LSE's Professor Craig Calhoun and mature students: first or fail?
This week, the London School of Economics gets a new director, but university applications from mature students in the north east have had a worrying drop
Lord Browne and UC Davis chancellor Linda Katehi: first or fail?
Lord Browne redeems himself among the HE community with a new prize for engineering, but the chancellor at the University of California Davis comes under fire for heavy-handed actions over student protests, writes Aaron Porter
Student partnerships and fee waivers: first or fail?
Aaron Porter gives the higher education sector's growing support for student partnerships the thumbs up, while fee waivers get a thumbs down for their marginal benefit to future graduates
Birmingham revives Aimhigher and core and margin pricing: first or fail?
At a time when universities are being coerced by the coalition toward competition, it's great to see that the spirit of collaboration lives on in Birmingham, says Aaron Porter
International student recruitment and Ucas' PQA verdict: first or fail?
It's been a good week for university applications but a bad week for international student recruitment: the new visa restrictions are already having a heavy impact on student numbers
Cambridge University chancellorship and Reading University: first or fail?
New leadership comes under the spotlight this week as Aaron Porter gives his verdict on Reading's new vice chancellor and the Cambridge University chancellorship candidates
UK science and the University of Wales: first or fail?
Aaron Porter
This week, Aaron Porter examines the announcement of additional investment in UK science and the University of Wales' decision to stop validating degrees from other institutions
First or fail: University Alliance and post-qualification applications
University Alliance's report into universities' role in stimulating economic growth is worth a read but a second attempt at driving PQA is already losing steam, says Aaron Porter
This week, Vince Cable manages not to upset every vice-chancellor at the Universities UK conference but elsewhere it's revealed the UK spends just 1.2% of its GDP on HE
First or fail: BPP University College and Edinburgh University fees
It's all about the fees in Aaron Porter's blog post this week; BPP goes for a lower than average £5,000 a year whereas the degree bill at Edinburgh University reaches £36,000
First or fail: Campaign for Financial Education and 2012 university applicants
Deserving recognition this week: a campaign to add financial education to the school curriculum; falling from favour, the students who can't afford higher tuition fees
The National Student Survey reveals a satisfied final-year class but this year's school leavers are likely to be less impressed with a lack of university places, says Aaron Porter
First or Fail: Newcastle and Durham colleges and Carol Vorderman
This week: Newcastle and Durham colleges kick off competition at the lower end of the price scale, while Carol Vorderman miscalculates the launch of her mathematics taskforce
First or Fail: National Teaching Fellowships and US Pell grants
Up for debate this week, Aaron Porter is celebrating best practice and innovation v internal competition and mourning the potential loss of Pell grants for poorer students in the US