To feel nervous - does anyone know what the 13 Universities facing closure are?

[josben]

DS1 and DS2 are both planning to start Uni in September, and I have just read this article which is very unsettling - does anyone have any idea of what uni's in the below article will be facing closure ?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53280965

It says less prestigious / lower ranking universities (whose students are more likely to be creamed off by better universities with extra spaces because of a reduction in international students).

What universities are your kids planning to go to?

Uni’s without research going on, those that don’t award doctorates. No ones going to publish names though, that would result in a loss of confidence, and the end would be almost inevitable.

Not sure but since everyone wants to go to 'Uni' now and many seem to offer degrees that get the individual in debt but offer not much else perhaps some of the useless subjects that really a degree isn't needed in will go....

I'm probably a snob though because my first degree is in science and second in soft science....

Higher education has become a hugely problematical area in my opinion, so many students get a terrible deal.

Would be interested to know too.....

You could probably work out if the university they are going to is at risk. If the university is in deficit and is low ranking, it might be at risk. The number of international students is another factor but probably only if they are a low ranking university. The higher ranked universities should be able to fill their places with UK students, as the BBC article says.

www.theguardian.com/education/2019/mar/21/england-universities-in-deficit-figures-financial-pressure

I'm nervous too. I'm due to enroll on a course in September (if my application is successful) in a low ranked university. It's the only one in the area and I couldn't relocate the DC's so I had no choice in where I could go.
I wonder what happens to currently enrolled students if a university goes bust? I'm wondering if I should even go through with it now

It would be interesting to see a definitive list, although it’s probably fairly easy to guess at least ten of them.

Why don’t you post the names of the institutions where your DC are holding offers OP? There’ll be really informed posters who can help, I’m sure.

Not the ones listed here.

www.theuniguide.co.uk/advice/choosing-a-course/what-is-the-russell-group

Russell Group are actually at a considerable risk due to the high numbers of international students who have opted to delay their studies.

@FlameFartingDragon

Russell Group are actually at a considerable risk due to the high numbers of international students who have opted to delay their studies.

But as the article said they have large financial buffers and the option to attract more UK students.

As long the unis have a semblance of an academic standard you have nothing to worry about.

I went to a highly ranked university and there are very severe concerns about its financial stability. This is what happens when you try to run a business, acting like a business, pretending to be charity and run by academics who don't understand business. If a university goes under then the students will be swept into other universities (often of a higher calibre). This is what has happened previously when courses have been cancelled or overfilled. I wouldn't worry - we can't predict the future.

University of Kent is one according to my son who studied in Canterbury.

@myusernamewastakenbyme

University of Kent is one according to my son who studied in Canterbury.

Was he a UKC or a C3U student?

He is a UKC student coming to the end of his masters degree.

@Beebityboo I hope you can get enrolled and do your course if it’s what you want and you’re sure it will benefit you. I think in general older people get a lot out of university because they understand what they’re committed to and what they’re hoping to achieve.

@myusernamewastakenbyme

He is a UKC student coming to the end of his masters degree.

So campus whispers then? Interesting. They do have a lot of international students and courses.

@Beebityboo

I'm nervous too. I'm due to enroll on a course in September (if my application is successful) in a low ranked university. It's the only one in the area and I couldn't relocate the DC's so I had no choice in where I could go. I wonder what happens to currently enrolled students if a university goes bust? I'm wondering if I should even go through with it now

I think the government would have to help them limp on to the end of the year. They’d probably help mid-course students find transfer places or offer them exit qualifications.

Are you due to start undergrad or postgrad?

Thanks Fanthorpe. It took me a long time to get the courage to even apply so I'll be gutted if it can't go ahead. Obviously it's worse for those that will lose their jobs and those halfway through a course. I don't really know what to do now to be honest. Especially as it seems they aren't going to publish the names of the universities in trouble.

I'd be an undergrad (mature student).

I don't know but I'd like to as I work in a University

I would suggest that coventry and YORK St. John are at risk due to over expansion. Buying campuses then not being able to run courses will always be problematic but at the moment it’s catastrophic.

“
But as the article said they have large financial buffers and the option to attract more UK students.

I don’t think they’re allowed to attract more U.K. students. Caps were put in place at the start of Covid to stop them doing thjs because otherwise the danger is they take all the U.K. students from the non Russell Group universities and then the non RG unis really will go bust/be in trouble.

There’s been a lot of call on MN for fee refunds due to Covid and strikes. And several people warned that this could potentially be an effect. Posters on here said they didn’t care, I’m assuming their DC are in their final year?

As for what happens if your uni goes bust.....I assume your course fees are written off. Other universities are Under no obligation to take you and may well not have capacity to do so. You won’t get a refund on any living costs/halls fees for anytime you’ve spent there. So out of pocket, no qualification. Let’s hope the govt helps.

Only here to read the snobby comments about Russell group universities. Have we had anyone mention Mickey Mouse degrees yet? It’s almost as if vocational degrees aren’t a thing on MN.