Commenting on the confirmation of public funding distributed to higher education institutions by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, as outlined in a detailed letter issued on Thursday, Alice Hynes CEO of GuildHE said:
“GuildHE members were pleased to see this formal confirmation of the figures which they can use to plan their work to deliver the high quality HE experience that students are looking for. In this climate of stretching demand, it is good to see some growth, with perhaps 9,000 extra places available. We were pleased to see almost half of GuildHE’s eligible members were in the small group of those successful in gaining new opportunities for students through the University Modernisation Fund – many in areas of need such as food production and the creative industries, where there is high demand. The large number of co-funded places in GuildHE institutions also highlights the strong interaction with the professions and the business communities we support.
“It is clear that the bulk of HE providers have worked to comply with the cap on student numbers in the complexity of the HE admissions system, in which there are contractual obligations to students once an offer has been made. This constraint on numbers is not productive, however, either for student choice, institutional delivery, nor a response to the appetite for self improvement and aspiration this Government seeks to encourage. The economy needs these better educated people, whether younger or older, and this policy should be sensitive to the needs of both economy and society.
“We are delighted to see that many GuildHE members’ institutions are receiving increases in their funding next year, running against the general trend towards cuts. This will help maintain a wider range of student choice and opportunity, and is an endorsement of the delivery from these diverse institutions.”
For further information, contact:
Alice Hynes, Chief Executive GuildHE alice.hynes@guildHE.ac.uk tel 020 7387 7711
Notes for editors
GuildHE is a recognised representative organisation within the higher education sector. It is the key advocate for the importance of institutional diversity.
For a list of GuildHE institutions, please visit https://live-guildhe.pantheonsite.io/en/about_guildHE/about_our_members.cfm