The Higher Education Show

This week on the podcast we examine what John Healey’s first Budget holds for higher education – from a longer Graduate route at highly compliant universities to an International Student Levy now costed £100m higher.
With mayors given a stake in keeping graduates but little cost of living help reaching students, who wins and who loses?
Plus we discuss Jisc’s new statement on buying generative AI tools, and our guests pick their stories of the week.
With Emma Maslin, Senior Policy and Research Officer at AMOSSHE, David Kernohan, Deputy Editor at Wonkhe, Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and presented by James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and Research Agenda.
HM Treasury: Budget 2026
Everything in the 2026 Budget for higher education and students
New International Student Levy assessment is £100m worse than originally shown
Jisc explains procuring AI the sensible way

This week on the podcast the government has put NEETs and skills at the heart of its pre-Budget messaging – with new industrial strategy jobs plans, reported changes to apprenticeship funding for learners over 25 and a Policy Exchange call for a new wave of technical universities.
Can higher education make the case that it belongs in the youth employment debate?
Plus we discuss what UK Research and Innovation’s £500m Missions Accelerator Programme looks like in practice, and our guests pick the stories that have caught their eye this week.
With Dani Payne, Head of Education and Social Mobility at the Social Market Foundation, James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and Research Agenda, Sharanya Sivarajah, Community and Policy Officer at Wonkhe and presented by Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe.
If not university then what?
Are there really more graduate NEETs than A-level NEETs

This week on the podcast we discuss the ambition to make the UK the world’s leading innovation nation.
With plans to devolve innovation funding, build globally significant clusters in every region and strengthen collaboration, what role will universities play in delivering the government’s vision?
Plus we discuss new research from Wonkhe and Advance HE revealing why emerging higher education leaders feel confident in their own abilities but frustrated by their institutions’ capacity to manage change.
And we consider the latest developments in graduate recruitment and international student visas.
With Charlotte Corrish, Head of Public Policy at the Office of the Independent Adjudicator, James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and Research Agenda, and Mack Marshall, Editorial Coordinator at Wonkhe, and presented by Debbie McVitty, Editor at Wonkhe.
During times of transformation emerging leaders need to be inside the leadership tent
A slightly better outlook for graduate jobs

This week on the podcast we examine how universities are rethinking academic integrity in the age of AI. As institutions move away from blanket bans and detection towards more nuanced approaches to assessment, a new Wonkhe and Studiosity white paper explores how to balance the opportunities of AI with the need to protect genuine learning.
Plus we discuss the Conservatives’ plans to restrict access to student finance for non-UK nationals, proposals to limit Universal Credit for under-25s, and what the party’s conference tells us about its emerging approach to higher education. And we take a look at what else has caught our guests’ attention in higher education policy this week.
With Mark Peace, Professor of Innovation in Education at King’s College London, Annie Bell, Associate Director for Higher Education at Public First, and John Blake, Director at The Post-18 Project, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.
Kemi the Conqueror? Something of an embroidery…
Keeping the learning real in the AI age requires coordination and open communication

This week on the podcast we examine what Labour Party conference told us about the government’s plans for higher education – or, perhaps more significantly, what it didn’t. We also consider what higher education should make of MI5’s warning about research collaboration with the China General Technology Research Institute, the suspension of Buckinghamshire New University’s student sponsor licence, new expectations for student accommodation, and the latest picture on antisemitism on campus.
With Debbie McVitty, Editor at Wonkhe, Gary Hughes, Chief Executive at Durham Students’ Union, Mack Marshall, Editorial Coordinator at Wonkhe, and presented by James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and Research Agenda.
All our coverage from Labour Conference 2026
Espionage alert sees MI5 take an interest in Chinese research collaboration