Universities News

University lecturers begin strike in pension dispute There have been pickets on campuses as university staff begin a strike in more than 50 universities, in a dispute over pensions. Lecturers have walked out at universities including Oxford and Cambridge at the beginning of a month-long strike campaign. Petitions signed by 80,000 students, many backing the lecturers, are demanding refunds for lost teaching. Universities minister Sam Gyimah has called for more negotiations. But Mr Gyimah says students "deserve to receive the education that they are paying for. For many, this is a vital time in their studies". Pension deficit Members of the University and College Union are striking because changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme will leave a typical lecturer almost £10,000 a year worse off in retirement, they say. Younger academics could lose almost half of their total retirement income, says the union. But the employers' group Universities ...

University strike: Pension plan could be reversed, say bosses University bosses say they could reverse changes to lecturers' pensions if economic conditions improve. As strike action continues for a second day at 57 universities, the employers' group, Universities UK, has written to pension scheme members offering to explore alternative ideas. The University and College Union (UCU) says current plans will leave a typical lecturer £10,000 a year worse off. About 90,000 students have now signed petitions asking for fee refunds. Under the existing plans, the Universities Superannuation Scheme will change from a defined benefit scheme, giving members a guaranteed income in retirement, to a defined contribution scheme, where pensions are subject to changes in the stock market. The employers say changes to the pension are needed because the scheme has a deficit of more than £6bn, but the union disputes the figure, saying the evaluation method used was "recklessl...

Rent burden 'leads to student stress Students are suffering from stress and anxiety caused by the pressures of housing costs, a survey has suggested . Average rent for student accommodation totals £131 a week, eating up nearly all of a typical maintenance loan or grant, even before a typical £509 in upfront letting fees and deposit are taken into account. The maintenance loan is designed to cover living costs, is separate from the student loan to pay for tuition fees, and is dependent on family household income. The survey, by student finance website Save The Student, claims that the average award leaves a typical UK student with only £8 a week for all other living costs such as food, travel and toiletries, after the rent has been paid. "The fact that the maintenance loan barely covers students' rent is shocking. Students are forced to get a job at the expense of their studies or rely on their parents who may struggle to support them," says Jake Butler,...

Lecturers at universities across Scotland are taking part in a strike in a row over pensions. The University and College Union (UCU) said members at nine Scottish universities were walking-out along with staff from the Open University. The strike is part of UK-wide action , which the union said would see 14 days of escalating strikes over four weeks. Employers, Universities UK called the action "disappointing" and said the pension scheme had a deficit of £6bn. The UCU warned that 145,000 university students attending courses at universities in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heriot-Watt, St Andrews, Stirling, Strathclyde and the Scottish Association for Marine Science at the University of the Highlands and Islands would be affected by the walk-out. University strikes: What's it all about? Uni strikes 'much more likely' as talks deadlocked University finances face £17.5bn pensions squeeze It is planned to last from Thursday through to Wednes...

University bosses say they could reverse changes to lecturers' pensions if economic conditions improve. As strike action continues for a second day at 57 universities, the employers' group, Universities UK, has written to pension scheme members offering to explore alternative ideas. The University and College Union (UCU) says current plans will leave a typical lecturer £10,000 a year worse off. About 90,000 students have now signed petitions asking for fee refunds. Under the existing plans, the Universities Superannuation Scheme will change from a defined benefit scheme, giving members a guaranteed income in retirement, to a defined contribution scheme, where pensions are subject to changes in the stock market. The employers say changes to the pension are needed because the scheme has a deficit of more than £6bn, but the union disputes the figure, saying the evaluation method used was "recklessly prudent". Why I support my striking university lecturers...

Today, the  Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018  was released, with the  University of Oxford  remaining in first place for a second consecutive year. But how does this year’s THE ranking compare to the from earlier this year? Or to the Shanghai Ranking, also published earlier this year, in which Harward University was ranked the best in the world for the 15 th  consecutive year? Read on for a closer look at the top 10 from each of these major world university rankings, and the key similarities and differences between them. lthough there are some variations across each ranking, seven universities appear in the top 10 of all three. These universities are: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Harvard University, California Institute of Technology and University of Chicago in the US, and the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford in the UK. Interestingly, only one university from ou...