Top unis are ‘less at risk’

TWO of the biggest universities in the West have said they’re in a better financial position than others as they look ahead to the start of next term.

A study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has revealed that 13 universities in the UK are facing a ‘very real prospect’ of insolvency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

High-ranking universities with large numbers of international students face the largest immediate drop in income.

The least prestigious universities are at the greatest risk, the study said.

The IFS does not name the 13 universities at risk, but says a targeted government bailout would be the most cost-effective plan.

A University of Bristol spokesman said: “The pandemic is posing a significant financial risk to all higher education institutions and the University of Bristol is no different, although we acknowledge that we are in a more secure financial position than some others with no solvency concerns at the present time.

“We are taking a ‘jobs first’ approach to minimise the impact of the crisis on our people. A number of early actions were taken to manage our expenditure to protect jobs, the educational experience of our students and our research endeavour..”

A University of Bath spokesman said: “We have had to respond rapidly to Covid-19 and implement a plan to address the challenges we face, which includes a number of cost saving measures to ensure our future. We are grateful to our staff for helping us in these efforts.”