Cambridge University as one of the top-performing British universities. Image by blizniak from Pixabay

COVID-19 Education News: British universities face 30,000 higher education institution (university) job and £2.5bn tuition fee losses next year

The figure excludes £790m lost in accommodation, catering, and conference income.

International and domestic higher education institution students might stay away if coronavirus pandemic continues

UCU, London Economics asks the British government to support the university education sector by underwriting the funding loss in order to protect higher education institution students, maintain and sustain research capacity driving the recovery of the British economy and forestall unprecedented and untimely damage to the sector

 University and College Union (UCU), London Economics have predicted that British universities could face of 30,000 higher education institutions (university) job and around £2.5bn tuition fee losses next year in tuition fees alone, resulting from summing £1.5bn in international student fees, more than £600m from UK-based, and £350m from the EU higher education students.

This excludes £790m lost in accommodation, catering and conference income identified by the British universities group of vice-chancellors in its recent submission to British governments calling for at least £2bn in bailout funding.

This was based on predictions that both international and domestic higher education students might stay away if COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic continues unimpeded.

The British government is discussing with the higher education sector to limit the number of students each institution can admit in September to a particular number, hoping that it would help some avoid cutthroat competition and possible insolvency if the student intake of some of the higher education institutions crashes.

Limiting the number of students intake for British universities could prove unproductive if more students are unprepared to apply to the universities next year due to coronavirus outbreak in Britain, according to the report commissioned by the consultancy UCU, London Economics.

In support of the report, Gavan Conlon, a partner at London Economics, said that the proposed limit to student numbers will not be enough to avoid an excessively competitive market for the remaining pool of applicants, with the effect of this really being worse for some British higher education institutions than the effect of the (COVID-19) coronavirus pandemic itself.

He further hinted that the (COVID-19) coronavirus pandemic will result in a “very substantial loss” in enrolments and income, requiring substantial government support.

The forecasts show even Oxford and Cambridge universities might see falling numbers of undergraduates entering from Britain and abroad.

Jo Grady, the UCU’s general secretary, said that it is important the British government underwrites funding lost from September in the number of the higher education institution students to ensure British universities are able to weather these very severe challenges and to protect higher education institution students, maintain and sustain research capacity to drive the recovery of the British economy as well as forestall unprecedented and untimely damage to the British university education sector.