The University of Botswana has of late been hit by allegations of corruption, maladministration and academic dishonesty. The accusations paint the institution in a bad light, but Vice-Chancellor Professor David Norris is of the view that it is all malice from inside the university, writes Larona Makhaiza for Mmegi Online.

The rectors of Cyprus’ two public universities, the University of Cyprus’ Tasos Christofides and the Cyprus University of Technology’s Panayiotis Zaphiris, on Thursday 21 November called for the “immediate passage of legislation” to allow for foreign language bachelor degree courses to be taught at their universities, writes Tom Cleaver for the Cyprus Mail.

Morocco has experienced a notable decline in the 2024 Global Knowledge Index (GKI), ranking 98th out of 141 countries. This marks a six-place decline from its position in 2023, with the country ranking 92nd last year, writes Firdaous Naim for Morocco World News.

The Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Irfan Neziroglu along with the Turkish Consul General in Karachi Cemal Sangu visited Pakistan’s Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU) on Thursday 21 November, where they held a meeting with Vice-Chancellor of SMIU Dr Mujeeb Sahrai in the conference room, reports The Nation.

The United Kingdom Conservative government’s Turing exchange scheme has destroyed the ‘level playing field’ that Erasmus+ had spent decades creating for all European Union citizens, writes Josie Sharp for Yorkshire Bylines.

Research interviews conducted by artificial intelligence can help academics conduct studies on an unprecedented scale and produce more nuanced results, it has been claimed, writes Juliette Rowsell for Times Higher Education.

Nearly half of Muslim students surveyed at California colleges and universities say they have been targets of anti-Islamic harassment or discrimination in the last school year as pro-Palestinian protests erupted on campuses, a sharp increase from four years ago, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a new report, writes Jaweed Kaleem for the Los Angeles Times.

South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand has launched the Wits MIND Institute, to focus on fundamental artificial intelligence (AI) research that promotes breakthrough scientific discoveries, reports IT Web.

The specialised experiment building at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in Ulju County, Ulsan, is emerging as a key destination for nuclear engineers worldwide. Central to its appeal is Patriot, a unique experimental device built at one-eighth scale of the APR1000 reactor – a Korean nuclear reactor set to be exported to the Czech Republic, write Lee Hoo-yeon, Lee Ga-ram and Woo Ji-won for Korea JoongAng Daily.

More courses in French are needed in English-language universities in Quebec, says the province’s French Language Commissioner Benoît Dubreuil. In his view, too many students are choosing to pursue higher education in English, writes Thomas Laberge for CTV News Montreal.

Graduates in every region of England earn a third more on average than non-graduates by the time they are 31, an analysis by Universities UK suggests, writes Chris Parr for Research Professional News.

When United States President-elect Donald Trump wanted to find his next education secretary, he turned not to state officials with a record of overhauling education, but rather to a former wrestling executive with a short résumé in the sector, writes Jessica Blake for Inside Higher Ed.

In Tanzania, where access to reliable medical technology is often limited, a pioneering initiative has emerged to strengthen healthcare services from the ground up, writes Swahaba Yusuph for the Daily News.

Thousands of Kenyans seeking to acquire diplomas and certificates in public universities will have to look elsewhere after a House committee approved a bill that seeks to block them from offering such academic qualifications, writes Mercy Mwai for People Daily.

Taiwan was the fifth-largest source of international students in the United States during the last academic year, trailing only India, China, South Korea and Canada, a US Department of State report released on Monday 18 November showed, the Taipei Times reports.

A new study from England’s University of Oxford has revealed a global surge in net-zero regulations, writes Nathan Russell for This is Oxfordshire.

Governor of Texas Greg Abbott issued an executive order on Tuesday 19 November requiring public higher education institutions to implement a series of security protocols to “protect the State” from Chinese communist parties, writes Erika Pernis for The Daily Texan.

While there remains significant work to change public attitudes towards technical and vocational education and training (TVET), officials say perceptions are improving among Rwandans, writes Fidele Nsengiyumva for The New Times.

