"3 prestigious universities about to go bust" - on Radio 5 live this morning..

[devilsadvocate77]

...heard a chap who was contributing as part of Nicky's slot (still on) say that three unis are about to go bust, not to mention the many others who are running at a deficit.

Nicky asked if he would name them but he refused.

Any ideas??

I can assure you that even the most supposedly successful Unis are making cuts. It might not be publicly known redundancies but it can be done in other ways. There's also a lot of nonsensical 'speculate to accumulate' plans. Fact is undergrad fees do not cover costs and international postgrad numbers are reducing. They're all chasing the same sources of income and it is unsustainable. And in the meantime they talk more and more about grandiose visions to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Just stupid.

Too true.

Ironically Trump may well be the saviour of UK HE....

Indeed! There was definitely a drop in international students applying to the US last time he was elected. It didn't last long but it is likely to happen again.
Australia and Canada have quite unfavourable policies towards international students at the moment too so that should also help!

Although the CoL crisis is worldwide and we're seeing students from countries like China, who would usually come to the uk, choosing to study closer to home in places like Singapore. Which isn't helping!!

They’re down by a third. In the current post Brexit era the UK really isn’t that popular an option anymore particularly when you factor in the Tory visa restrictions.

They’re down by a third. In the current post Brexit era the UK really isn’t that popular an option anymore particularly when you factor in the Tory visa restrictions.

I'm heavily involved in international recruitment at the university where I work.
Yes, international applications are down and unfavourable government policy has most definitely contributed. Particularly, for students coming from Africa.

However, the UK is still a popular destination and the UK HE system is well respected.
International doesn't just mean EU.
We recruit students from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

That's not to say the international market isn't challenging at the moment ( it is!!) but the UK has always attracted international students even before they were a financial necessity.

https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/press-and-media/bold-and-transformative-action-needed-to-address-financial-sustainability-ofs/

Latest from the OfS (which of course covers England, not the other home nations).

The press release gives a succinct bullet point summary, plus a link to the latest report itself.

Does not back up up the immediacy of any Uni going bust, but does reinforce the short-term pressures.

Troubling for some though

Our modelling…..does not conclude that significant numbers of universities will close in the short term.

Implies that an insignificant - however that is defined - number will

Our modelling…..does not conclude that significant numbers of universities will close in the short term.
Implies that an insignificant - however that is defined - number will

It goes on to say "But that does not mean that institutions can rely on student recruitment rebounding in the coming years. Many universities have already taken steps to secure their long-term sustainability. For those that have not, the time to do so is now. That is increasingly likely to involve bold and transformative action to reshape institutions for the future – while continuing to deliver for the students of today and tomorrow."

"Bold and transformative action to reshape..." means mergers and/or drastic cutting of courses offered. These will have serious implications for students who can longer access support service in-person, and whose courses may be closed before they complete them.

It's the courses being closed mid flow that concern me DS has just started another three years. He has a part time job in the industry, flat, partner. If his course implodes. It's all kaput..

They'd be transferred to another uni - fairly straightforward unless doing a very niche degree.

So his partner dumps her career, she is supporting them both for the next three years.

Really?

They'd be transferred to another uni - fairly straightforward unless doing a very niche degree.

It is rarely straightforward. All degrees will differ from each other in the topics covered and the depth in which they're done, and some final-year modules might be difficult without having done particular modules the previous year. And some courses won't have lab/supervisor/placement capacity to take in more students without compromising the quality of the experience of the students they already have. Universities are very focused on NSS scores. Even with the additional income from taking on another university's students, they'll worry about giving everyone a poor experience.

Not always true. How can another university absorb an entire cohort? There would be no "transfer" en masse if that's what you meant. Students can approach other universities and ask but the accepting university would have to have physical space, enough staff and more importantly spend time mapping the old university's curriculum to their own and making sure it was appropriate. For instance if Uni A teaches public health in Year 2 and Uni B teaches it in Year 3 how can you swap? You've either missed it or even worse had the same subject twice. They might fit one or two students in but not a whole cohort. And mature students often can't travel far either which is an issue.

Where I teach we have a blanket ban on accepting students even as a one off on my course. It's actually written into the programme that we will not accept students.

So my DS will be turned away even if they can juggle his partners career.

It's a shit show. Personally I'd rather the universities come clean now rather than hang on by their fingernails for months or next year.

Potentially. Each university is a separate institution/business. They are not responsible for picking up any mess by another business failing. Not at all.

It happened with a midwifery course recently, the NMC shut the course down. Another university only took the 3rd year students on not the others. I believe they were only a few weeks from finishing their third year but had to start year 3 from scratch at the new place. Don’t think the 2nd year students got anywhere.

it’s obviously more complicated for a healthcare course but the principle of there being no right to transfer remains.

Universities would normally run down a programme I.e. not recruitment but keep enough staff to see out an existing cohort. I wouldn’t worry about courses closing halfway through an undergrad course. And yes, I do work in HE. We have done exactly this - no-one was transferred anywhere.

It can be actually. OfS will coordinate it, the state the sector is in at the moment most unis will be delighted to have a few thousand extra students. The failing uni wouldn't be selling its estate, not immediately anyway, so the students wouldn't even need to travel to another local uni. The staff could be employed on short term contracts by the receiving uni. Same as when CCCU had the rug pulled on their nursing students - Surrey took them on but they remained on the same site.

I was tangentially involved when another provider went under some years ago - it was an impressively smooth operation as it goes, and in all likelihood a much larger institution would be looking to be merged anyway rather than go under.

So his partner dumps her career, she is supporting them both for the next three years.

Why would she?

Teaching under a franchise or validating the spec would sort those issues out. Not saying it would be easy for the staff, but the students would be ok.

And transferring in students wouldn't be eligible to be in the NSS!

Because they love each other.

He certainly couldn't afford accommodation in another place and pay half the bills on the flat they have now.

And transferring in students wouldn't be eligible to be in the NSS!

I didn't say they would. I said the experience of the students who are already there would be affected by the influx of additional students over-stretching capacity, and this would have an impact on NSS scores.