What can be done to address the funding crisis facing universities?

Little has thus far been said by those in power about the dire situation gripping the UK’s higher education sector. Sean O’Grady looks at what the government is, and isn’t, doing to protect these institutions in the light of the part they play in sustaining a healthy economy

Academics have warned of the threat to higher education institutions if the number of overseas students falls (PA)

Two independent reports and a letter to the prime minister this week have highlighted the severe challenges facing Britain’s universities – with potentially major political consequences. Earlier this week, in answer to a request from the home secretary James Cleverly, the Migration Advisory Committee said that in fact there is no widespread evidence that a post-study visa awarded to international students is being “abused” (such behaviour is often cited as a reason for cutting the number of visas issued to foreign students and their families, despite the loss of income for the universities affected).

That was followed up by an open letter to the prime minister from the chief executives of Rio Tinto, Siemens and Anglo American, saying that curbs on overseas student numbers threaten investment in the UK. And the Office for Students has now echoed the warnings from some academics that a number of universities will have to cope with substantial cuts to their activities, or mergers, or even “a material risk of closure” over the coming years. Yet, despite the central place in national life that universities now hold, the coming crisis has hardly featured in political debate.

What’s the problem?