Higher education providers have accused the UK government of undermining its own policy goals by cutting funding for creative courses, with some institutions set to lose significant proportions of their funding.
The government has announced that the Strategic Priorities Grant will fall to £1.25 billion in 2026-27, with £50.9 million less given to institutions to support high-cost subjects and other priority areas.
The cuts will particularly affect creative subjects, as well as nursing and computing courses, alongside student premiums, used to support disadvantaged students.
They come on top of a £100 million reduction in SPG funding last year, which saw some universities lose millions of pounds.
Although institution-level allocations for the upcoming academic year are yet to be confirmed, the impact is expected to be severe for providers offering the affected courses, particularly those specialising in creative subjects, which generally cost more to deliver than classroom-based subjects.
