An “unstable” English university funding system could force institutions to further increase their “politically toxic” reliance on international student fees, while in the long term there is a need to be “open to the idea” of letting some universities charge higher fees than others, according to the King’s College London vice-chancellor.
Shitij Kapur made the comments at a webinar, hosted by the King’s Policy Institute, in which sector and policy figures responded to his recent paper arguing that universities find themselves in a “triangle of sadness” between discontented students, staff and government.
He said of the situation in institutional finances brought about by a long-running decline in teaching funding per home student: “We wouldn’t want a university to fail. We will, of course, react to that, but that would be a knee-jerk reaction.”
The funding picture has created a “very unstable equilibrium, largely being maintained with the support of international students”, he continued.
