PODCAST · education
The Higher Education Show
by Team Wonkhe
Every week the Wonkhe team and guests from across higher education dissect the week's big policy developments, and we also feature views from around the sector.
Episodes
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Innovation nation, emerging leaders, graduate recruitment
This week on the podcast we discuss the ambition to make the UK the world’s leading innovation nation. With plans to devolve innovation funding, build globally significant clusters in every region and strengthen collaboration, what role will universities play in delivering the government’s…
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Academic integrity and AI, Conservative conference
This week on the podcast we examine how universities are rethinking academic integrity in the age of AI. As institutions move away from blanket bans and detection towards more nuanced approaches to assessment, a new Wonkhe and Studiosity white paper explores how to balance the opportunities of AI...
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Hope (again), Mi5
This week on the podcast we examine what Labour Party conference told us about the government’s plans for higher education – or, perhaps more significantly, what it didn’t. We also consider what higher education should make of MI5’s warning about research collaboration with the China General...
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International recruitment, graduate social mobility
This week on the podcast Home Office figures show more than 20,000 fewer study visa applications in August than a year earlier – so is the fall in international recruitment catastrophic for university finances, or merely extremely bad? Universities UK International wants enrolments to return to...
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Loans, Free speech
This week on the podcast we examine the government’s response to criticism of the student loan system. With ministers still describing the system as unfair and in need of reform, what might meaningful change now look like? Plus we discuss the Office for Students’ new freedom of speech conditions…
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Future jobs, uni closures
This week on the podcast we examine Universities UK’s plans to strengthen graduate employment, as its annual conference puts the future of universities and their contribution to jobs, innovation and communities in the spotlight. Plus we discuss new research on what university closure actually…
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Burnham, SUs, Year ahead
This week on the podcast we discuss what Andy Burnham’s new government could mean for higher education, following his first appearance before MPs and a statement setting out priorities on post-16 education, industrial strategy and the role of universities in economic growth. With promises on...
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The end of the year show
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...
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Funding, student loans, NSSmass
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 –...
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PhD students, Burnham
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...
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Burnham, IFS on value of HE
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...
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Minimum entry, Governance, Working class boys and girls
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,...
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TEF, student experience, demographics
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,...
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Public opinion, Missing middle
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...
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Cuts, International, Friends
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...
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LLE, Milburn review
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...
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Starmergeddon, Insolvency, Europe
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...
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Antisemitism, AI and graduate jobs, universities and working class voters
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...
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Holyrood and Senedd elections, OfS v Sussex
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...
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System issues, research bidding, governance
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…
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Fair treatment, weekend delivery, Iceland
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…
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Groupwork, management apprenticeships, immigration
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...
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Secret life of students/AI special
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...
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Immigration brake, social cohesion, research capital
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…
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Renting, TNE, disability
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…
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Student finance, graduate premium, mental health
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?...
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Student group claim, PRES, high streets
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)...
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MI5, Labour, free speech
This week on the podcast MI5 has warned universities that UK higher education has become a "prime target for foreign states and hostile actors" – so what are the risks and how should the sector respond to growing concerns about security and defence? Plus what a potential Labour leadership change...
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Student loans, research funding, Wales
This week on the podcast student finance has exploded into the headlines – but is the English student loan system really doomed? Backbench Labour MPs are pressing the chancellor to act, polling has revealed widespread antipathy for above-inflation interest rates, and Rachel Reeves has clashed…
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Demand, Disabled students, medicine
This week on the podcast we examine what a rise in UK university applicants really tells us about the future demand for higher education. With UCAS reporting a 4.8 per cent increase in applications at the January deadline, driven largely by a demographic peak in 18-year-olds, we explore whether...
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International, UCAS data, student finance
This week on the podcast the government has finally unveiled its new International Education Strategy – but with no headline target for international student numbers and a clear shift towards education exports, what does it mean for the sector? Plus the latest UCAS end of cycle data and what it...
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Free speech, Scottish budget, Mickey Mouse
This week on the podcast new polling suggests over a third of students think Reform UK should be banned from speaking on campus – a higher proportion than previous surveys found for the BNP or English Defence League. So what does this tell us about free speech in higher education? Plus Scotland's...
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Erasmus+, student loans, Rhineland study tour
This week on the podcast from Nijmegen on the SUs study tour the team discuss the return of the UK to Eramus+. What steps can UK HE take to ensure that UK students take advantage of and get the benefits of mobility? Plus there’s a Private Members’ Bill on student loan timings, and the team share...