Universities, company founders and investors are calling on the United Kingdom government to step up its efforts to create a ‘thriving’ spinout ecosystem in the UK and to increase funding available for firms, writes Emily Twinch for Research Professional News.

Affordability and respect for diversity are among the draws of a new programme offered by a private university in Hong Kong aimed at offering overseas high school graduates an alternative pathway to tertiary education in the city, the first batch of enrolled students have said, writes Fan Chen for the South China Morning Post.

In a significant stride towards enhancing global competitiveness and innovation among emerging economies, South Africa’s Innovation Hub has been selected to join the launch of the BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Incubation Network, writes Ayanda Mdluli for the Daily News.

No one knows exactly how United States President-elect Donald Trump’s second term will shape science and research policy, but judging from his first four years, he will likely focus on budget cuts and research security, writes Kathryn Palmer for Inside Higher Ed.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the United Arab Emirates has announced that students previously unable to enrol in higher education institutions for not clearing the EmSAT test may now reapply for university admission, provided they meet the updated criteria of their desired institutions, writes Ali Al Hammadi for Gulf News.

The former dean of the public administration faculty at South Africa’s University of Fort Hare, Professor Edwin Ijeoma, who allegedly guided the Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane in obtaining a fake PhD, also used a forged masters degree from a bogus university to get a PhD at the University of Pretoria, writes Manyane Manyane for the Sunday Independent.

The traditional notion that students should rely heavily on certain countries or prestigious universities for their education is becoming increasingly irrelevant, said Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, reports the Malay Mail.

Colleges in the United States are considering what support they can offer their undocumented students. Some leaders feel constrained in what they can publicly say or legally promise, writes Sara Weissman for Inside Higher Ed.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi acknowledged the invaluable role of academia, and invited universities to contribute their expertise to enhance judicial efficiency, transparency and accessibility, writes Terence J Sigamony for the Business Recorder.

India’s central government on Thursday 14 November launched the Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) programme, designed to elevate research capabilities in higher education institutions across India with limited research capabilities by fostering collaborations with top-tier institutions, writes Sanket Koul for the Business Standard.

The Global Employability University Ranking and Survey (GEURS) for 2025 has ranked South Africa’s University of Cape Town (UCT) and Stellenbosch University among the top global universities with employable graduates, writes Hope Mafu for The Star.

Republicans are primed to ratchet up their efforts to hold colleges accountable after securing a majority in the United States House and Senate, writes Jessica Blake for Inside Higher Ed.

A New Zealand government review of universities is asking if students are paying the right amount in fees for their degrees, writes John Gerritsen for RNZ.

Jay-Z is breathing life into the curriculum of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States in a major way, writes Jazmin Tolliver for HuffPost.

The future of Wales’ oldest university campus is in doubt with plans to move courses, students and staff out. The University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD) has told students and staff it is consulting on moving all the humanities courses taught at the 200-year-old Lampeter campus to Carmarthen next year, writes Abbie Wightwick for Wales Online.

The University of Cape Town’s (UCT’s) Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme has been ranked number one in Africa, writes Jim Mohlala for Times Live.

Confrontational teaching unfairly hinders female students and is partly to blame for female Oxbridge graduates falling behind their male counterparts in achieving first-class degrees, according to a Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) report, writes Chris Parr for Research Professional News.

New College of Florida reinstated a course on ‘wokeness’ taught by controversial British media personality and culture warrior Andrew Doyle to its catalogue, after appearing to remove it from an earlier version, amid an ongoing furore over the university’s transformation into a more conservative institution, writes Jason Wilson for The Guardian.

The foundations on which the United Kingdom research ecosystem depends – universities – are crumbling, a vice-chancellor has warned, with institutions affected by the impact of visa changes for international students, writes Frances Jones for Research Professional News.

Hundreds of posters depicting Jewish faculty members as “wanted” were plastered across the University of Rochester campus in upstate New York on Sunday night, 10 November, an antisemitic act the school’s president told CNN “would not be tolerated”, write Maria Sole Campinoti, Taylor Galgano, Brynn Gingras for CNN.

