TO BE PUBLISHED June 2026
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This conference will consider next steps for long-term funding models and the financial sustainability, resilience, and stability of the UK higher education sector, including priorities for policy, institutional planning, and risk management.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss strategies for improving sustainable operating models in the context of tuition fee cap increases, reintroduction of maintenance grants, expanded research funding, and the forthcoming levy on international students. Delegates will consider possible options for alleviating pressures highlighted in the Office for Students’ annual financial sustainability report - including sector-wide financial stress, uneven impacts across providers, and the growing number of institutions at risk of insolvency - and assess their impacts on shaping institutional decision-making around resource allocation, portfolio management, and strategic trade-offs.
Forecasting & coordination
Sessions will examine how institutions are responding in practice, including approaches to financial forecasting, sustainability and recovery planning, and engagement with governing bodies and regulators. Delegates will also consider priorities for harnessing opportunities arising from increased research and development investment - including the Government’s commitment to raise its annual funding to £22bn by 2029/30, and protection of core quality-related funding in real terms - and how these can be used to strengthen institutional resilience, support the Government’s priority areas such as artificial intelligence, green technologies, and life sciences, and address concerns around funding concentration and research cross-subsidy.
Adapting systems in place
Further discussion will explore options for reform and adaptation across tuition fee and maintenance systems, including the long-term sustainability and design of the student loans system, repayment terms, and the balance of funding contribution, the targeting of public funding, and strategies to sustain strategically important teaching and research provision. Delegates will assess practical approaches to international student recruitment and market diversification, management of compliance and reputational risk, and implications for student experience, institutional autonomy, and long-term viability. Discussion will also consider how visa policy, global competition for talent, and reputational factors are shaping recruitment strategies, international student markets, and developing partnerships, as well as how institutions are balancing growth with quality, compliance, and retention objectives.
Regulation & governance
The seminar will also consider how financial regulation is evolving in response to heightened risk, including expectations for oversight, intervention, and recovery, and the role of the OfS in shaping institutional strategies. Delegates will examine opportunities for income diversification, including commercialisation, transnational education, modular and short-course provision, ahead of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement’s rollout in 2027, alongside strategies for addressing barriers to diversification and priorities for scaling diversification efforts sustainably. Delegates will also examine the role of institutional mergers and collaborations in addressing financial pressures and long-term sustainability moving forward, looking at how mergers impact resource consolidation, expanded programme offerings, and strengthened research and teaching capacity, alongside potential implications for governance, regulatory compliance, and student experience.
Overview of areas for discussion
- funding changes and sustainability: 2025 Autumn Budget measures - tuition fee cap increases - reintroduction of maintenance grants - introduction of an international students levy - financial disparities across institutions - developing long-term financial resilience
- university finances and diversification: fee uplifts and support measures - institutional budgeting - options for diversifying income - spin-outs and commercialisation - transnational education - modular and short-course provision - industry partnerships
- research and innovation funding: funding commitments - protecting core quality-related block grants, including allocation across priority areas such as AI, green technologies, and life sciences - capacity of institutions to sustain global competitiveness
- wider financial pressures: sector-wide challenges, including declining surpluses, liquidity constraints, and international recruitment - implications for institutional planning, strategic investment, and risk management
- regulatory reform and oversight: the impact of new franchising oversight rules and forthcoming quality regulation reform - balance between institutional autonomy, accountability, and sector stability - developing institutional mergers
- student support and equity: impact of maintenance grant reintroduction - cost of living pressures - supporting participation, retention, and positive student outcomes
- student loans and repayment reform: long-term sustainability of the income-contingent system, interaction with tuition fee policy and maintenance support, impact on access, participation, and graduate outcomes
- institutional capacity and risk management: maintaining teaching and research quality - strategic priorities - managing operational and structural risks
- measuring impact and value: assessing the effectiveness of funding models - delivering value for students and taxpayers - aligning institutional strategy with national priorities and the UK’s international standing
