The road to achieving the goal of 50% intra-European student mobility by 2035 is undoubtedly challenging, but despite the obstacles and challenges, the strategic and social importance of a more integrated, innovative and equitable Europe makes this a goal worth pursuing.

The University of Central Asia in the Kyrgyz mountain town of Naryn holds lessons for higher education institutions working in peripheral, under-served and geographically isolated regions across the globe. Not simply engines of instruction, they can be agents of dignity, imagination and infrastructural citizenship.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical specialists’ voices were at times drowned out by misinformation and disinformation. In response, a medical school has introduced a module that focuses on socio-political and historical influences, such as structural racism and healthcare, and the nature of the post-truth world.

In a chaotic and fractured world, Catholic universities must reaffirm their mission: to be communities where convening, dialogue and hope are commonplace. Their role is not only to educate, but to accompany, listen and lead in pursuit of a just and peaceful global society.

Rather than seeing generative AI tools such as ChatGPT as a threat to academic integrity or a shortcut that undermines learning and requires a focus on restriction and detection, educators should consider how to design learning experiences that encourage mastery-oriented engagement.

Whatever form the European degree takes, we need to make sure it will not be used to justify further delays in the implementation of international cooperation tools and reforms linked to the Bologna Process, including the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes.

As Europe confronts significant geopolitical uncertainties in the current fast-evolving and challenging international environment, the European Commission and national governments must urgently accelerate the realisation of a truly integrated higher education and research area – with the European degree as a central pillar.

Given that micro-credentials are a gateway to lifelong learning in Asia, it is imperative for the region to adopt a model that recognises both national qualifications frameworks and quality assurance as essential academic infrastructure to support quality micro-credential education for all learner types.

It is unlikely that the Australian federal government under the re-elected Albanese government will increase expenditure on tertiary education to the level of the 1990s or mid-2010s, which means that universities need to focus on the quality of educational delivery instead of building mass.

To achieve a level of sustainability that goes beyond window dressing requires that universities stop reflecting societal change and instead help drive it. We need higher education institutions to move from being ‘mirrors’ to ‘lighthouses’, illuminating new pathways, inspiring action and leading by example.

While African countries have been stubbornly preoccupied with often stale decolonisation narratives, hegemonic forces have consolidated their self-preservation and -interest. Now that a new global reality is unfolding, African countries need to proactively engage, re-calibrating their discourses. In this, the role of universities is critical.

A study of motivations for and challenges to pursuing an academic career in three Middle East countries showed that although the main factors are similar to those found in the general research literature, some factors are linked to Arab culture and legal systems.

Universities need to expand their conception of civic education to reflect the realities of networked citizenship – a form of engagement shaped by digital infrastructures, algorithmic curation and performative visibility. This means preparing students to act ethically and intentionally within digitally mediated public life.

As higher education internationalisation faces scrutiny regarding its saliency, cost-effectiveness, staying power and motivations, internationalists need to step up their action and rhetoric rather than dithering under a banner of ‘woe is us’. The job is tougher than it was, but is still there to do.

We have to embrace the new concepts represented by AI-powered teaching and learning while remaining committed to those core values that make education the driving engine of progress: advancing inquiry, expanding knowledge, fostering creativity and enhancing the quality of life for all.

Bold reforms rather than minor adjustments are necessary if universities are to retain their relevance into the future and fulfil their mission of preparing their students not just for jobs, but for meaningful, impactful careers in the ever-changing landscape of work.

The automation of the university has been a phenomenal strategy for improving its efficiency in service delivery, policy implementation and operational streamlining. The objective is to deliver better, precise, less labour-intensive implementation of routine tasks. However, there are questions about academic authenticity with artificial intelligence moving into writing, peer review and publishing.

Innovation has become a buzzword in education, but not all innovation leads to progress. Edtech tools that promise personalisation but end up exacerbating digital divides are a reminder that novelty alone isn’t enough. The innovation that matters most is guided by enduring educational values.

