Australians think students are being asked to pay far too much for their degrees. Just under half (47%) of Australians surveyed by YouGov in June 2025 believe a worker on an average income should be able to pay off the debt for a standard three-year degree within five years. When it comes to the cost of a […] … learn more→

When Harvard Business School tumbled to sixth place in the U.S. News MBA rankings in 2020, the reaction was swift. Critics questioned the methodology, picking up on earlier critiques of rankings. Some ranking skeptics continue to point to low response rates — for example, in 2025, U.S. News disclosed that approximately only half of the ranked schools participated in peer assessment surveys, which […] … learn more→

No industry has perhaps felt the negative effect of a radical shift in federal policy under the second Trump administration more than higher education. Many American colleges and universities, especially public institutions, have experienced swift and extensive federal cuts to grants, research and other programs in 2025. Meanwhile, new restrictive immigration policies have prevented many international students from enrolling in public and private […] … learn more→

The world of graduate research studies in higher education is not typically deemed cinematic material: the “actions” of scholarship are rather prosaic. However, two films currently in cinemas have put graduate research on the screen. Sorry, Baby, an indie film by writer/director Victor Eva and Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt, from a screenplay by Nora […] … learn more→

Doing a PhD can feel like wandering through a forest with no map. You’re constantly questioning whether you’re smart enough, working hard enough or heading in the right direction. If you’re feeling this way, you’re not alone. More importantly, you’re not broken. The PhD is designed to push you to the edges of what you […] … learn more→

Heavy teaching loads, shrinking university budgets and expanding workload expectations have fueled stress and burnout among professors and other university employees in recent years. Now, an increasingly polarized political climate, as well as emerging concerns around university funding cuts, self-censorship and academic freedom, has created new pressures for university and college employees. The result is an academic profession caught in the crosscurrents […] … learn more→

The election of Donald Trump is undermining Harvard University’s business model. The university dominates the Shanghai rankings thanks to its scientific excellence, a foundation managing $53.2 billion, and a network of 420,000 alumni. Drawing on Bourdieu’s “capital theory,” a study seeks to understand how the most prestigious university dominates its scientific field. The Shanghai Rankings measure the […] … learn more→

American colleges and universities are increasingly firing or punishing professors and other employees for what they say, whether it’s on social media or in the classroom. After the Sept. 10, 2025, killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, several universities, including Iowa State University, Clemson University, Ball State University and others, fired or suspended employees for making negative online comments about Kirk. Some of […] … learn more→

If you’re deep in the throes of doctoral work, you’ve probably had that moment where someone asks you about your “contribution to knowledge” and you freeze up like a deer in headlights. You might have solid claims emerging from your research, but somehow articulating your actual contribution feels impossibly abstract. Claims and contributions are related […] … learn more→

How large is the population of students who are living in the U.S. without legal authorization? There are 408,000 undocumented students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities – that’s about 2% of the entire U.S. college population. California and Texas have the greatest number, with about 21% of all undocumented college students living in California and 14% in […] … learn more→