This week on the podcast the government turns up the heat on universities over antisemitism – but with enforcement details still to come, what does Keir Starmer's zero-tolerance pledge actually mean in practice? Plus, a new Institute of Student Employers survey finds that employers expect AI to reshape rather than replace graduate entry-level roles, and a UCL Policy Lab report argues that higher education's chronic failure to connect with working-class voters is one of the key reasons political leaders keep their distance.With Joe Cooper, Chief People Officer at University of East London, Aaron Porter, Chair at BPP University, and Livia Scott, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.Students should feel safe on campus. So what’s the plan?Why OfS got the meaning of free speech within the law absolutely wrongAI isn’t taking graduate’s jobs, but it will reshape entry-level rolesThree reasons why the higher education sector struggles to land its political arguments
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  Holyrood and Senedd elections, OfS v Sussex 30.04.2026 52min

  This week on the podcast as voters in Scotland and Wales head to the polls on 7 May, what do the manifestos mean for higher education? North of the border all parties bar Reform have committed to protect free undergraduate tuition, and much of the bigger thinking sits with the joint Scottish government and Universities Scotland "Future Framework" review.Meanwhile a generation of Welsh Labour dominance is set to end under an expanded Senedd and a new electoral system, with Plaid Cymru and Reform UK emerging as the two largest parties – and Plaid pledging a wide-ranging HE review within the first 100 days. Plus David Kernohan has read the judgement in OfS v University of Sussex so you don’t have to.With Justine Pédussel, President at Stirling University Students' Union, Richard Wyn Jones, Director of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, David Duncan, University Secretary and Deputy Vice Chancellor at University of Glasgow, Nanw Maelor, Welsh Culture Officer and UMCA President at Aberystwyth Students' Union, Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.In Wales and Scotland, students were promised a maintenance floor. The promise is broken.
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  System issues, research bidding, governance 23.04.2026 50min

  This week on the podcast John Blake, Director at the Post-18 Project has published his first paper arguing that English higher education's crisis stems from thirty years of policy failure – and that the only real fix is a major, multi-year review to establish a new concordat between the state, the sector and students about who is responsible for what, and how disputes get resolved. Plus, new research from King's College London finds that the cost of applying for research grants amounts to thirteen per cent of the value of awards, and the Committee of University Chairs puts a near-final draft of its new governance code out for comment, with more explicit requirements for what boards must and should do.With Sam Roseveare, Director of Regional and National Policy at the University of Warwick, James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, Jen Summerton, Operations Director at Wonkhe and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.Blood, debt, toil, and arrears: why thirty years of policy struggle has left us without the higher education system we deserve Expensive, time consuming, and unpopular – why is it so hard to end grant funding peer review?Do the silent middle get to belong in higher education?CUC Code of Governance – Draft for Public Comment
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  Fair treatment, weekend delivery, Iceland 16.04.2026 55min

  This week on the podcast we're in Reykjavik as the Office for Students (OfS) opens a consultation on a whole new approach to student protection – but with students already struggling to understand or use their rights, will a new regulatory condition actually change anything on the ground?Plus more than twenty thousand weekend students have been told to pay back maintenance loans they were given in error, and what can UK higher education learn from a week in Iceland?With Lisa Margaret Gunnarsdóttir, President of the National Union of Icelandic Students, Gary Hughes, Chief Executive at Durham Students' Union, Mack Marshall, Community and Policy Officer at Wonkhe and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.Treating students fairly, on an ongoing basisThe weekend delivery scandalSUs study tour to Iceland
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  Groupwork, management apprenticeships, immigration 26.03.2026 37min

  This week on the podcast an Australian politician has called on universities to scrap group assignments entirely, arguing they're unfair and cheapen degrees – but is the real problem the concept itself, or is it poorly designed groupwork that's giving collaboration a bad name?Plus the government axes popular management apprenticeships, and UKVI's draft proposals for rating international student sponsors go further than many expected.With Mark Peace, Professor of Innovation in Education at King's College London, Hugh Jones, independent consultant, and Debbie McVitty, Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.Group essays? Pull the other oneA blanket removal of funding for level 7 apprenticeships will damage government plans to boost infrastructureAmber isn’t a buffer zone in the new international RAG system – it’s a ledge
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  Secret life of students/AI special 17.03.2026 43min

