The newsroom blog

£246 million is big money but it is probably much less than the hit the research budget would take if the REF did not exist, says Paul Jump

Creating doctoral colleges and distance PhDs. What are universities doing to better support doctoral students? Holly Else writes

Department confirms work to find savings is ongoing, but offers no details on George Osborne’s Budget pledge to bring in ‘new entrants’, says John Morgan

A Chinese university has launched an e-commerce site in a bid to improve its graduate employment figures. Will others follow suit? asks Ellie Bothwell

George Osborne's plan for a minimum £9 an hour will not affect vast majority of university staff, but there will be cost implications for institutions, says Jack Grove

But chancellor’s move to change student loan repayment rules presents risks

You might not think it, but students in the 14th and 15th century could teach today’s cohort a thing or two about tearing up the town, writes Matthew Reisz

Pension relief, salary sacrifice schemes and higher education budgets could be targeted by George Osborne, says Jack Grove

Academic and former finance minister succeeded by Euclid Tsakalotos as Greece debt crisis continues, writes deputy news editor John Morgan

Deputy news editor John Morgan braves the hottest day of the year to take in the new minister's inaugural higher education address

Does your academic CV stand up to scrutiny? Chris Parr blogs about the case of Connie St Louis

In this blog, news editor Simon Baker considers whether we’ve seen it all before with Hefce’s proposals

Appointment of first black female university leader is watershed moment

Sir Tim Hunt complains of “trouble with girls” in labs, but male egos can be far more obstructive to science, says Ottoline Leyser