Mauritius is positioning itself as a transnational education, or TNE, hotspot, combining the assurance of international quality with the benefits of lower costs, regional accessibility and cultural familiarity. Its Uniciti Education Hub is an example of how private investment, sound regulation and international partnerships can drive TNE.

The year 2030 will mark a new decade for the European Higher Education Area, or EHEA. By then, the current arrangements will have functioned long enough to allow an assessment based on over a decade of experience. The EHEA’s credibility may depend on this assessment.

As the risk of strategic AI blocs – segregating knowledge flows and dividing countries into allies and competitors – looms large, universities cannot be passive followers. They have the potential to act as mediators, bridging diverse perspectives and calling for a globally inclusive AI transformation.

Digital transformation has already made its presence felt and is set to be a permanent fixture in the field of education. Embracing it will yield advantages for educators, staff and students – but this is dependent on highly available, reliable and secure network connectivity.

Hong Kong, which boasts a highly competitive higher education system, adherence to global research standards and a distinctive cultural identity, shaped by its colonial history and Chinese heritage, has the potential to become a strategic mediator for European Union-China higher education cooperation.

We are witnessing a lack of support for academic scholars, academic freedom, higher education, research, science and pursuit of knowledge. Instead, we see old-fashioned greed in the guise of standing up for academic freedom and science. The ordinary scholar is on their own.

As Afghanistan slips further into a humanitarian and educational abyss, a silent struggle unfolds beyond its borders. Afghan women students in Kyrgyzstan face discrimination and fear. They are on the frontline in international education and universities that offer scholarships need to provide more support.

In an era when research credibility is increasingly questioned, data and code sharing is vital to facilitate independent verification and critical scrutiny of scientific results, fostering transparency and reproducibility. A study of leading medical journals has uncovered critical gaps in data and code sharing practices and policies.

Promotion to a professorship is a significant milestone in a scholar’s academic journey. Yet, the academic promotion process in many countries is often fraught with misinterpretations and violations. In Ethiopia, promotions have been halted temporarily while the ministry attempts to address some of these challenges.

Harvard University’s recent political problems should wake us up to the reality of university dependence and force us to question what autonomy is – not merely the absence of interference, but the capacity to establish and pursue one’s own priorities without coercion.

Generative AI is often presented as fundamentally changing knowledge production, through innovative research methods and writing. But it could have a more transformative effect on how science is shared and assessed, supporting the research ecosystem to become more open, equitable and primed for new discoveries.

Australian higher education needs to reimagine the ‘social licence’ under which universities operate and move away from defending internationalism based on state interests towards more local community impacts. Connecting global and local concerns could help to rebuild the standing of the university sector.

Latin America is playing a leading role in the development of intercultural education to reshape higher education. However, universities must navigate the tensions between managerialism and intercultural goals to embed them in everyday practice rather than just paying lip service to them.

To restore what was intended for a distinctive American university education, experiential learning such as study abroad should be required of all undergraduate education. The whole course of study, including solving the impediments of access and affordability, must be reordered accordingly.

A COVID overhang is negatively affecting the student experience in public universities in the United States. There is a need to revitalise student engagement and close equity gaps and also to collect data to gauge the impact of Donald Trump-era disruptions.

There appears to be a consistent and omnipresent belief in data value across universities, edtech companies and investors in edtech, but this value is not fully realised, at least not to the extent wished by stakeholders. Data value means different things to different stakeholders.

Asian universities are actively contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through their community engagement, ranging from community outreach and service learning to providing lifelong learning opportunities to local citizens. In this article, we share some examples of best practice.

Postdocs have become the new ‘ice boys’ and ‘ice girls’ of the higher education sector – cheap and accessible labour that higher education can exploit, use, misuse, abuse and discard at will. A national framework to protect these marginalised scholars is urgently required – and necessary.

