9th Report - Higher Education and Funding: Threat of Insolvency and International Students
Select Committee
Education Committee
HC 807
12 May 2026
Government response
3rd Special Report - Higher Education and Funding: Threat of Insolvency and International Students: Government Response · published 22 Jul 2026
Recommendations & Conclusions
4 results
13
Recommendation
Deferred
The Office for Students should therefore provide guidance to universities seeking to exit or significantly...
Recommendation
The Office for Students should therefore provide guidance to universities seeking to exit or significantly scale back franchising relationships. (Recommendation, Paragraph 93)
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts the principle that providers need clear expectations but redirects the responsibility for providing specific guidance to universities on exiting or scaling back franchising relationships to the independent Office for Students.
Department for Education
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41
Recommendation
Deferred
The financial pressures on the higher education sector have driven the sector’s reliance on international...
Recommendation
The financial pressures on the higher education sector have driven the sector’s reliance on international students. This reliance has been directly driven by decisions of the Government. Immigration policies have a very significant effect on the higher education sector, and …
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Government Response Summary
The government does not commit to setting out how it will support higher education institutions if international student numbers decline, instead stating that providers are responsible for managing their own financial health.
Department for Education
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50
Recommendation
Deferred
In its response to this report the Government should publish its impact assessment of association...
Recommendation
In its response to this report the Government should publish its impact assessment of association with the Erasmus+ programme and support higher education providers in maximising the benefits of our association. (Recommendation, Paragraph 250)
Government Response Summary
The government stated that the UK will join Erasmus+ from 2027 and will continue to assess its participation at a sector level as data becomes available. A review of the UK's participation by the UK-EU Specialised Committee is expected to be published in early 2028, deferring the immediate publication of an impact assessment.
Department for Education
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61
Recommendation
Deferred
In its response to this report, the Government should clarify how much it anticipates it...
Recommendation
In its response to this report, the Government should clarify how much it anticipates it will spend on maintenance grants in 2028–29 and 2029–30 (as the Budget 2025 documents were ambiguous), the rationale for the different subjects that could be …
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Government Response Summary
The government clarified the grants will be funded by the international student levy and that information on their interaction with other funding is published. However, specific spending amounts will be set out in the next Spending Review, and eligible subjects confirmed closer to 2028/29.
Department for Education
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