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The Russell Group wants greater clarity on UK’s policy toward EU nationals

Admin — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 15:18:24 +0000

The Russell Group has outlined ten positions it believes need to be adopted by the UK government to “add to the diversity of our campuses and enrich the learning experience for all.” This proposal comes on the heels of the UK Government’s recent policy paper “Safeguarding the position of EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU.” The Russell Group argues that the government’s policy paper did little to assuage the concerns of the group members, especially EU nationals currently working and studying at the universities, as well as their ability to recruit talent from EU countries. The Russell Group has issued their response to draw attention to ten areas of particular concern to universities that remain to be addressed by the UK government regarding Brexit.

The proposal recognizes scholars and students who may spend time abroad for study, training, career development, and research collaborations. The Russell Group has asked the UK government to continue to support such endeavors by ensuring that continuous residence is not impacted by time spent abroad for research or study. Additionally, it hopes the government will adopt a broad interpretation of “strong ties” so that students and academics who spend two or more years abroad do not lose their UK residency.

The Russell Group has also asked that the government develop a system for processing applications that places a minimum burden on the applicants. They believe doing so will help create an effective and efficient system, and if such a system is not in place in time, then the group wants assurances that grace periods will be appropriately extended.

The proposal also praises the UK government for outlining in its policy paper that the government intends to use existing data on file to minimize the amount of information that applicants will have to submit. However, the Russell Group adds that the Home Office should automatically contact EU citizens to offer residency status, rather than wait for EU citizens to contact the government.

The Russell Group also hopes those with permanent residence will automatically be transferred to settled status rather than being required to re-apply. For new applicants seeking residency, the group has asked the government to keep the application fee as minimal as possible. They want government to ensure that EU students beginning courses in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 will be allowed to live and work in the UK after completing their studies and apply for residency. Finally, the Russell Group has asked that the government ensure that professional qualifications obtained in the UK or EU before Brexit continue to be recognized across borders.

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The Guardian University Guide 2018 Rankings

Admin — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 20:36:54 +0000

The Guardian has announced its 2018 university rankings, and Cambridge has been ranked first for the seventh year in a row. Oxford and St. Andrews rounded out the top three, coming in second and third, respectively. The remaining universities in the top 10 are (in order): Durham University, Bath University, Imperial College London, Loughborough, Warwick, Lancaster, Surrey, and UCL. Of note is that Bath University leapt from tenth place last year to fifth place this year. Otherwise, the top ten universities remain relatively unchanged.

Photograph: Selwyn College Old Court Panorama from North-West corner

However, surprising changes did occur lower in the ranked list. For example, Liverpool Hope has only been a university for 15 years but is already ranked at 56, ahead of the University of Liverpool, which came in at 67. Edge Hill University tied Liverpool Hope in the rankings, meaning it also surpassed the University of Liverpool. Liverpool’s descent in rankings is mostly due to a decline in graduate employment prospects. Another notable change in rankings is the University of West London, which placed 96th last year but has risen to 58th this year.

Not surprisingly, 12 of the top 20 universities are members of the research-intensive Russell Group, but three of those members – Cardiff (42), Queen Mary (44), and Liverpool (67) – fell outside the top 40. Sarah Stevens, head of policy at the Russell Group, reminds students that university rankings may be useful, but they should not be the sole criterion when deciding which school to attend. “It is hard for any university ranking to capture the full student experience that an institution provides. Applicants should look beyond league tables to pick the course that is right for them.”

Photograph: Oxford University Aerial Panorama in 2016. Credit: Chensiyuan

The Guardian’s rankings emphasize teaching quality, student satisfaction, and employability, factors that may be important to young people as they decide where to study. The ranking guide was produced by Intelligent Metrix, and it scores universities according to spending per student; the student/staff ratio; graduate career prospects; the school’s selectivity of students; the students’ entry qualifications compared to their final degree results; and student satisfaction with their courses.

Liverpool Hope’s ascendancy to 56th place from 104th two years ago is largely due to graduate job prospects. However, it has also improved its biosciences, business, and social policy departments. The university has strived to support students individually and to keep class size low. Says professor Gerald Pillay, vice-chancellor of Liverpool Hope, “We break up the students – especially the first-year students – into groups of 10, each with a teacher. That has led to a great improvement in student engagement.”

The overall rankings list is accompanied by subject rankings. These subject rankings compare universities across 54 disciplines, allowing students to see which universities are highest ranked in their desired area of study.

Of course, another important consideration for students is the cost to attend university. All English universities – except University College Birmingham and University of St. Mark and St. John – plan to increase their tuition and fees this year. For the 2017-2018 academic year, most schools will charge a maximum of £9,250 for undergraduate courses.

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Forbes list of 12 Best Universities for Employment in 2016

Admin — Sun, 21 May 2017 14:13:17 +0000

In 2016, Forbes published a list of 12 most reputable universities, which provide the best employment opportunities for its graduates, based on study conducted by UK – based Times Higher Education (THE). The ranking was made based on results from 2,500 recruitment managers in 20 countries, and a panel of 3,500 international managers worldwide.

1. California Institute of Technology (CalTech)
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
3. Harvard University
4. University of Cambridge
5. Stanford University
6. Yale University
7. University of Oxford
8. Technical University of Munich
9. Princeton University
10. University of Tokyo
11. Boston University
12. Columbia University

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