Cash handouts fail to impress

Dropout rates appear unaffected by bursaries, writes Alison Goddard.

The Office for Fair Access has concluded that bursaries are ineffective at keeping students from poor households in higher education in a study published this morning. Established in 2004, when annual undergraduate tuition fees in England were first trebled to £3,000, it has taken a decade during which more than a billion pounds has been spent on access for the organisation to begin to develop advice on what works. We have a report, available only to subscribers to HE, which says that bursaries appear to be ineffective, despite anecdotal evidence to the contrary. The Daily Telegraph says that bursaries fail to cut drop-out rates.

Almost half of the top 100 universities in the world by reputation are based in the US, according to a ranking published last night by Times Higher Education. The BBC says that US universities top the reputation league table. The Guardian, which appears momentarily unaware of the whereabouts of its readers, says that Australian universities have slipped down the rankings while also noting that London is the top city for universities. The Financial Times reports that (£) global rivals pull regional universities down the rankings. The Daily Telegraph claims that British institutions are losing ground. The Independent makes the claim that Oxbridge is slipping down the table and The Times also notes (£) the decline of the duo. We have a report, available only to subscribers to HE, which notes that there are six super-brands, four of which are American.