There are urgent and deep challenges to international science. The role of science in addressing the global commons is compromised. There is a growing political focus on institutions that produce science, universities and international collaboration. The science production system is at risk.

Despite the alarming headlines about the impact of United States funding cuts on South African universities – and the fact that the country lags behind others when it comes to spending on research and development – South Africa is not dependent on foreign funding for research in higher education.

Rather than seeing international students as collegial members of an increasingly cross-cultural society and partial solution to demographic challenges in South Korea, critics often portray them as outsiders encroaching on limited opportunities. The broader multicultural shift exposes deep-seated insecurities about national identity, equity and social cohesion.

In today’s shifting landscape, failure to demonstrate the benefit of global education for all students – using not only inspirational narratives but tangible outcomes that resonate with higher education’s stakeholders – puts global education at risk of being peripheral to the future of higher education.

The rapid global growth in transnational education, or TNE, and its online variants goes hand in hand with growth in private higher education. Such expansion is matched by growing risks and calls for stronger accreditation, quality assurance and standards by national regulators, regional networks and international organisations.

The chilly climate for free speech on campuses in the United States ensuing from the Trump administration’s ongoing international student detentions and visa cancellations harms the entire higher education sector, not just international students, and hinders future US foreign policy efforts.

Internationalisation in higher education for society, or IHES, is one of the few concepts that works well and is transferable anywhere. Connected to the concept of impact, it is a means of measuring the contribution of higher education to the sustainable development of communities.

Indian higher education has become fundamentally politicised in the current era of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, posing a grave danger to academic institutions, the academic profession and intellectual life, particularly as India seeks to build world-class universities and engage with the world’s best.

Income share agreements, which tie repayment of student debt to postgraduate income, offer a compelling alternative to existing finance options, allowing students to study without upfront financial barriers and making universities more accountable by shifting the focus from enrolment to post-graduation success.

Many contemporary scientists agree: humanities perspectives enhance scientific methods, providing contextualisation for scientific discoveries and technological advancements, enabling scholars to consider the deep contextual layers that shape scientific inquiry across varied applications. So why do STEM agencies not consider humanists in funding?

Universities in Lebanon can enhance the employability of graduates – currently trapped within an antiquated system of higher education ill-suited to the demands of domestic and global labour markets – by promoting continuing education and training through professional certifications, online courses, continuing education programmes and micro-credentials.

International university consortia – which pool resources, expertise and networks to enhance research capabilities, educational offerings, societal impact and influence – can also act as resilient bridges and ‘soft infrastructure’ for stability and cooperation beyond political cycles in the current complex geopolitical environment.

While the field of Education for Sustainable Development has focused on schooling, students and educators, lifelong and life-wide learning have been increasingly called upon as a critical element in addressing the complex issues around sustainability. This has implications for the roles of universities.

As AI continues to progress, its ability to amplify universities’ contributions to global sustainability efforts is unprecedented. A thoughtful and strategic approach to AI integration will not only improve educational outcomes but also equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead in a sustainable world.

Donald Trump’s attempts to weaken the United States Department of Education, which administers student aid and other programmes intended to improve higher education access, may have an impact beyond US borders as some political parties across the world attempt to replicate his brand of authoritarian, right-wing populism.

The emergence of the augmented mind is not a futuristic speculation – it is the new condition of learning. It calls for a paradigm shift in how we understand knowledge, assessment and intellectual growth. Educators must design learning environments that embrace co-processing rather than resist it.

Business education remains a powerful tool for career growth, but as industries shift, academic institutions must ensure graduates are job-ready and can navigate in the real world. The future of business education belongs to those who blend classroom learning with hands-on industry experience.

The possibility of living 100 years is shaping up into a distinct reality which opens up all kinds of prospects for higher education. To remain relevant in this new demographic reality, universities need to support relearning and reskilling, and more socially purposeful research.

