A more sustainable approach to funding higher education in the UK is needed, the Russell Group of research-intensive universities has said as they face “increasing pressures” to deliver high-quality education and impactful research.
In a briefing paper, the group representing 24 institutions says UK tuition fees and government grants are not sufficient to allow them to continue “educating the skilled workforce of the future and producing world-class research and innovation”.
Analysis shows that the amount UK universities have had to invest to subsidise their research activities has risen from £2.9bn in 2014/15 to £5bn in 2021/22.
In 2022/23 English universities on average supplemented the cost of educating each UK undergraduate student by £2,500 per year, with all subjects now making a loss on average, it added.
