Author
Team Wonkhe
News, analysis and explanation of higher education issues from our leading team of wonks
722 pieces
Newest first, since October 2014 · page 1 of 37
· Podcasts
Podcast: 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.
· SUs · Members
The Home Office visa brake on students from four countries – what SUs need to know
The High Court has upheld the Home Office’s student visa brake; here’s how four countries were chosen and what SUs should be asking their universities now
· SUs · Members
A lone student governor is a token – boards need two or three
With 41 university boards still seating a single student, we weigh up the research on tokens and critical mass and makes the case for more
· SUs · Members
Scotland’s food price cap could help students, but only if SUs make sure they are counted
The Scottish Government wants a legal cap on the price of bread, milk and eggs in large supermarkets. Team Wonkhe sets out what is proposed and how SUs can get students into it
· Podcasts
Podcast: Academic integrity and AI, Conservative conference
This week on the podcast we examine how universities are rethinking academic integrity in the age of AI.
· Podcasts
Podcast: Hope (again), Mi5
This week on the podcast we examine what Labour Party conference told us about the government’s plans for higher education
· Long read
Making Sense of Higher Education – the literature review
Team Wonkhe dives into the books, resources and ideas that have helped us make sense of higher education in our own ways
· Podcasts
Podcast: 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
· SUs · Members
Energy bills are about to rocket up. Will landlords or students pay the price?
With Wonkhe SUs explainer
· Podcasts
Podcast: Loans, Free speech
This week on the podcast we examine the government’s response to criticism of the student loan system.
· Podcasts
Podcast: Future jobs, uni closures
This week on the podcast we examine Universities UK’s plans to strengthen graduate employment
· Podcasts
Podcast: Burnham, SUs, Year ahead
This week on the podcast we discuss what Andy Burnham’s new government could mean for higher education
· SUs · Members
Martyn’s Law: What SUs need to know (Aug 2026 Update)
With Wonkhe SUs explainer
· SUs · Members
Power lives in agendas, networks, and beliefs long before it shows up in a vote
Jim Dickinson argues that a democracy and governance review should start by mapping who already holds social and political capacity on campus, rather than with the machinery of committees and elections.
· SUs · Members
How to map campus power before you redesign SU democracy
Jim Dickinson introduces Net-Map, a participatory method for making visible where power actually sits on campus, as a starting point before redesigning SU democracy.
· SUs · Members
The Wonkhe SUs Manifesto / Explainers matcher
Jim Dickinson’s interactive tool for matching officer manifesto commitments to the relevant Wonkhe SUs explainer, embedded from Know Your Student Rights.
With Wonkhe SUs explainer
· SUs · Members
How to carry out a free speech “proportionality assessment”
Jim Dickinson explains how to carry out and document a proportionality assessment under the amended free speech framework, following the August 2026 changes to the OfS’s Regulatory Advice 24.
· SUs · Members
It’s the journey, stupid. What SUs need to know about new research on students who commute
Jim Dickinson reports on OfS research into commuter students, which challenges how universities identify who is commuting in the first place and what that means for the support they get.
· SUs · Members
There’s new research out on student social withdrawal. Here’s what SUs need to know
Jim Dickinson reports on new research in the British Journal of Psychiatry on student social withdrawal, and why it may need treating as something distinct from ordinary engagement or retention risk.
· SUs · Members
England’s councils are being abolished and rebuilt – what SUs need to know
Jim Dickinson explains the government’s plan to abolish 134 councils and replace two-tier local government with new unitary authorities, and what the reorganisation means for SUs.