The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest university news from around the world, on 7 June 2013.
US: Senate fails to agree plan to prevent doubling of student loan rates
The US Senate yesterday blocked two bills – one from the Democrats and one from Republicans – both of which aimed to prevent student loan rates from doubling, Reuters reports. While both political parties agree that the increase should be prevented, they’ve been unable to decide on a course of action. If they fail to do so before 1 July, loan interest rates are set to double, to 6.8%. The plan proposed by Republican senators involved changing to a market-based rates system, while the Democrat-led bill proposed extending current rates for a further two years.
UK: Universities increased spending on access by 5% in 2011/12
Universities in the UK increased their spending on schemes to extend access to higher education by 5% in 2011/12, Public Finance reports. Analysis from the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Office for Fair Access shows that the majority of universities met or exceeded their targets, spending a total of £386.5m on scholarships and bursaries for students from disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds. Following the increase of the tuition fees cap, universities charging more than £6,000 per year are required to commit to a certain level of spending on improving access.
Japan: Nationwide university admissions test to be replaced
Japan’s education ministry has announced plans to replace the current university entrance exam system, The Japan Times reports. The new test, not expected to be launched for at least five years, will apparently be offered several times a year, and students will be allowed to choose their highest score when applying to universities. There are also plans to encourage universities to use more interviews and essay-writing tasks in their own assessments of applicants.
China: Exam centers using metal detectors to prevent ‘high-tech cheating’
Some exam centers in China are using metal detectors to screen students taking the national university entrance exam today, due to concerns about cheating using devices such as smartphones, South China Morning Post reports. More than 9 million students have registered to take the test this year. Known as the ‘gaokao’, it really is a major national event. Some cities have even introduced dedicated traffic lanes for families taking their children to sit the exam.