High levels of borrowing and rapid expansion among dangers identified by Higher Education Policy Institute
Many English universities are taking excessive financial risks that threaten not only their own survival but that of others in the sector, a thinktank has warned.
High levels of borrowing at some institutions and rapid expansion of student numbers are among the dangers identified in a report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi).
It also flags over-reliance on international students and the growth of franchised provision – where a degree-awarding body authorises another to deliver all or part of a course – which it says are putting the sector at risk.
On rapid expansion, the report says Canterbury Christ Church University in Kent has almost tripled in size over the last decade, while Arden University, a private institution, has undergone a more than thirtyfold increase.
