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Friday 30 October 2026Home of the higher education debate

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The Wonkhe podcast

The Higher Education Show

Wonkhe’s weekly podcast – everything going on in and around UK higher education, with Team Wonkhe and guests.

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Latest episode

30 October 2026

Podcast: Budget 2026, AI procurement

Budget 2026, AI procurement

This week on the podcast we examine what John Healey’s first Budget holds for higher education

Listen now →

Every episode

23 October 2026NEETs and skills, research missionsThis week on the podcast the government has put NEETs and skills at the heart of its pre-Budget messaging
16 October 2026Innovation nation, emerging leaders, graduate recruitmentThis week on the podcast we discuss the ambition to make the UK the world’s leading innovation nation.
8 October 2026Academic integrity and AI, Conservative conference

This week on the podcast we examine how universities are rethinking academic integrity in the age of AI.

2 October 2026Hope (again), Mi5This week on the podcast we examine what Labour Party conference told us about the government’s plans for higher education

25 September 2026International recruitment, graduate social mobilityThis week on the podcast Home Office figures show more than 20,000 fewer study visa applications in August than a year earlier

18 September 2026Loans, Free speechThis week on the podcast we examine the government’s response to criticism of the student loan system.

11 September 2026Future jobs, uni closuresThis week on the podcast we examine Universities UK’s plans to strengthen graduate employment

4 September 2026Burnham, SUs, Year aheadThis week on the podcast we discuss what Andy Burnham’s new government could mean for higher education

17 July 2026The end of the year showThis week on the podcast Team Wonkhe looks back on the year in higher education policy and politics

10 July 2026Funding, student loans, NSSmassThis week on the podcast the government’s Strategic Priorities Grant allocation lands with a cash cut of just over £50m

2 July 2026PhD students, BurnhamThis week on the podcast we ask why UKRI is spending more on PhD studentships while the number of funded starts falls.

26 June 2026Burnham, IFS on value of HEThis 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 P…

19 June 2026Minimum entry, governance, working class boys and girlsThis 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

11 June 2026TEF, student experience, demographicsThis 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

5 June 2026Public opinion, missing middleThis 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

29 May 2026Cuts, international, friendsThis week on the podcast we discuss the scale and shape of cuts across UK higher education

22 May 2026LLE, Milburn reviewThis week on the podcast the final pieces of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement puzzle are falling into place

15 May 2026Starmergeddon, insolvency, EuropeThis 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

8 May 2026Antisemitism, AI and graduate jobs, universities and working class votersThis week on the podcast the government turns up the heat on universities over antisemitism – but with enforcement details still to come, what does Starmer’s zero-tolerance pledge mean in practice?

30 April 2026Holyrood and Senedd elections, OfS v SussexThis 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?

23 April 2026System issues, research grants, governanceThis 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

16 April 2026Fair treatment, weekend delivery, IcelandThis 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

26 March 2026Groupwork, management apprenticeships, UKVIThis week on the podcast an Australian politician has called on universities to scrap group assignments entirely, arguing they’re unfair and cheapen degrees

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