World news

European universities need to improve their efforts to help doctoral students and academics spend time abroad, a report by the European University Association has found.

‘Most advanced’ student-support structure in developed world, says OECD. John Morgan reports

Joanna Sugden reports from India on falling student applications and pre-emptive cutbacks

Revised curricula will emphasise leadership and time spent away from the lab. Jon Marcus reports

A US study downgrades the importance of agents. Elizabeth Gibney and Jack Grove report

The economic woes of public universities in the US present ‘a prime opportunity’ for institutions with money to swoop in and snatch up staff. Jon Marcus reports

A crucial referendum could decide the future of higher education in California. Jon Marcus reports

The government has reluctantly shelved its bill governing foreign education partners, reports Joanna Sugden from New Delhi

Lying About the Past course aims to teach students method and scepticism. Jon Marcus reports

In the US academy, engagement with the surrounding community and learning through service are 150-year-old ideals whose time has come again - but is the driving force altruism or self-interest?

British border bureaucracy thwarts Science Without Borders scheme. Elizabeth Gibney writes

Virginia president keeps her job, but once-inert boards are stirring nationwide. Jon Marcus writes

Speculation links Diane Ravitch’s criticism of Romney with thinktank exit. Jon Marcus writes

By 2020, more than four in 10 young graduates in countries that are members of either the G20 or the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development will be Indian or Chinese, according to a report.

Canada seeks long-term relationship with growing higher education superpower. Jon Marcus reports

British scholars head for North Africa to forge links with territory neglected by UK sector. David Matthews reports

North American test cases strive to get to grips with copyright in the modern age. Jon Marcus reports

Harvard-based Satellite Sentinel Project offers cutting-edge support to humanitarian initiatives. Jon Marcus reports

US universities aim to attract students and business by opening cross-country branches

Technology posts go unfilled as academy restates the value of liberal arts degrees. Jon Marcus writes

Universities are beginning to find the price of sporting glory too high to bear, writes Jon Marcus

More traditional US institutions are playing for-profits at their own game by offering short professional courses. Jon Marcus reports

A transatlantic wrangle over whether material collected in an oral history project can be used as evidence in a criminal investigation has moved to a US appeals court.

With public finances stretched, the French think the unthinkable on fees. Clea Caulcutt reports

A century on, the Titanic’s tragic tale remains a valuable focus for teaching. Jon Marcus writes

Presidential hopefuls' attitudes to sector range from indifference to hostility. Jon Marcus reports

Economic crisis leaves French politicians tight-lipped on universities budget. Clea Caulcutt writes

Legal graduates sue alma maters after employment prospects fail to materialise. Jon Marcus reports

Boston College has appealed against part of a US court decision forcing it to turn over transcripts of oral histories of sectarian violence to police in Northern Ireland after weeks of international criticism.

With novel credentials being developed and employers seeing the value of low-cost study based on open courseware, Jon Marcus asks if the bricks-and-mortar elite will end up on the wrong side of history

Jon Marcus examines the trend for basing US university budgets on outcomes, not enrolments

A legal battle over IRA interview tapes held by a US college is nearing its climax. Jon Marcus reports

One professor has had enough of Hollywood's clichéd depictions of faculty, says Jon Marcus

Ministry bows to academic pressure and reverses stricter post-study rules. Clea Caulcutt reports

US universities are offering alumni new levels of professional and intellectual support in an effort to build lifelong relationships that pay long-term benefits. Jon Marcus reports

Funding model for the world's research powerhouse may be irrevocably broken, Jon Marcus is told

US students flock to unmanned-aircraft degrees as civilian market beckons. Jon Marcus reports

Brazil has announced a second round of applications for a £1.3 billion study-abroad scheme that could result in thousands of students coming to UK universities.

Critics attack campus building frenzy in the midst of swingeing budget cuts. Jon Marcus reports

‘Damning’ report criticises governance, but Saif Gaddafi likely to keep PhD. David Matthews writes

Call for 'safe protest zones' as demonstrators face violence on US campuses. Jon Marcus reports

Jon Marcus meets the scholarly guides tearing up the Tim Rice lyrics to uncover the real Buenos Aires

Penn State scandal shows sport's stranglehold on American academy. Jon Marcus reports

'Transnational' education isn't dying, but it is changing. Jon Marcus reports on Western institutions' moves to mitigate the risks of foreign outposts, thanks to a little help from their hosts

Asia, India and Middle East are becoming study-abroad destinations of choice, reports Jon Marcus

French elite protest harsher attitude to foreign graduates' post-study status. Clea Caulcutt writes

To judge by the gleefully bull-headed ignorance shown by politicians, bloggers and others, scientific evidence and scholarly analysis may soon count for nothing. Jon Marcus considers where this anti-intellectual climate leaves the academy

Ahead of Lord Woolf’s report on the scandal of the LSE’s links with Libya, Christopher Davidson examines the issue of UK university funding by Gulf autocracies in the light of the Arab Spring

The president of the US' pre-eminent university is planning an innovative future. Jon Marcus reports

North American administrators call high rates of plagiarism 'tip of the iceberg'. Jon Marcus reports

...but some question the focus and quality in plans to add more than 800,000 places, writes Paul Jump

Interdisciplinary alliances, job-seekers and patriots fuel growth in US scholarship, reports Jon Marcus

Canadian universities in row over licensing fees as US awaits fair-use ruling. Jon Marcus reports

But Congress cuts billions from research and graduate loan provisions. Jon Marcus reports

Cuts and political opposition conspire to thwart Obama's college plan. Jon Marcus reports

New government website lists comparative data, but careful interpretation is needed, writes Jon Marcus

Brazil is set to strike up closer links with the UK through student scholarships and research partnerships.

Momentum gathers behind efforts to reduce or ban online access during lectures. Jon Marcus reports

Study rejects claim that sector allocates more to education than it receives in fees. Jon Marcus writes