  This week on the podcast recorded live at The Secret Life of Students, new Wonkhe research has found that nearly half of students worry their grades don't reflect what they actually know – so what does that tell us about how students are making decisions around AI use, and what does it mean for assessment in higher education?Plus highlights from sessions across the conference, and a tuition fees row that threatens to derail the government's Brexit reset – with the EU pushing for home fee rates for students arriving under a new youth mobility deal.With Helen King, Director of Learning Innovation, Development and Skills at Bath Spa University, Rosie Birch, Communities Officer at Brighton Students' Union and John Blake, Director at The Post-18 Project, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.An accountability moment is what makes AI work for learningA tuition fees row could sink the UK’s Brexit reset
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  Immigration brake, social cohesion, research capital 13.03.2026 36min

  This week on the podcast the Home Office has announced an "emergency brake" on student visas from four countries, suspending all grants to applicants from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. What does it mean for affected students, and what happens to Chevening scholars caught in the middle?Plus the government's new social cohesion strategy and what it means for universities, and Research England's plans for research capital investment funding.With Lisa Roberts, President and Vice Chancellor at the University of Exeter, Jess Lister, Director of Education at Public First, Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor in Chief at Wonkhe.What the government’s Social Cohesion Action Plan means for universities and studentsResearch Capital Investment Fund cuts aheadThe “visa brake” detailsStudent visa restrictions for four countries
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  Renting, TNE, disability 05.03.2026 54min

  This week on the podcast students are still struggling with the cost and quality of renting – so will the new Renters' Rights Act actually make things better, or could it leave fewer properties available? Plus, is transnational education a genuine strategic opportunity or just a quick fix? And the Office for Students announces a new statement of expectations on disability support. With Chris Husbands, Director at Higher Futures, Helena Vine, Lead Policy Officer for England at the Quality Assurance Agency, Livia Scott, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.Students are worried about finding somewhere to liveTNE can be successful when it’s taken on as a strategic agenda, not a quick fixTNE presents a quality challenge. Here’s how we solve itInternational recruitment and TNE are not a straight swapThe international education strategy should promote quality in its TNE objectives as well as export earningsWhen TNE goes wrong, it’s students that sufferTNE on WonkhePreparing for disability regulation shouldn’t mean waiting for disability regulationBuilding public connection with research is about more than good communicationOfS announces a set of expectations on disability adjustments and support
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  Student finance, graduate premium, mental health 26.02.2026 36min

  This week on the podcast the government has struggled to defend its position on Plan 2 student loans in a Westminster Hall debate as opposition parties offer competing sticking plasters – but can any of the proposals survive contact with the maths, and is a proper funding review now inevitable? Plus there’s cross-national evidence that suggests Britain's shrinking graduate premium is a demand-side problem that cutting courses won't fix, and a new study that finds student mental health services are bigger than ever but the students who need them most can't afford to reach them. With Mary Curnock Cook CBE, independent educationalist and former Chief Executive of UCAS, Martin Priestley, Head of Education at Mills and Reeve, David Kernohan, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor in Chief at Wonkhe.If the graduate premium is falling, supply-side tinkering won’t bring it back.Student loan reform is coming. But not without a proper review.The support paradox is a poverty problem.
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  Student group claim, PRES, high streets 19.02.2026 51min

  This week on the podcast UCL has settled with the Student Group Claim over pandemic-era teaching disruptions – but with 36 more universities now facing legal action from over 170,000 potential claimants, what does this mean for the sector?Plus the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) results are out, and we discuss the potential role of universities in arresting the decline of the high street.With Rachel Brooks, Professor of Higher Education at University of Oxford, James Dunphy, Chief Executive at Committee of University Chairs, James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.Who calls the shots when resolving students’ complaints?The student group claim settles out of courtPostgraduate Research Experience Survey, 2025Universities have a responsibility for the high street too