Exclusive: Research finds more than 1,000 schools have suffered cumulative real-terms cuts in excess of £1m each

School leaders in England are having to double up as caretakers and lollipop men and women as funding “hits rock bottom”, teaching unions have said.

Others are having to call on relatives to help fix crumbling buildings and do other odd jobs after years of “inadequate” funding...

Highly educated Kenyans working for essay mills ghostwrite academic work that students pass off as their own

There is a secret industry that generates billions of dollars a year. Its workers are bright, industrious and completely anonymous. Their job is writing essays to order for students – in the UK and elsewhere – to help them get good degrees.

These are “shadow scholars”, highly...

Money is almost always tight as a student, but fitting work around your studies requires a little forethought and planning if you want to avoid a negative impact on those grades

If you’re planning to go to university, you may also be thinking about getting a job while studying. But it can be difficult to know where to look, especially if you’re moving to an unfamiliar city.

The most...

Students may have had a reputation for boozy behaviour, but there are ways to make friends for those who prefer to keep things straight edge

For as long as anyone can remember, drinking has been a key part of the student experience – but this is changing. An increasing number of young people are turning away from drinking, with a 2024 poll by Student Beans finding that half of first-year...

Responsibility for vocational training and skills has bounced around Whitehall for years, with enrolment rates down by a third. Can the latest tweaks work?

Ensuring England’s workforce has the right skills for a rapidly changing economy is key to Labour’s hopes of boosting social mobility and kickstarting economic growth.

So it seems unfortunate that more than a week after Keir Starmer’s...

The ubiquitous AI tool has a divisive effect on educators with some seeing it a boon and others a menace. So what should you know about where to draw the line between check and cheat?

For many students, ChatGPT has become as standard a tool as a notebook or a calculator.

Whether it’s tidying up grammar, organising revision notes, or generating flashcards, AI is fast becoming a go-to companion...

AI is making universities rethink how they assess students, with some turning to presentations, vivas and quizzes

For 18-year-old Rose Kade from London, deciding between studying geography or maths at university is not just about the subject, it’s about how she will be assessed.

“I don’t like exams,” she says. “I feel like anything can happen on the day, and I find it hard being judged...

School leaders say emotionally based school avoidance is increasing, but what should be done to help?

Union condemns racial abuse and threats George Abaraonye suffered after ‘inappropriate remarks’ celebrating shooting

• Charlie Kirk’s US campus tour will continue despite his death, widow says – US politics live

The president-elect of the Oxford Union will face disciplinary proceedings for making “inappropriate remarks” celebrating the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, the union has announced...

Three years after leak led to claims of social media spying, city authorities have agreed to independent investigation

“I’ve realised how damaging the whole thing’s been because, you know, you can’t trust people,” Jen Smith says from her home in Bristol.

Smith is one of a number of parents of children with special education needs and disabilities (Send) who allege Bristol city council spied...

Artificial intelligence is changing how students learn and the world they’ll graduate into. Experts reveal how applicants can get ahead

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently told a US podcast that if he was graduating today, “I would feel like the luckiest kid in all of history.”

Altman, whose company developed and released ChatGPT in November 2022, believes the transformative power of AI offers...

The social side of university is good for your mental health and friendship circle, so consider where you’d be happiest to hang out

Choosing which university to attend based on social scene alone probably isn’t the wisest idea, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t rank high on your list of priorities. Not only are sticky dancefloors and blinding strobe lighting a sort of rite of passage, a...

Engineering of electrical and electronic systems, microelectronics, silicon devices and nanotechnology

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The study of what influences income, wealth and wellbeing, and how this can be implemented into policy

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The study of how people develop and learn – including education studies, undergraduate teacher training and academic studies in education

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The study of crime and criminality – from policing and punishment to justice and inequalities

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Don’t be overwhelmed by the choice on offer – use this guide to help make a selection

The 2026 league table

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Welcome to the Guardian University Guide 2026. It can feel like it’s all change in universities these days – exams are increasingly a thing of the past, you can tune into lectures online, and now there’s the tricky business of working out whether ChatGPT is your...

League tables of all subject areas taught at UK universities, and profiles of those subjects

Guardian University Guide 2026 – overall table

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How to use the tables

Accounting and financeThe league tableWhat the subject is about

Aerospace engineeringThe league tableWhat the subject is about

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The study of the Earth, seas, rivers and the atmosphere – includes geology and ocean sciences

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The incoming vice-chancellor, Prof Frances Bowen, credits the student-focused approach at the University of Essex for its soaring rankings and high satisfaction rating

The 2026 league table

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At the University of Essex’s open days this summer, only a few staff took particular notice of one inquisitive visitor talking to prospective students and parents – but that...

The time and money you invest in education should be repaid by a rewarding career, but is that always the case?

Is a university degree still worth it? That question has been asked for decades but with increased frequency over the last 10 years, as the cost of taking a degree has shifted from government to graduates.

The short answer is: yes it is, according to experts such as the Institute for...