Universities face pressure over finances
UNIVERSITIES will face significant financial pressures over the next few years following sweeping changes to funding and higher tuition fees, according to a vice chancellors’ group.
The study says that in 2012 – the first year of the fee hike – England’s universities recruited around 28,000 fewer students than expected. The drop in recruitment came amid a fall in the number of 18-year-olds nationally, changes in the numbers of students deferring degree places and cautious universities fearing they would face financial penalties for under or over-recruiting students.
The study also found a drop in postgraduate students and “significant” falls in 2012/13 in the numbers of new entrants to UK universities.