Scotland’s University of Edinburgh has warned privileged students not to be “snobs” towards their working-class peers, writes Jabed Ahmed for the Independent. The university has admitted there is a problem of class-related prejudice on campus, with poorer students being “inadvertently or deliberately shamed by more privileged students”.

Morocco’s Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation is set to increase the acceptance rate for university scholarships, raising it from 82% to 86% this year, writes Mahamadou Simpara for Morocco World News.

As part of an ongoing effort to embed virtual reality (VR) in education, Meta has launched a new partnership with a slew of universities in the United States and the United Kingdom, designed to provide feedback on a new product that Meta hopes will finally make VR just a little more mainstream, writes Paul Sawers for TechCrunch.

The Education Bureau in Hong Kong on Monday 11 November welcomed the Ministry of Education’s announcement that 145 Chinese mainland higher education institutions will admit students from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region next school year, writes Wang Zhan for China Daily.

Singapore students keen on pursuing a medical career can enrol in another nine overseas universities, which will bring the number of recognised foreign medical schools in Singapore to 112, writes Angelica Ang for The Straits Times.

The Ethiopian Teachers’ Association (ETA) has appealed to the Ministry of Education for greater support for university teachers and their families, requesting access to free healthcare at university hospitals and a hardship allowance, writes Sisay Sahlu for The Reporter.

Federal and state authorities in the United States are working to find the origins of racist text messages sent to black people, including college students, across the country referencing slavery and telling them they were “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation”, write Dalia Faheid, Ashley R Williams, Jack Forrest, Jillian Sykes and Sean Lyngaas for CNN.

The Ukrainian Education Ministry plans to reduce the number of universities across the country to about 100, down from 121 currently, Deputy Education Minister Mykhailo Vynnytskyi said on 8 November, reports NV.

China will offer over 100 exchange opportunities to Italian universities, with the aim of further deepening higher education exchanges between the two countries, Huai Jinpeng, the Chinese minister of education, said on Saturday 9 November, reports Xinhua.

State Department for Citizen Services and Immigration Principal Secretary Julius Kibet Bitok has challenged universities in Kenya to be part of the country’s ongoing transformation through innovation and creativity, reports Kenya News Agency.

About 1.95 million tertiary-educated workers in Malaysia are underemployed and working in semi-skilled or low-skilled jobs as of the third quarter of 2024, writes Iylia Marsya Iskandar for New Straits Times.

Japanese university students aspiring to study abroad are being bogged down by the weak yen and a global rise in prices, reports Chunichi Shimbun.

In partnership with key stakeholders, the Higher Education Council (HEC) of Rwanda developed comprehensive guidelines for the effective management of international students, writes Fidele Nsengiyumva for The New Times.

Stadio, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in South Africa, has announced that construction of its new Durbanville campus has commenced, with the first phase set to launch in mid-2025, reports BusinessTech.

Italy is preparing a plan to shield its universities and research from foreign influence, a government undersecretary said on Thursday 7 November, to prevent other nations from obtaining valuable scientific and technological knowledge, reports Reuters.

Dozens of Sudanese students gathered outside the Egyptian Consulate in Port Sudan on Tuesday 5 November to call for the issuance of study visas that would allow them entry into Egypt, and for which the students have applied and paid, writes Moataz Hagag for Mada Masr.

Erol Ozvar, president of the Higher Education Council in Türkiye, announced on Tuesday 5 November that Türkiye and Egypt will collaborate to establish a joint university in Cairo. The agreement was reached with Egypt’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, reports Türkiye Today.

A total of 19,900 students from Ukraine were enrolled in Polish universities in the 2023-24 academic year. At the end of the previous academic year, 45,000 citizens of Ukraine studied at Polish universities, or almost 45% of the total number of foreign students registered in Poland, reports Ukrinform.

Malaysia’s Ministry of National Unity has proposed incorporating the study of colloquial language and local dialects as part of the language studies syllabus at higher education institutions, reports Bernama.

The Fiji Higher Education Commission has expressed its desire to reduce tuition fees at local tertiary institutions, writes Apenisa Waqairadovu for FBC News. Chair Steve Chand revealed this during a bilateral meeting with United Arab Emirates Envoy to the Pacific, Omar Shehadeh.

