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Loans, Free speech

September 18, 2026 · 49 min

Show notes

This week on the podcast we examine the government’s response to criticism of the student loan system. With ministers still describing the system as unfair and in need of reform, what might meaningful change now look like?

Plus we discuss the Office for Students’ new freedom of speech conditions of registration, and we take a look at the other higher education policy and sector stories that have caught our guests’ attention this week.

With David Kernohan, Deputy Editor at Wonkhe, Pam Macpherson Barrett, Director of Policy and Regulation at the University of Leeds, and Mack Marshall, Editorial Coordinator at Wonkhe, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.

Students feel free to speak – unless they’re training to be doctors

The tone has changed on free speech, but the architecture hasn’t

Student loans are still broken and unfair

All episodes of The Higher Education Show

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