This week on our final podcast before the summer break, we unpack the mounting panic about graduate jobs – is AI really to blame, or are today’s students simply paying the price for a sluggish economy, a stalling skills strategy, and shifting recruitment practices? Plus we discuss new figures from UCAS that show a record number of 18-year-olds applying to university, and we look at a major new report on how provider closures are affecting students, and what the sector should do next to avoid cha...
Jul 17, 2025•49 min•Season 20Ep. 12
This week on the podcast we examine proposals for transforming the student experience as The Post-18 Project calls for a Student Rights Bill and a complete rethink of higher education’s structure. Could enshrining ten student rights into law and splitting faculties into research and applied institutions finally address the sector’s longstanding challenges? Plus we discuss Labour’s vision for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement as key details emerge on modular provision and approval processes, and ...
Jul 11, 2025•41 min•Season 20Ep. 11
This week on the podcast we examine the latest attacks on international student recruitment as Policy Exchange calls for new restrictions and a £1,000 levy on international fees. Are universities really "selling immigration not education," and what would raising English language requirements to advanced level mean for the sector? Plus we discuss what incoming student leaders are promising in their manifestos – from subsidised laundry to lecture materials uploaded in advance – and ask whether the...
Jul 03, 2025•50 min•Season 20Ep. 10
This week on the podcast we examine the government’s new industrial strategy and what it really means for higher education – from regional clusters and research funding to skills bootcamps and spin-out support. Will the plans finally integrate universities into the UK’s economic future, or is this another case of policy promises outpacing delivery? Plus we discuss the franchising scandal and the damning case for urgent reform, and ask whether new research on social mobility challenges the sector...
Jun 27, 2025•40 min•Season 20Ep. 9
This week on the podcast we examine the Office for Students' new free speech guidance as controversial requirements prepare to take effect from August 1st. What do the "deeply disturbing" YouGov findings about academic self-censorship really tell us, and how should universities navigate campus protests and challenging research topics? Plus we discuss outgoing UKRI chief Ottoline Leyser's stark warning about "inevitable consolidation" in university research. With Mark Peace, Professor of Innovati...
Jun 19, 2025•41 min•Season 20Ep. 8
This week on the podcast we examine the government's spending review and what it means for higher education. How will the £86bn R&D commitment translate into real-terms funding, and why was higher education notably absent from the Chancellor's priorities? Plus we discuss the Post-18 Project's call to fundamentally reshape HE policy away from market competition, the startling new REF rules, and the striking rise in student term-time working revealed by the latest Student Academic Experience S...
Jun 12, 2025•42 min•Season 20Ep. 7
This week on the podcast we examine Universities UK's efficiency and transformation taskforce report. What do shared back-office services, federation models and subject cold spots tell us about the sector's financial pressures? Plus we discuss Research England's new EDI action plan, and explore whether the UK's rapid three-year degree model is harming student wellbeing and learning outcomes. With Rille Raaper, Associate Professor in Sociology of Higher Education at Durham University, Jess Lister...
Jun 05, 2025•49 min•Season 20Ep. 6
This week on the podcast we examine the OfS penalty imposed on Leeds Trinity over subcontractual partnerships oversight. What does the £115,000 fine and a new proposed code of “ethical” governance tell us about decision-making at the top? Plus we discuss the government's decision to axe level 7 apprenticeships from levy funding, and explore incoming OfS chair Edward Peck's ten trends shaping the future of campus universities. With Alex Stanley, Vice President for Higher Education at the National...
May 29, 2025•32 min•Season 20Ep. 5
This week on the podcast we examine the government's brutal funding cuts to universities. What does the £108m reduction in the Strategic Priorities Grant mean for higher education, and why are media studies and journalism courses losing their high-cost subject funding? When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit http://www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch. Plus we discuss t...
May 22, 2025•54 min•Season 20Ep. 4
This week on the podcast we get across the government's new immigration white paper. What does cutting the graduate route visa from two years to 18 months mean for international students and universities? Plus we examine the proposed 6 per cent levy on international student fees and tighter compliance requirements that could put some institutions at risk. We also discuss Skills Minister Jacqui Smith’s Telegraph op-ed criticizing universities for "losing sight of their responsibility to protect p...
May 15, 2025•46 min•Season 20Ep. 3
This week on the podcast we discuss the Office for Students' financial sustainability report. What do widespread course closures and maintenance cutbacks mean for the sector's future? Plus we examine "naming and shaming" over vice-chancellor pay packages when student outcomes fall short. With Paul Greatrix, higher education expert and former registrar at the University of Nottingham, Graeme Atherton, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Regional Engagement at the University of West London, Livia Sc...
