The minister for state for higher education has rejected the notion that the creation of new professorships exclusively for women at 12 third-level institutes discriminates against men.

In a bid to address the gender imbalance at a senior level across the sector, twenty new professorships specifically for women are to be in place by September.

Mick Wallace was known as a straight talker in the Dáil and it will be a straight shootout between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to replace him.

The government is "in the middle of a review" of its Deis support scheme with a view to potentially extending it to include more schools.

The current Leaving Cert points system for university just doesn't add up, writes Victoria White

Waterford Institute of Technology paid out almost €400,000 — more than a third of which went on travel — without going through proper procurement, new accounts show.

Students receiving their first-round offers from the Central Applications Office (CAO) tomorrow should give consideration to all their options before making a final decision, according to advice from experts.

The promise to freeze fees at €3,000 a year for college students was made by Mr McHugh despite ongoing demands from universities for the Government to address a major funding shortfall in the sector.

Third-level institutions guilty of misconduct or poor performance could see grants withheld under the first proposed changes to the current legislation in almost 50 years.

A decision on the long-awaited Munster Technological University, has been set back to early 2020 amid financial concerns and a “lack of clear vision and strategy”.

A long-awaited decision on the Munster Technological University is expected to be made shortly as an independent report sparks uncertainty over the project.