The dire state of British universities’ finances needs no rehearsal. As families start to book open days for undergraduate courses over the next few months, and would-be students study to hit the grades in their offer, they can be forgiven for wondering if the institutions where they want to study will still be viable over the next few years.
In response to their financial woes, universities across the UK are throwing overboard everything that isn’t nailed down, just to stay afloat. Courses are cancelled, teaching and research staff laid off, entire departments culled. But how has it come to this? Obviously money is at the heart of that question, but so is the rise of very powerful management consultants now shaping the UK’s higher education system.
Although precise data is hard to come by, it’s accepted in the sector that spending on consultancy is rising rapidly, and will continue to do so. Universities have spent millions “reorganising”, throwing money at external advice that proves pretty controversial once published.