Breaking News
UNITED KINGDOM
Nic Mitchell
The United Kingdom is seeking to raise the target value of education exports to £40 billion annually and is pinning its hopes on removing obstacles to the expansion of transnational education rather than raising international student recruitment, due to political sensitivities over immigration levels.
SWITZERLAND
Michael Gardner
SAUDI ARABIA
Wagdy Sawahel
EUROPE-DENMARK
Jan Petter Myklebust
Top Stories
UNITED STATES
Self-censorship now rampant in US teaching and research
Nathan M Greenfield
The direct and indirect forms of US government-imposed censorship instituted against higher education in 2025 were a ‘catastrophe’ for academic freedom and autonomy, spreading widespread fear among faculty and students and leaving campus leaders ‘buckling under the assault’, analysis from freedom of expression advocacy organisation PEN America concludes.
INDIA-GERMANY
Shuriah Niazi
UAE
Wagdy Sawahel
GLOBAL
Daniella Tilbury
News
UNITED STATES
Nathan M Greenfield
A Texas university has been accused of censorship after one of its philosophy professors was asked to remove readings on the ancient Greek philosopher Plato that may touch on race and gender ideology. Academics now worry about which texts could be targeted next.
EUROPE
Suvendrini Kakuchi
UAE-UNITED KINGDOM-ISRAEL
Wagdy Sawahel
NETHERLANDS
Liz Newmark
Students in the Netherlands have asked the government to make mental health a part of the curriculum after a survey showed that 37% of students are behind in their studies, with stress, depression and other mental health issues cited by 22% as playing a key part.
DENMARK-EUROPE
Jan Petter Myklebust
A recent conference hosted by one of Europe’s top technical universities focused on universities’ role in strengthening Europe’s competitive position in a global technology race currently marked by heavy investments in research and critical technologies by countries such as the United States and China.
UGANDA
Aulah Najjuuka
For decades, Makerere University and Kyambogo University dominated Uganda’s higher education landscape, with private institutions often seen as ‘plan B’ for students. But that perception is shifting. Today, universities such as Kampala International University, Uganda Christian University and Ndejje University are emerging as competitive centres of learning.
Edtech, AI and Higher Education
GLOBAL
James Yoonil Auh
The current wave of automation is reshaping labour, national strategies and the role of universities. It situates higher education not simply as a skills pipeline but as a central actor in legitimising and shaping automated systems, with long-term consequences for work, democracy and public accountability.
World Blog
GLOBAL
Dikshitha Madisetty
Early-career educators, especially those navigating multiple cultural contexts, can help higher education rethink its assumptions about learning, creativity and leadership. They can offer approaches that are less about defending established models and more about responding to the lived realities of learners.
Global Innovators
EUROPE
Dara Melnyk
At Forward College students move from one European capital to another – as much a pedagogical tool as a tactical necessity. Growth and optimisation are deliberately slow, to support human connection, giving students the best of both worlds: bold ideas and a recognisable degree.
Special Report: Changemakers III
MEXICO
A university in northern Mexico is integrating the Sustainable Development Goals at all levels of teaching and research, while reshaping the way it partners with communities, industry and research centres worldwide to drive innovation, broaden inclusion and improve the well-being of people and communities.
MEXICO
Mandy Garner
MEXICO
Mandy Garner
MEXICO
Mandy Garner
SDGs
GLOBAL
Keith Nuthall
With help from an expert who was involved in drawing up the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, global quality assurance and accreditation organisation ABET has developed a groundbreaking AI-supported microcredential course designed to appeal to STEM students, academics, administrators and early-career professionals.
Top Stories from the Last Edition
GLOBAL
Patrick Blessinger
The greatest potential of AI lies in its ability to help students become more aware of the world’s interconnectedness, make more sound ethical decisions, and be dedicated to sustainability. AI-based Education for Sustainable Development, or ESD, can empower students to tackle the sustainability challenges of our time.
UNITED KINGDOM-EUROPE
Brendan O’Malley
GLOBAL
Simon Marginson
GLOBAL
Richard Holmes
INDIA
Shuriah Niazi
A landmark policy report argues that India has the intellectual depth and institutional capacity to reimagine itself as a global higher education destination rather than a supplier of global talent in a period marked by the global disruption of traditional student mobility patterns.
AUSTRALIA
Shadi Khan Saif
Universities and stakeholders have welcomed the contents of the Australian Senate report into university governance that calls for stronger institutional oversight at the nation’s universities, restoration of the primacy of teaching and research functions, and greater emphasis on staff, student and community needs.
GULF STATES
Paul Cochrane
Qatar University has changed its approach to using rankings metrics and data to identify progress in areas that align more closely with national priorities, rather than being overly focused on climbing the rankings ladder as a means to attract talent and benchmark against peers.
GLOBAL
Eldho Mathews and Philip G Altbach
It is estimated that hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide have shut down or merged in recent years. While competition and institutional closures are natural in any sector, including higher education, ignoring warning signs of an institution in distress makes the situation worse.