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?

Plus there’s cross-national evidence that suggests Britain's shrinking graduate premium is a demand-side problem that cutting courses won't fix, and a new study that finds student mental health services are bigger than ever but the students who need them most can't afford to reach them.

With Mary Curnock Cook CBE, independent educationalist and former Chief Executive of UCAS, Martin Priestley, Head of Education at Mills and Reeve, David Kernohan, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor in Chief at Wonkhe.

If the graduate premium is falling, supply-side tinkering won’t bring it back.

Student loan reform is coming. But not without a proper review.

The support paradox is a poverty problem.

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) results are out, and we discuss the potential role of universities in arresting the decline of the high street.

With Rachel Brooks, Professor of Higher Education at University of Oxford, James Dunphy, Chief Executive at Committee of University Chairs, James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.

Who calls the shots when resolving students’ complaints?

The student group claim settles out of court

Postgraduate Research Experience Survey, 2025

Universities have a responsibility for the high street too

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 could mean for higher education, and Reform's threat to withhold funding from Welsh universities over free speech.

With Paul Kett, Group CEO and Vice Chancellor at London South Bank University, Ben Vulliamy, Executive Director at the Association of Heads of University Administration, Debbie McVitty, Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.

Intelligence agencies provide briefings on foreign interference

Jacqui Smith’s secret service

Was there a freedom of speech breach at Bangor?

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 with Martin Lewis over the freeze to repayment thresholds.

Now former OfS access tsar John Blake has launched The Post-18 Project, our Wonkhe think tank, by arguing that a review of higher education funding is unavoidable and that a graduate tax should be one of the options. So is the government going to act, or will it be bounced into action?

Plus UKRI has found itself in a perfect comms storm over the future of curiosity-driven research funding, and Michael Salmon sits down with Welsh minister Vikki Howells to discuss the challenges facing tertiary education.

With Ben Ward, CEO at University of Manchester Students' Union, Smita Jamdar, Partner and Head of Education at Shakespeare Martineau, Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe, Vikki Howells, Minister for Further and Higher Education in the Senedd and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.

The Post-18 Project: A review of higher education funding is inevitable

Five challenges faced by the Welsh tertiary sector

Maybe a graduate tax wasn’t such a bad idea after all

Welsh higher education is running out of wriggle room

Wales refuses to implement Westminster’s stealth graduate tax raid

Who should pay for our failing student loan system?

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 this represents a genuine resurgence in demand or a temporary population effect.

Plus we discuss new evidence on disabled students’ experiences in higher education, including concerns that pandemic-era accessibility is being rolled back, and the implications of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill — from pressure on NHS training places to uncertainty for students studying medicine abroad through UK-linked programmes.

And Jim Dickinson is is in Canada with Wonkhe's Editor Debbie McVitty taking to Canadian HE expert Alex Usher.

With Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief, Wonkhe, Alex Stanley, Vice President for Higher Education at the National Union of Students, Dani Payne, Head of Education and Social Mobility at the Social Market Foundation, David Kernohan, Deputy Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief, Wonkhe.

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 reveals about entry qualifications at high tariff providers, and a new NUS campaign on student maintenance that’s turning the spotlight on parents.

With Mike Ratcliffe, Senior Advisor at UWE Bristol, Richard Brabner, Visiting Professor of Civic Engagement at Newcastle University, Jen Summerton, Operations Director at Wonkhe and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.

UCAS End of Cycle, 2025: access and participation

UCAS End of Cycle, 2025: provider recruitment strategies

Graduates are paying more and getting less

A new international education strategy

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 budget settlement and legislative changes, and unpacking what "Mickey Mouse courses" really means.

With Andy Long, Vice Chancellor at Northumbria University, Jess Lister, Director of Education at Public First, and Debbie McVitty, Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor in Chief at Wonkhe.

41 per cent of Reform-voting undergraduates don’t think Reform should be allowed to speak on campus

So you’ve been accused of harbouring “Mickey Mouse” courses at your institution… now what?

Identifying “mickey mouse” courses

Scottish Budget 2026 to 2027

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 reflections on the associations, student leaders, curricula and food they’ve seen across Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg and Switzerland.

With Abi Taylor, President at Durham SU, Gary Hughes, CEO at Durham SU, Mack Marshall, Community and Policy Officer at Wonkhe and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.

Re-associating with Erasmus+ is only the first step

Student Finance (Review of Payment Schedules)

Rhineland Study Tour blogs

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 and understanding through research outputs.

Plus we discuss the government’s crackdown on franchised higher education provision and student loan eligibility, and we look back at the defining moments of 2025 in higher education policy – from regulation and finance to admissions, academic freedom and research – and consider what they might signal for universities in 2026 and beyond.

With Steph Harris, Director of Policy at Universities UK, Andy Westwood, Professor of Public Policy, Government and Business at the University of Manchester, Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.

On the site:

Re-thinking research support for English universities: Research England’s programme of work during the REF 2029 pause

Everything you need to know about REF 2029

Study a Bachelors DEGREE without paying a single penny? You’re on

Weekend courses can’t get student loans

Sub-contractual providers need to register with OfS

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, Spotify, Acast, Amazon Music, Deezer, RadioPublic, Podchaser, Castbox, Player FM, Stitcher,

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 REF process.

Plus we explore the financial strategies universities in England are adopting in response to mounting pressures, and what does a more ambitious civic university agenda look like in 2025?

With James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, Jo Heaton-Marriott, Managing Director at the Authentic Partnership, Jonathan Simons, Partner and Head of the Education Practice at Public First and hosted by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.

The end of pretend – AI and the case for universities of formation

High quality learning means developing and upskilling educators on the pedagogy of AI

Counting the cost of financial challenges in English higher education

Civic 2.0 – the civic university agenda but with sustainable impact