Students could be asked to wear gowns and mortarboards on campus in plans by education secretary Michael Gove to ¡°restore rigour¡± to higher education, the Times Higher Education has learned.

According to a leaked memo seen by THE, the minister is looking at introducing the strict dress code across all universities over concerns over the ¡°scruffy¡± clothes worn on campus.

The new sartorial standards are believed to be the first in a series of measures being considered by Mr Gove if he succeeds in his bid to bring the sector under his department after next year¡¯s general election.

It is hoped the new dress code will usher in ¡°a return to the golden age of higher education ¨C the 19^th century¡±, the memo says.

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¡°Universities are always being told to modernise, but maybe we need to look back to some of the traditions that made British universities great,¡± the memo advises.

¡°You still see gowns worn in our Oxbridge colleges, which do well academically, so why shouldn¡¯t other universities follow that trend,¡± it adds.

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However, some have said the new dress code idea is too prescriptive, particularly for final-year male students who will be required to wear formal black tie attire at dinner and wheel around a bicycle between lectures.

Some vice-chancellors are believed to have questioned the move on the grounds of institutional autonomy, but their appeals have been rebutted.

¡°Kim Jong-un has just ordered all male students to have the same haircut ¨C his own ¨C so wearing a gown isn¡¯t really much to ask in comparison to that,¡± said one Whitehall insider.

¡°In fact, we haven¡¯t heard any complaints from North Korean students, so a similar move might prove quite popular here.¡±

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Some leading higher education experts have already backed the move, saying it may help to increase overseas recruitment.

¡°Everyone loves the Harry Potter films and these gowns might give our campuses an air of Hogwarts, which is bound to pull in a few more students,¡± said Joanna King, head of the Institute for Pedagogic Inquiries.

However, some have questioned some of the other Oxbridge-inspired proposals apparently drafted by Mr Gove.

The mandatory introduction of punting may prove impractical, said one vice-chancellor, who did not want to be named.

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¡°Many rivers near universities are just not suited to this type of leisure activity,¡± he said. ¡°The ornamental lakes on campuses are probably not safe either.¡±

avril.olof@tsleducation.com