Vietnam’s new development plan aims to meet the needs of learners while supporting development goals and is a significant step towards transforming the country’s higher education and innovation capabilities. However, attention to equity will be needed to ensure even progress across the system.

If the sector is in difficulty now, with two-thirds of British universities thought likely to produce operating deficits in 2025-26, the early years of the next decade could prove existential, particularly as both state and regulator say they won’t bail out individual institutions.

Joint venture universities in China must be protected and nurtured because they represent concrete evidence that the multifaceted synergies to be gained from these important, mutually beneficial projects clearly outweigh any risks that might exist – if they exist at all.

Serving a minority of students with disabilities means universities are better able to pursue their missions. In the case of Sorbonne Nouvelle University, this means modernising curricula to increase graduate employability and consolidating its position as the most internationalised French university for arts and humanities.

The latest QS subject rankings show that the countries that have traditionally led international university rankings continue to dominate the top places but are beginning to be challenged by developing higher education markets, notably by those in Asia and the Middle East.

A landmark policy shift intended to expand access for financially disadvantaged students by converting South Africa’s National Student Financial Aid Scheme, or NSFAS, loans into full bursaries has exacerbated existing inequalities and remains an unsustainable and inefficient mechanism for expanding higher education access.

Artificial intelligence enables academic writers who have access to technologies to produce submission-ready articles. This, coupled with an emergence of research cultures in which human authors are simply disinterested in research, begs the question: Are we moving towards a world in which we will not need journal editors?

When companies like Times Higher Education simultaneously control university ranking systems, provide strategic consulting and convene education ministers, they create a self-reinforcing cycle of influence that exceeds traditional regulatory frameworks – a profound shift, whereby commercial entities determine educational standards and priorities without democratic accountability.

Imposter syndrome is a common psychological phenomenon that affects students, professionals and jobseekers alike, hindering personal and professional growth. But it can be managed. By recognising self-doubt, seeking support and embracing a growth mindset, individuals can overcome imposter syndrome and pursue their goals.

While research-oriented universities have driven Hong Kong’s reputation for academic excellence, they have primarily produced graduates with strong theoretical foundations, leaving a gap in vocational education that meets the growing demand for practical skills – a gap that is about to be filled.

Higher education is going through a soul-searching exercise. This is happening as its role and value are being questioned and calls are heard for higher education to find a new role for itself and better articulate its place as a public good.

The failure of political, economic and environmental systems around the world could be a moment of profound opportunity to rethink, redesign and rebuild. Embracing continuous innovation and adaptability will ensure that higher education remains relevant and influential amid constant global change.

A new multi-engagement analysis counters the simplistic notion of a single pathway towards meaningful engagement and shows that the vast majority of students are not detrimentally ‘academically adrift’ at public research universities, as previously reported in research studies and the media.

The Trump administration’s requirement that Australian researchers who collaborate with United States federal agencies must declare any links to China and comply with the government’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion, America First agenda suggests that diversifying Australia’s research partners is now a national priority.

New data on female leadership in higher education in Central Asia shows that women rectors are in a small minority in all countries, but Kazakhstan is something of an outlier, reflecting relatively higher rates of female leadership, offering possible lessons for the region.

United States President Donald Trump’s second term looks set to accelerate an academic brain drain. If current trends hold, the country could see a long-term decline in its ability to attract top international talent, while the United Kingdom and Europe solidify their positions as leading global academic hubs.

The upsurge of populism and transatlantic tensions make urgent the formation of a European platform or framework that helps to demonstrate the role of higher education in modern societies and promotes its role in fostering a culture of democracy, especially at local level.

Georgia’s universities stand at a crossroads. If the government succeeds in suppressing the current wave of student-led protests, control over universities will tighten further, but if the movement prevails and the government is ousted, meaningful reform becomes a possibility – though not a certainty.

A study that explores the career trajectories of Ukrainian students pursuing higher education in Poland shows how the conflict in their country has redefined professional goals, financial security and self-perception. It also calls on universities to rethink how they support international students from conflict-affected countries.