Canberra often promotes itself as the knowledge capital of Australia. But looming job cuts at the city’s two major universities, proposed reductions to international student numbers and growing mistrust among some staff are threatening that title, writes Jade Toomey for ABC News.

Taxpayers in Kenya might continue losing billions to ghost students due to the lack of a legal framework compelling universities to share data on continuing students with relevant funding agencies, writes Irene Mwangi for Capital FM.

A new study by Uganda’s Makerere University has found that a lot of research which would otherwise be used to drive development or solve community challenges lies idle because scientists can’t easily communicate their findings or turn them into useable solutions, reports Uganda Radio Network.

Students of the Rumbek University of Science and Technology (RUST) in South Sudan on Monday 4 November staged a peaceful demonstration within their campus, demanding 10 months’ pay arrears for the academic staff of the institution, reports Radio Tamazuj.

More than 100 people have signed a petition calling on Canterbury Christ Church University in England to reverse its decision to stop offering English literature degrees from September 2025, writes Lauren Kidson for BBC News.

Former minister Khairy Jamaluddin says Malaysia’s higher education ministry should establish guidelines to tackle bullying in higher learning institutions, writes Fuad Nizam for New Straits Times.

Universities are being encouraged to shift their dormitory layouts to offer individual rooms, reflecting students’ preference for personal space. This factor is set to become part of university evaluations and funding considerations, writes Lee Tae-hee for Korea JoongAng Daily.

From the 2025-26 academic year, third-year students at Ukrainian universities will undergo basic military training. Such innovations are not related to mobilisation but are designed to provide students with basic knowledge and skills in self-defence, handling weapons and providing first aid, reports NikVesti.

Australia’s University of Wollongong (UOW) is set to cut more than 100 academic positions in a restructure the union fears could abolish its degrees in history, mathematics, geography and languages, writes Tim Fernandez for ABC News.

André Hesselbäck has spent the past 22 years hunting down fraudulent organisations that sell phoney degrees with no academic requirements or proper accreditation, writes Christine Ro for Nature.

The United Kingdom science sector has welcomed the government’s decision to protect investment in research and development in the autumn budget. However, many in higher education have expressed disappointment at the lack of additional funding for universities, writes Julia Robinson for Chemistry World.

Admission into five state-owned universities in Sarawak will be based solely on meritocracy to pick the best of the best, said Dr Annuar Rapaee, the Malaysian state’s deputy minister of education, innovation and talent development, reports The Star/Asia News Network.

A Chinese international student at Malaysia’s Universiti Malaya (UM) faces possible expulsion after he wore shorts to the library, violating the university’s dress code, writes Dana Leong for Asia One.

A young woman stripped to her underwear at an Iranian university on Saturday 2 November in an apparent protest against the country’s strict Islamic dress code, according to online videos and media reports, reports Reuters.

French PhD student Victor Dupont has been detained in Tunisia on breach of state security charges for at least 12 days, it was announced last week. His university has denounced the arrest as an attack on fundamental liberties, writes Melissa Chemam for RFI.

An exam used to assess entry to universities in the United Arab Emirates has been scrapped with immediate effect and replaced with revised admission criteria, authorities announced on Sunday 3 November, reports The National.

The Cyprus government’s plan to introduce foreign language undergraduate programmes at the country’s public universities is “based on scientific arguments”, Education Minister Athena Michaelidou said on Wednesday 30 October, writes Tom Cleaver for Cyprus Mail.

The government of Hungary has introduced new state scholarships for married university students up to the age of 30, who have children, reports Hungary Today.

The bitter nationwide debate over transgender rights is playing out on a very personal level in a federal court lawsuit filed in Virginia in the United States by a former Liberty University employee. She was fired by the evangelical Christian school after disclosing her identity as a transgender woman, writes David Crary for AP News.

The Egyptian cabinet has approved a draft law that amends certain provisions of the private and national universities law. The new amendment allows private and national universities to admit students who hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, effective from the academic year 2024-25, reports Zawya.

Australia’s University of Sydney has launched an immediate investigation after students publicly tore up a report into rape, harassment and hazing at residential colleges, writes Xanthe Gregory for ABC News.

