Monday, 10 November 2025
Since joining the University of Nottingham as Vice-Chancellor at the start of this year, I have been continually inspired by our vibrant global community of staff, students, and alumni.
Our graduates remain highly sought after, with more entering highly skilled employment than from any other UK university - a distinction we have maintained for five consecutive years. We are proud to be ranked in the top 100 universities worldwide in the QS World University Rankings, reflecting our commitment to excellence in teaching and research. As a Russell Group institution, we rank in the top six for business partnerships and supporting regional growth.
The University of Nottingham has tremendous potential, but to fully realise it, we must ensure we are academically and financially sustainable for current and future generations. Like universities across the sector, we face significant challenges from declining revenues and rising operational costs.
As one of the largest university estates in the country and a major regional employer, we must adapt to a changing higher education landscape. While we remain a top choice for UK students - recruiting almost 80% of our cohort domestically - tuition fees have failed to keep pace with inflation, creating an unsustainable financial position.
The recent government commitment to increase tuition fees is welcome, as are plans to boost student maintenance grants. However, the proposed international student levy would offset any increase, meaning we cannot rely on this additional income.
At the same time, student demand is changing. Despite our best efforts to recruit we are seeing a decline in student numbers year on year for a number of courses. This, together with the challenging financial picture, means we can no longer afford to subsidise courses where there isn’t the demand from students.
We are addressing these challenges through our Future Nottingham programme, which sets out an ambitious strategic vision while acknowledging our financial realities. Standing still is not an option. We are determined to proactively shape our future rather than allowing circumstances to shape it for us.
Our approach involves proposals for thoughtful restructuring to better focus resources on strategic areas of excellence. This means investing in our teaching and learning and in the student experience, and maintaining our world-class research facilities to remain among the most competitive universities globally.
Achieving these goals requires difficult decisions, including suspending a small number of programmes - less than 5% of our total provision - where demand is low or performance does not meet our benchmarks. These decisions follow comprehensive assessments of market demand, student and employer needs, research income, and competitive positioning.
Programme evolution is essential to university development. It enables us to adapt our portfolio to equip students with the skills and adaptability required for tomorrow's workforce. By refocusing our mission and becoming more agile, we can better respond to emerging priorities and opportunities in education and research.
At a time of increased scrutiny over the value and purpose of higher education, it is vital that we articulate our strengths and vision clearly. The University of Nottingham is a world-class institution. By securing a sustainable, financially secure future, we will strengthen our position to continue delivering outstanding research, exceptional teaching, and an equitable experience for all our students.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 97 in the world and 17th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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