A statement from the President of the British Academy on the UK’s higher education crisis

A year ago, I wrote to the Prime Minister to warn that cuts and contractions in higher education and research were impacting disproportionately on the humanities and social sciences, risking lasting damage to UK universities. Since then, these concerns have intensified as an ongoing funding crisis threatens to engulf and distort the sector. 

The British Academy’s latest analysis shows that undergraduate subject ‘cold spots’ are not only persisting but worsening. What was once a worrying trend across a small number of disciplines is now an emergency, threatening all subjects. Courses are closing, provision is contracting, and geographical inequalities in access are becoming entrenched. Important skills and capabilities - qualities we know employers value and the economy needs - are being lost.

The UK's higher education and research system, like the people within it, is an extraordinary national asset - a repository of unparalleled expertise, and a source of cumulative, reliable, illuminating evidence. The humanities and social sciences additionally nurture the ingenuity, creativity, critical thinking and practical skills needed to manage rapid technological change, geopolitical volatility and socio-economic uncertainty. 

The evidence – from wide ranging examinations of graduate outcomes, institution rankings, and research assessment – remains clear that higher education delivers substantial benefits for individuals, society and the economy. However, disciplines are disappearing as a result of tough but uncoordinated decision-taking across a fragmented sector. 

The signs of strain are visible across the system. The financial cross-subsidies that have quietly sustained teaching and research are becoming harder to maintain while international student demand and opportunities to attract global talent are in the balance. At the same time, there is a mismatch between the financial needs of institutions and the costs students, and the state, are willing to bear, contributing to a decline in public confidence. 

This direction of travel risks irreversible damage to UK higher education and research, to scholarship, and to our capacity to shape the future. There will be diminishing opportunities for students, widening regional inequalities, and the erosion of knowledge, evidence and expertise on which the UK depends. Once this capacity is lost, it will be difficult – and costly – to rebuild. 

The British Academy has consistently called for a comprehensive review of higher education. In Scotland and Wales there are already steps in that direction. England should follow suit, to protect research and innovation excellence, and to embed the humanities, social sciences and arts within it. If the UK Government acts now there is a chance to secure a sustainable and enduring future for higher education and research – one that reflects the full value of the sector to individuals and communities, to public life, social wellbeing, and to economic growth and resilience. This requires a renewed approach to funding and governance, coordinated across departments and across the UK’s nations. This approach should be designed to provide stability while enabling institutions to adapt and innovate.  

The British Academy stands ready to play a leading role. In the past year we have intensified our efforts to address the growing challenge of course and departmental closures. Through our SHAPE Observatory, we have provided the most comprehensive picture to date of changing subject provision, including new tools that map where humanities, social sciences, and arts are being lost and what this means for regional economies and civic life. These data are instrumental in how we champion our disciplines in policy debates from graduate outcomes to research culture, to the fees and funding that support the system. 

Our wider domestic and international policy programmes also demonstrate the value of the SHAPE disciplines, mobilising insights to address major societal challenges. At a time when higher education, and the contribution of these disciplines, is under increasing pressure, this work plays an important role in ensuring that SHAPE research and expertise inform policy and decision-making in the UK and internationally, from democratic resilience and social cohesion to economic growth, skills, and technological change. 

At the same time, we ourselves have continued to support the sector directly, investing more than £50 million annually in research and talent through fellowships, grants, and funding programmes that strengthen public engagement and knowledge exchange. We have also built and sustained communities across the sector, notably supporting an Early Career Researcher Network linking nearly 10,000 scholars across the UK.

With an upcoming change in the UK administration, we urge the Government to prioritise this issue. While the sector has shown considerable adaptability in recent years, it cannot solve these issues alone. Should this situation continue unchecked, the damage to the health of higher education, research and innovation will be profound and have long-lasting consequences. We need an immediate, substantial and comprehensive review of UK higher education and research, and a commitment to act on its recommendations. It is imperative that we are clear about what a healthy and sustainable ecosystem looks like, what we are prepared to safeguard, and what we stand to lose.

For further information contact the Press Office on [email protected]  / 07500 010 432.