May 08, 2025•46 min•Season 20Ep. 2
This week on the podcast we discuss the financial crisis at the University of Dundee, as a revised recovery plan reduces proposed job cuts while requesting additional funding. Is this a sustainable solution for institutions facing similar challenges? Plus we look at concerning new Wonkhe and Cibyl polling on student health, and we examine how international student policies have become political battlegrounds in global elections. With Chris Shelley, Director of Student Experience at Queen Mary Un...
May 01, 2025•42 min•Season 20Ep. 1
This week on the podcast the SUs team has been on a study tour to universities in Lisbon in Portugal, and have reflections on everything from space to food, from interdisciplinarity to curriculum design and from Praxe to ribbon burning. With Khadiza Hossein, VP Education at UWE SU, Emillia Zirker, Student Representation Officer at Lincoln SU, Gary Hughes, CEO at Durham SU, Mack Marshall, Community and Policy Officer at Wonkhe and hosted by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe. Those who fig...
Apr 25, 2025•48 min•Season 19Ep. 15
This week on the podcast it’s our Easter special – and we’re diving into the highlights from The Secret Life of Students, our event that looked at a new vision for the student experience. We hear from student officers, sector experts, and campaigners on everything from the myth of the full-time model, to the pressures of placements, to the problems faced by international students. There’s testimony from nursing students, fire from SU officers challenging tokenistic consultation, and reflections ...
Apr 09, 2025•44 min•Season 19Ep. 14
This week on the podcast we discuss new research on student regret, as a report from the University of Bristol reveals that while two-thirds of current undergraduates are happy with their choice of degree, it drops to less than half among recent graduates. Are improved advice and guidance really the answer? Plus we look at the collapse of the Advanced Business Academy (ABA) and its aftermath, as an Office for Students (OfS) investigation uncovers serious concerns about student placements and cou...
Apr 04, 2025•48 min•Season 19Ep. 13
This week on the podcast we're discussing the Office for Students fine of £585,000 levied against the University of Sussex for breaches of free speech conditions, as vice chancellor Sasha Roseneil calls the process "Kafka-esque" and plans a legal challenge. Plus we examine what Bridget Phillipson has called "one of the biggest financial scandals universities have faced" – franchising. Does the affair point signal a shift towards a more “planned” system? With Vivienne Stern, Chief Executive at Un...
Mar 27, 2025•41 min•Season 19Ep. 12
This week on the podcast - recorded live at our Secret Life of Students event in London - we get across the financial crisis facing universities in Scotland. Can the SNP hold its “free education” line forever? Plus there’s clips, highlights and reflections from our Secret life of Students event in London - where we’ve been discussing student health, students at work, what students learn, student cities, the time crunch that prevents meaningful engagement and what universities can do to “make the...
Mar 18, 2025•46 min•Season 19Ep. 11
This week on the podcast free speech tsar Arif Ahmed is back as the government presses ahead with the free speech act - we get across the implications. Plus there’s new analysis on how graduates’ importance to the government’s industrial strategy, and we take a closer look at the inequalities baked into student maintenance support. With Julian Gravatt, Deputy Chief Executive at the Association of Colleges, Janice Kay, Director at Higher Futures, James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and presente...
Mar 13, 2025•33 min•Season 19Ep. 10
This week on the podcast Nottingham Trent VC Edward Peck has been confirmed as the government’s candidate for Chair of OfS. But what does his focus on “quality improvement” and engagement with governing bodies mean for the regulator’s approach—and how will his skepticism of government bailouts impact struggling institutions? Meanwhile, as the Employment Rights Bill sees significant amendments, we unpack what proposed changes to zero-hours contracts and industrial action rules could mean for univ...
Mar 06, 2025•44 min•Season 19Ep. 9
This week on the podcast UK Research and Innovation and the Office for Students both have new leadership – but what does that mean for the future of regulation, research funding, and sector confidence? Meanwhile, a new report reveals a dramatic rise in student use of generative AI, and as speculation swirls over potential changes to post-study work visas, the sector braces for further uncertainty in international student recruitment. With Mark Bennett, Director (Audience & Insight) at FindAU...
