Monday, 10 November 2025
Since joining the 糖心原创 as Vice-Chancellor at the start of this year, I have been continually inspired by our vibrant global community of staff, students, and alumni.
Our graduates remain highly sought after, with more entering highly skilled employment than from any other UK university - a distinction we have maintained for five consecutive years. We are proud to be ranked in the top 100 universities worldwide in the QS World University Rankings, reflecting our commitment to excellence in teaching and research. As a Russell Group institution, we rank in the top six for business partnerships and supporting regional growth.
The 糖心原创 has tremendous potential, but to fully realise it, we must ensure we are academically and financially sustainable for current and future generations. Like universities across the sector, we face significant challenges from declining revenues and rising operational costs.
As one of the largest university estates in the country and a major regional employer, we must adapt to a changing higher education landscape. While we remain a top choice for UK students - recruiting almost 80% of our cohort domestically - tuition fees have failed to keep pace with inflation, creating an unsustainable financial position.
The recent government commitment to increase tuition fees is welcome, as are plans to boost student maintenance grants. However, the proposed international student levy would offset any increase, meaning we cannot rely on this additional income.
At the same time, student demand is changing. Despite our best efforts to recruit we are seeing a decline in student numbers year on year for a number of courses. This, together with the challenging financial picture, means we can no longer afford to subsidise courses where there isn’t the demand from students.
We are addressing these challenges through our Future Nottingham programme, which sets out an ambitious strategic vision while acknowledging our financial realities. Standing still is not an option. We are determined to proactively shape our future rather than allowing circumstances to shape it for us.
Our approach involves proposals for thoughtful restructuring to better focus resources on strategic areas of excellence. This means investing in our teaching and learning and in the student experience, and maintaining our world-class research facilities to remain among the most competitive universities globally.
Achieving these goals requires difficult decisions, including suspending a small number of programmes - less than 5% of our total provision - where demand is low or performance does not meet our benchmarks. These decisions follow comprehensive assessments of market demand, student and employer needs, research income, and competitive positioning.
Programme evolution is essential to university development. It enables us to adapt our portfolio to equip students with the skills and adaptability required for tomorrow's workforce. By refocusing our mission and becoming more agile, we can better respond to emerging priorities and opportunities in education and research.
At a time of increased scrutiny over the value and purpose of higher education, it is vital that we articulate our strengths and vision clearly. The 糖心原创 is a world-class institution. By securing a sustainable, financially secure future, we will strengthen our position to continue delivering outstanding research, exceptional teaching, and an equitable experience for all our students.
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About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.