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

[quote GrannyWeatherwaxsHatpin]@LadyofTheManners

I wonder if Reading is one of them

No :)[/quote]
Oh I'm so pleased, we had new ones move in the house across the road on Friday and we socially distance had a drink with them to introduce the to the area as they were from up north.
Lovely kids.

@jamie2001 is right. (I'm sorry you're one of the ones at risk. I know some teams are having massive cuts and changes.)

DH works there, everyone today found out whether at risk. Many many took voluntary redundancy and the execs are taking a pay cut. Pay and hiring freeze also looking likely, but this will save many jobs.

UKC was literally just approved to take in their first year of medical students in September, which wouldn't have happened if they were about to go under.

CCCU is also having hiring freezes and pay cuts for execs so I expect there will be redundancies there soon enough, but again these will save the uni itself. I don't think either of the big unis in Canterbury will go under, but they will have to be very careful.

I guess a lot of Universities have been hit by Brexit and as people say - other factors which make a perfect storm, some over expansion of portfolio - buildings and courses and falling student numbers.
Now this.

Our Uni has had voluntary redundancies and cutting of courses recently. They admit there is a black hole in the finances but say that there is a plan. They have been very cautious with recruitment over the last few years - all posts have to go high up for approval before they are advertised.

Its an unstable situation and only the fittest and most agile will survive - I'm sure we will lose some.

By what Michelle Donelan has been saying lately it doesn't look like there'll be a bail out of the sector. Articles like this make it look like the Tories want to see a shrinking of the sector?

@Puzzledandpissedoff

What makes you say that about Derby Puzzled?

Quite simply, the ranking they've historically had
I've just checked the latest stats and am absolutely astounded to see them ranked at 26, and that's with a designation of Q3 and a ranking of "least selective"

It's a while since I've been involved so I'll have to do a bit of checking, but my instinctive reaction's to wonder if there's been a colossal massaging of figures ... something I suspect a number of major employers will share

That may be 26 in the Guardian rankings, which are often 'interesting', but they are ranked 91 in the Times and that is usually held in higher regard.

@Beachhuts90 - The Kent & Medway Medical School is a joint venture between the University of Kent at Canterbury and Canterbury Christ Church University. So if you think having a medical school means one is secure, the same would have to go for both.

I think you're right, ArtieFufkin - in fact I mentioned the discrepancy in the Guardian's rankings in my post at 18.26

TBF, at 91 they've crawled up a little from their long spell in the bottom 30, but it's hardly stellar

What happens tp the students if an institution goes bust?

Are other universities obliged/willing to take in waifs and strays? My daughter's signed up to do a niche course, and it's a new course, but in an established university.

Bit worried it might be pulled before she finishes.

@SirTobyBelch I did say I didn't think either would go under!

I understand the reasoning behind not coming out and saying which universities these are but it's incredibly stressful to be going through the application process for a university that may or may not exist in a years time .

I have a friend whose course closed mid way through her degree and she was able to transfer to another uni with no trouble. So I would hope that if this does happen to students that they will be able to do that.

Autumnleavesseptember has it correct, the Tories have been aiming to reduce the size of the HE sector for years, I remember it as part of the removal of central government financial support a few years ago. The revamping of the sector was designed to make universities work like businesses and the current state is the result (not including Covid which is the cherry on top). There will be no bailouts for universities.

I work in a big ranking uni.

They are sh*t scared!!! Furloughed as many staff as they could in order to get the Government to pay as much of their salary bill as possible.

Yep we have loads of international students and fortunately numbers are not as low as expected for September.

Any university that is not being proactive and concerned is acting foolishly. As others have said there is a perfect storm going on and of course the Government can interfere in the economics and supply/Demand, course fees etc as they wish...

I am exhausted by the long thread... I can post a list of the 13 if anyone still needs it. The list is publicly available.

@SirTobyBelch

And HEFCE doesn't exist any more.

More's the pity....

@lljkk please do, what is your information source?

lijkk if you can, and you're sure of your source, please do.

Please help some MNetters' DC signing up for courses that won't exist if their chosen uni goes bust.

@lljkk please do!

Full report is here.

So you scroll down to Figure 15 & the report doesn't name them (apols, I got that wrong) but you can tell they are music institutions, Q3 & Q4 group in Appendix D.

"All results exclude SOAS University of London, as it did not submit its annual accounts for the 2018–19
financial year on time. SOAS is known to be in severe financial difficulty " say the footnotes, so SOAS is not even in the IFS report.

@mimbleandlittlemy. SOAS is not one of them. Close, yes. Frantically restructuring and staff facing redundancies, oh yes. But going under? Not yet.

If it were all Q3 Q4 and music it would be far more than 13 no?

I'd be interested to know which 13 please lljkk or could you point me in the right direction pls? I've had a look on-line but can't find the info.

@lljkk

I am exhausted by the long thread... I can post a list of the 13 if anyone still needs it. The list is publicly available.

I hate to be holier than thou but I really don't think you should - it's quite irresponsible particularly as I think you work in HE?

The IFS report is also rather scare-mongery. See here for a more balanced view: https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2020/07/06/response-to-the-institute-for-fiscal-studies-new-report-on-university-finances-in-the-pandemic/

While I am certain there will be casualties, I don't think there will be as many as 13 - maybe 4 or 5.

Student protection plans - regardless of how robust they are, the Office for Students has a team which will step in and negotiate on befall of the students of a failing institution with the wider sector to place them all, locally if possible, so students will all be able to continue their courses, although inevitably they will be hugely inconvenienced.

I’m a lecturer at a post 92 university. I am feeling a bit scared now. We have had some financial troubles anyway. Universities with a lot of international students (especially those who charge high fees) and those who have a lot of their own accommodation are most at risk. A lot of universities have built new student accommodation recently and they will struggle to fill it.

I love my job and I would be sad to lose it.

@Beebityboo I don’t know about the position of Wolverhampton but if you want to do teaching even the most prestigious PGCE courses are happy to accept people from ex polys. You will usually need at least a 2:2 but the most important thing is that you have some relevant experience. If you have worked with children before that would help and get school experience whilst you are doing your course.

so apols, I can't name them specifically, but you can rule many of the possible nominations out; anything in Q2 or Q1 is not in the 13 most at risk identified by IFS.

I'll get my coat if anyone is mad at me for promising too much.

reading back up thread,

Kent: Q2, so fine. Bristol: both Q1 & Q2 so fine. Russel Group: all fine. Most of the 'research Unis' (but not RG) are fine, too.

I love the Uni snobbery too. I went to a (fabulous) low ranking (they didn't really rank them in my day) Uni and now work at a RG Uni.

Just because it's not 'research led' and with loads of International students DOES NOT MAKE IT GREAT. It just fulfils what the gov & policy makers want to achieve.

Assuming it's the ex-Polys and assuming that ex-Polys are Not as Good is ridiculous.

I did read a while back that the highly esteemed SOAS is in trouble. Though they have been talking about this for years.