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REF 2029, franchising crackdown, year in review
This week on the podcast we examine what the rebooted 2029 Research Excellence Framework will mean for universities’ research strategies, research culture, and future funding – including the new “strategy, people and research environment” element and the renewed focus on contribution to knowledge...
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AI, uni finances, civic
This week on the podcast artificial intelligence remains front and centre, with a look at the growing concerns around AI-generated teaching content and the student backlash it's prompted. We also discuss our new project with Kortext on AI in pedagogy and an emerging debate over AI’s place in the...
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Budget, R&D, Scotland’s Tertiary Bill
This week on the podcast we examine how Budget 2025 reshapes the university funding model – from the international levy and modest new maintenance grants, to confirmed tuition fee uplifts and changes to pension tax arrangements that will affect institutional costs. We discuss what the package…
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Reform UK, local skills, students at work
This week on the podcast we examine what the rise of Reform UK – and new insight into its prospective voters – might mean for universities, international education, and the wider public legitimacy of higher education. Plus we discuss Skills England’s new guidance on local skills improvement plans…
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Access, governance, festival vibes
This week on the podcast, live from our Festival in London, we discuss access and social mobility as the Office for Students reshuffles its leadership, and the Sutton Trust publishes a new report that paints a sobering picture. Plus we discuss university governance and our new paper for the…
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Banned algorithms, schools curriculum, Wales student finance
This week on the podcast we examine the Office for Students’ (OfS) renewed scrutiny of degree classification algorithms and what it means for confidence in standards. We explore the balance between institutional autonomy, transparency for students and employers, and the evidence regulators will...
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Public attitudes, housing, employability
This week on the podcast we discuss fresh polling on public attitudes to UK universities, which shows how a widening graduate/non-graduate divide and sharper political splits are fuelling worries about degree quality and whether universities are focused on the country’s interests. Plus we discuss...
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Skills White Paper special
This week on the podcast we get across the Westminster government’s post-16 white paper – its headline target of two-thirds of young people in higher-level learning by 25, the plan to index the undergraduate fee cap to inflation (with TEF-linked eligibility), the maintenance package holding to…
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Wales, Franchising, Graduate Jobs
This week on the podcast we look at Wales’ emerging higher education settlement, as Universities Wales publishes its manifesto for the May 2026 Senedd elections amid polling that points to a potential Plaid-led administration. Plus we discuss new Office for Students’ data on subcontracted...
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Student protest, TNE, Tory conference
This week on the podcast as pro-Palestinian student protests mark the anniversary of October 7, an intervention from Keir Starmer sparks a national debate on campus safety, antisemitism, and free speech. Plus the Prime Minister is leading a trade delegation to India alongside sector leaders, we...
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Labour Conference 2025
This week on the podcast, as the dust settles on Labour conference in Liverpool, we unpack what Keir Starmer’s new higher education participation target really means – and whether universities have the capacity and funding to meet the moment. We also get into the surprise return of targeted...
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Sexual misconduct, international levy, closures
This week on the podcast we examine the results of the Office for Students’ first sector-wide survey on sexual misconduct. With over 50,000 responses from final-year undergraduates, the data provides a stark picture of prevalence, reporting, and staff-student relationships in higher education.…
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Quality reforms, duty of candour, skills
This week on the podcast we examine the Office for Students' proposed overhaul of England's quality system, as radical reforms seek to integrate the Teaching Excellence Framework with minimum standards and give TEF some serious teeth. Plus we discuss the government's long-awaited "Hillsborough…
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Mergers, reshuffle
This week on the podcast we examine the bombshell merger announcement between the University of Greenwich and the University of Kent, set to create the London and South East University Group – one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK. With a memorandum of understanding signed…
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Podcast: Year ahead, International, Governance
This week on the podcast we examine the challenges facing UK higher education as another tough academic year begins with government finances stretched and the sector languishing at the bottom of political priorities. With the post-16 education white paper still pending and rumours swirling about...
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AI and jobs, provider closure, UCAS figures
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…
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Student experience, LLE, civic
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...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Every week the Wonkhe team and guests from across higher education dissect the week's big policy developments, and we also feature views from around the sector.
HOSTED BY
Team Wonkhe
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Higher Education Show have?
The Higher Education Show currently has 317 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Higher Education Show about?
Every week the Wonkhe team and guests from across higher education dissect the week's big policy developments, and we also feature views from around the sector.
How often does The Higher Education Show release new episodes?
The Higher Education Show publishes regularly with 317 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Higher Education Show?
You can listen to The Higher Education Show on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Higher Education Show?
The Higher Education Show is created and hosted by Team Wonkhe.
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