China’s massive expansion of its undergraduate education system, which has seen top universities launch new programmes to align with national strategic priorities amid rapid technological advancements and geopolitical competition, raises critical questions about its impact on education quality, employment and regional equity.

Collaboration has been critical for researchers, institutions and nations to achieve common goals. However, the global higher education and research community is entering uncharted territory due to the threat of seismic geopolitical shifts that are likely to result in detrimental impacts for the SDG agenda.

Accelerated learning is seen as a viable alternative to traditional education models in response to societal demands for flexibility and efficiency, particularly in Africa and Asia. However, concerns over quality assurance and long-term consequences necessitate a critical assessment of policy implementation beyond official discourse.

Iran has been trying to improve its research quality as studies show high numbers of retractions, but a new letter from a government minister seeming to target whistleblowers rather than those committing misconduct raises serious concerns about whether the initiatives will succeed.

Universities worldwide are grappling with multiple crises caused by different factors, from budget cuts to wars, climate change, political pressures and polarisation. A European University Association project explores how they can keep teaching and learning on track, facilitate social cohesion and shape the future.

Proposals by the Trump presidency in the United States, such as defunding research, diminishing opportunities for international students and (probably) limiting job openings for highly skilled migrants, will affect US scientific and innovation capacities and open the door for other countries to play a more active role.

The success of China’s higher education system offers valuable lessons to other countries in the region, particularly in respect of securing stable funding and aligning national priorities with institutional goals. However, balancing excellence with inclusivity will be essential to achieving greater regional equity.

While Hong Kong university leaders demonstrate resilience and innovation in the face of looming budget cuts – pursuing alternative revenue and optimising resources – the long-term ability of universities to sustain their hard-earned status as measured by rankings, international appeal and collaborations remains unclear.

Tension between students and university leaders is not new, nor is it unique to South Africa. But what is clear is that, until government institutions take decisive action on student funding and higher education policy, universities will continue to be battlegrounds for broader political struggles.

Flexible courses will allow universities to reach out to new students and offset some of the funding problems they face, but there is resistance. How can institutions adapt, given their conservative nature and their strong academic leadership which foregrounds the voice of professors?

Whereas AI can create a summary of a topic for students, university lecturers can use micro-learning to create carefully curated, engaging material that can be part of a suite of units for a new topic or can help students revise for their traditional assessments.

Universities have little to fear from clampdowns on immigration if they adopt a balanced strategy that emphasises both post-study work and successful employment outcomes back home. If universities fail to deliver on employability, students may start questioning the value of international education altogether.

Formative student peer reviews can be an effective strategy for enhancing learning through discursive interaction, negotiation and collaboration. However, a challenge to increasing peer feedback is the need for structural changes in power relations – between student and tutor, and formal and informal learning environments.

Assessing success in life requires multiple standards, and the same is true for evaluating the success of researchers. While competition for early recognition can motivate young people to set goals and work hard to achieve them, it should be approached in a balanced way.

In order to equip young people to work for change and to sustain that work, academics must be honest about setbacks. Civic action needs to be framed as an ongoing practice rather than a single event – and academics must themselves model hope.

It is time to discuss the boundaries between expectations of higher education and what goes beyond its responsibility. A more nuanced view is needed to understand the role of higher education in guaranteeing access to education and skills, and graduates’ labour market outcomes.

While decolonisation remains a vital and necessary discourse, its problematic nature stems from conceptual ambiguities, ideological tensions and practical constraints. There are the challenges of epistemic binaries, the complexities of linguistic decolonisation, the paradoxes of globalisation, and the need for a coherent strategy for institutional transformation.

A recent study in the United States shows that many faculty teaching about race and racial disparities reported making changes to their courses and research, not because they were legally required to, but because of uncertainty – driven largely by the silence and inaction of senior university leadership.