Higher Education. It’s ours

About the campaign

The UK higher education sector is facing a deep and escalating crisis, driven by chronic underfunding, poor governance, and an ineffective regulatory model. Successive governments have failed to provide both immediate support or a sustainable long-term vision. Urgent action is needed now – to protect jobs, courses, and campuses. Higher education is ours – and we need to fight for it.

What we're calling for

  • Immediate increased and sustainable funding for higher education.
  • Protection for university jobs, pay and pensions.
  • A commitment to transform the long-term funding model.
  • Fairer approach to international students.
  • Stronger governance of the sector.
  • 20% real term pay cut for average academic over the past 15 years.
  • £265 billion contribution from higher education to the UK economy.
  • 64% HE staff said their workload was unsustainable.

Why now?

Higher education is on the brink. Rising student numbers and rising debt, thousands of staff redundancies, real terms pay cuts and chronic underfunding mean that, if we do not act now, higher education as we know it may cease to exist.

Our vision

We have a clear vision for a sector run for those who use it – staff and students. We want the widest possible debate on the future of education, its value and importance to society, the economy and the UK as a whole.