The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that universities will receive £50.9 million less in teaching grants next academic year, with funding slashed for courses including nursing and computing.
The Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) budget, which is used to fund high-cost subjects and other priority areas, has been set at £1.25 billion in 2026-27, down £100 million from £1.35 billion last year, as previously reported by Times Higher Education.
However around half of the decline is due to the re-allocation of funding for Higher Education Innovation Funding – a Research England programme – which remains at £48 million, the Office for Students (OfS) said.
The announcement, which follows last year's cut of £100 million, came later than expected in a blow to already-struggling universities, who will now have to find the funds for deprioritised courses elsewhere.
In a letter to the Office for Students (OfS), which distributes the funding, education secretary Bridget Phillipson said funding should no longer be given to support nursing, computing, history, creative arts, performing arts, archaeology and geography courses.