Feb 27, 2025•33 min•Season 19Ep. 8
This week on the podcast the Welsh government has announced £18.5m in additional capital funding for universities - but questions remain over reserves, job cuts, competition law and student protection. Meanwhile, new research reveals student mental health difficulties have tripled in the past seven years, and Universities UK warns that OfS’ new strategy risks expanding regulatory burden rather than focusing on priorities. With Andy Westwood, Professor of Public Policy at the University of Manche...
Feb 20, 2025•48 min•Season 19Ep. 7
This week on the podcast universities failing to promote diversity will face funding cuts – so said The Times. We chat through the controversy building around the REF. Plus we look at what the sector is asking for in the spending review, and consider the government’s push for lower-level, shorter apprenticeships. With Shitij Kapur, Vice Chancellor and President at King's College London, Jess Lister, Director (Education) at Public First, Debbie McVitty, Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leac...
Feb 13, 2025•42 min•Season 19Ep. 6
This week on the podcast OfS is introducing new protections for some students - but will they come fast enough and who will they apply to? Plus a Lords committee says UK visa policy for scientists and researchers is an “act of national self-harm”, and we’ve launched a new article series on commuter students. With Omar Khan, Chief Executive at TASO, Charlotte Corrish, Head of Public Policy at the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, David Kernohan, Deputy Editor at Wonkh an...
Feb 06, 2025•54 min•Season 19Ep. 5
This week on the podcast as news of further redundancies sweeps the sector, we ask how bad things can get before the government will act or the public notice. Plus UCAS end of cycle applications data has arrived, there’s a new report on the campus encampments, and there’s data futures news to get across. With Alex Stanley, Vice President for Higher Education at the National Union of Students, Eve Alcock, Director of Public Affairs at the Quality Assurance Agency, James Coe, Associate Editor at W...
Jan 30, 2025•42 min•Season 19Ep. 4
This week on the podcast Minister of State for Skills Jacqui Smith helped launch a pamphlet on whether universities are “worth it” - and was notably cold on extra money. But does she mean outlay or eventual return to the Treasury? Plus there’s changes afoot in Scotland, UKVI is cracking down on attendance for international students and students are still feeling the pinch financially - is a return to maintenance grants a lost possibility? With Ben Vulliamy, Executive Director at the Association ...
Jan 23, 2025•51 min•Season 19Ep. 3
This week on the podcast the government is to press on with implementing parts of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 while seeking to repeal others - we discuss what will (and should) happen next. Plus there’s a report on more resilient and sustainable higher education finances, and NEON has been looking at regional inequality in university admissions. With Richard Sykes, Partner at Mills & Reeve, Paul Greatrix, HE expert and until recently Registrar at the University of Notti...
Jan 16, 2025•45 min•Season 19Ep. 2
This week on the podcast Jim, Mack and team are on a bus around the Visegrad countries where they’ve been exploring student experience, representation and rights, discounted dorms and a set of countries where students have been leading change. Plus Disabled Students UK has its access insights survey out, and we discuss changes to the Renter's Rights Bill. With Katie Jackson, Faculty of Humanities Officer at the University of Manchester SU, Seán Keaney, Academic Officer at University of Limerick ...
Jan 10, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 19Ep. 1
In this special seasonal edition of the Wonkhe Show, we discuss how you can contribute to the higher education debate by writing for the site, the importance of communicating academic and professional insights to wider audiences, and we take you inside our editorial process - which is all about clear arguments and diverse perspectives. With Adam Matthews, Senior Research Fellow at the School of Education at the University of Birmingham, Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe, David Kernohan, Depu...
Dec 19, 2024•52 min•Season 18Ep. 16
This week on our final proper show before the break, we’ve published polling on students experience of earning while learning - is a return to “full time” study possible? Plus OfS has a new strategy, the OIA has some learning from complaints, and we look ahead to the 2025 spending review. With Shahid Omer, Director of Policy at Universities UK, Diana Beech, Chief Executive Officer at London Higher, David Kernohan, Deputy Editor at Wonkhe, Mike Ratcliffe, Academic Registrar at City St George’s Un...
Dec 12, 2024•57 min•Season 18Ep. 15
This week on the podcast there’s budget news from both Wales and Scotland - why are governments finding it so hard to stick to commitments on student financial support? Plus OfS has temporarily “closed” its register as the financial crisis intensifies, and Radio 4’s File on Four has been looking at international recruitment. With Beccy Freeman, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) at University of Warwick, Jonathan Grant, Director at Different Angles, Livia Scott, Partnerships Coordinator at W...
Dec 05, 2024•36 min•Season 18Ep. 14
