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Lord Browne dismisses fears by insisting flexibility will maintain provision. Simon Baker talks to him

Hepi head claims that review panel has been commandeered by the government, reports Rebecca Attwood

Reactions to Lord Browne’s review of higher education funding and student finance are flooding in. Here we round up what different groups have been saying

The Liberal Democrat policy of opposing tuition fees is “simply no longer feasible” in the current economic climate, Vince Cable said today in a statement to the House of Commons.

The tuition fee cap should be scrapped, “blanket subsidies” for courses ended and universities freed to compete for students in one of the most radical overhauls of the sector ever.

Alan Ryan proposes that there should be no cap on tuition fees, grants for the talented poor should return and universities should lose their safety net

Recent studies reveal tuition costs do not deter students from lower socio-economic groups. Their decision not to go into higher education, argues Peter Urwin, is made much earlier in their schooling

Are academics being blamed for work-shy students and high unemployment? Jon Marcus reports

An investigation into senior staff at London Metropolitan University has concluded that there is no case for disciplinary action following the financial crisis that engulfed the institution.

There is “no evidence” that a Nigerian graduate accused of attempting to blow up a plane on Christmas Day last year was radicalised while studying at University College London, an independent review has concluded.

Advent of variable fees would exacerbate the rise, academic warns. John Morgan reports

Critics warn of impact on UK research as managers struggle with overseas quotas. John Morgan reports

Graduate demands judgment over degree class; not in court, says university. Paul Jump reports

USS reforms on consultation agenda, but UCU aims to build opposition online. John Morgan reports

This 15th-century Islamic spherical astrolabe - the only complete example of its kind to survive - is one of the most striking objects in the University of Oxford's Museum of the History of Science.

Staff dismay as consultancy recommends farming out entire IT department. Hannah Fearn reports

Strategic authorities may go with no plan in place to allocate training funds. Simon Baker reports

Technology elite cool on plans to trade chic Paris addresses for soulless suburb. Clea Caulcutt writes

Universities lacking distinctive missions will disappear, pro v-c warns. Simon Baker reports

Likeability, not competence, is the key to women assuming top posts. Sarah Cunnane reports

Conference speakers analyse, attack and back world rankings, John Morgan reports

The UK’s second Nobel award in two days attests to the research excellence that will be endangered if the research budget is slashed in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review, scientists have warned.

By Scott Jaschik, for

Scientists must be liberated from the idea that they are “just cogs in an economic machine”, the Conservative Party conference has heard.

Degree-course fees are likely to escalate rapidly and could reach as much as five times the current sum if the existing cap is lifted, an education charity has warned.

Defining institutional mission is the cornerstone of a successful development, Matthew Reisz hears

The University of Gloucestershire has lost a tribunal case brought by a manager who claimed she was sidelined after blowing the whistle on the state of the institution’s finances.

The president of the University of Chicago has defended the notion of a wide-ranging university education that cultivates the “habit of mind to integrate ideas”, in the face of employers’ demands for “specialised knowledge”.

England could become the most expensive country in the world in which to study at a public university in light of Lord Browne of Madingley’s review of fees and funding, the main lecturers’ union has warned.

ESRC director describes tough choices ahead as retrenchment looms, writes Paul Jump

Taboos are tumbling as the modern student press becomes increasingly X-rated. Kaite Welsh reports

V-cs and Royal Society leader emphasise research that touches people's lives. Paul Jump reports