In a significant ruling for public financial management, the Zimbabwe High Court has convicted Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister July Moyo and Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Frederick Shava for borrowing funds without Treasury approval, reports The Zimbabwe Mail.

The Labour court has declared the ongoing lecturers’ strike in Kenya unprotected and directed the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) to resume talks, writes Steven Otieno for NTV.

In Türkiye’s public universities, one-fourth of the 44 law faculties have deans who were not graduates of law faculties, reports Duvar English. As the trust in the justice system has declined to historically low levels and criticisms regarding the violations of right to a fair trial have intensified, discussions about the quality of legal education have also flared up in Türkiye.

A Palestinian student who was stripped of her student visa after remarks she made about the Israel-Gaza war has won a human rights appeal against the Home Office’s decision, writes Geneva Abdul for The Guardian.

Students and community members have been left heartbroken after Australia’s Southern Cross University (SCU) announced it would axe its creative arts programme, writes Emma Rennie for ABC News.

Armenian students called out Villanova University, Queen’s University, University of Washington and Northwestern University for their decision to send student delegations to the COP29 to be held in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, this November, writes Siranush Ghazanchyan for Public Radio of Armenia.

South Korea’s Education Ministry decided on Tuesday 29 October to allow medical schools the freedom to grant academic leave requested by students, as most medical students have been boycotting classes for months in protest against the increase in the medical school admission quota, reports The Korea Times.

Iowa’s state universities have reallocated more than US$2.1 million originally used for positions and offices relating to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) on campus as a result of Iowa Board of Regent directives and a state law set to go into effect next summer, according to a report released on Tuesday 29 October, writes Brooklyn Draisey for Iowa Capital Dispatch.

The bill for the establishment of the Federal University of Agriculture and Entrepreneurship in Bama, Borno State, Nigeria, received overwhelming support from all stakeholders during a public hearing held on Monday 28 October, reports Daily Champion.

With Southeast Asia’s startup economy expected to reach SG$1 trillion (US$754 billion) in 2025, universities are seen as key players in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, according to a report by Singapore Management University (SMU) and Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University, reports The Asian Business Review.

Leaders of South Africa’s Stellenbosch University have been called to “answer damning questions about secrecy, tampering and dishonesty” around alleged changes to a report that recommended the closure of Wilgenhof – the male residence founded in 1903 that made headlines this year after an exposé on allegedly dehumanising initiation and disciplinary practices, writes Suné Payne for Daily Maverick.

Brown University in the United States suspended its chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) after the group led a rally protesting the university’s decision not to divest its endowment from certain companies that support Israel, writes Kyla Guilfoil for NBC News.

A surge in far-right parties entering governments across Europe is raising concerns for science. The parties, whose focus is typically immigration, care little about research, say policy experts, writes David Matthews for Nature.

Universities across Nigeria, especially those owned by the federal government, were on Monday 28 October shut down by non-academic staff under the aegis of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), write Adesina Wahab and Joseph Erunke for Vanguard.

Universities Australia has accused the government of “holding universities to ransom” over a controversial visa processing rule, writes Jenny Sinclair for Research Professional News.

Scotland’s University of Edinburgh and University of Glasgow carried some of the highest number of animal tests in the United Kingdom last year, according to figures from Understanding Animal Research (UAR), writes Joe Scotting for The National.

From next year onward, foreign students at Swiss engineering and technical universities face tripled tuition fees, pending a referendum, writes Lynn Welter for RTL.

Since this past August, it has become easier to earn a PhD at the University of Helsinki in Finland, reports Yle News.

More than 1,000 workers could soon lose their jobs as Australia’s universities aggressively cut costs ahead of the federal government’s proposed international student caps, which are expected to take effect next year, writes David Chau for ABC News.

Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has officially launched the doctoral degree programmes at the University of Liberia, writes Claudius T Greene Jr for the Daily Observer.

Academics are outraged that University College London (UCL) has failed to put its Art Museum and significant art collection at the heart of its bicentennial redevelopment plans, writes Dalya Alberge for The Guardian.