Universities In Financial Trouble Will Struggle To Tackle "Cold Spots", Says New Report
Widening participation will be challenging for universities in “straitened financial circumstances” (Alamy)
3 min read
The financial crisis facing the higher education sector means universities will struggle to reverse the trend of "cold spots" where young people face barriers to studying, a new report will warn.
The findings to be published on Thursday suggest the Department for Education will face significant challenges in its bid to widen university participation.
The government is currently drawing up reforms to tackle the spiralling financial crisis facing universities, with efficiencies and improving access set to be a key part of any changes.
While universities are looking to widen participation, they are also facing severe financial pressures. PoliticsHome revealed in March that the university watchdog was beginning to look at the emergence of potential “cold spots” — in which parts of the country are left without provision — as institutions try to stabilise their finances.
The report by the higher education charity UPP Foundation with think tank Public First found that for many in cold spot areas, university seems like a "bad bet" due to the debt accrued as well as disillusionment with the pay-off that will result from a degree.
The research is based on a deep dive into the city of Doncaster, Yorkshire, which is the twelfth-worst performing local authority in England for progression to higher education.
According to the UPP Foundation, higher education "cold spots" like Doncaster place young people with university aspirations at a significant disadvantage, and have proved resistant to policy interventions.
The investigation into the factors contributing to persistent cold spots for widening participation revealed: a lack of graduate opportunities; security of family ties; the day-to-day cost and accrued debt of attending university; and concerns around the ability of schools to equip young people to make decisions about their future.
Researchers also blamed the problems with university cold spots on an "intergenerational trap" and suggested that universities were not seen as successful in their efforts to equip young people to make informed, confident decisions about the next steps in their educational journeys.
The paper said: "To tackle cold spots is to try to find ways to break this cycle.
"It requires a profound, sensitive and sustained shift in the economic and educational patterns of places that schools cannot undertake alone, universities in straitened financial circumstances may find challenging, and communities may not welcome."
The paper concluded that Doncaster could illustrate problems affecting other cold spots in England, and from which lessons could be applied to tackle the issue.
Richard Brabner, executive chair of the UPP Foundation, said young people with university aspirations in places like Doncaster "risk getting left behind".
"The government has made it clear that it wants to provide opportunities to communities as a whole, not just isolated individuals — our work in Doncaster sets out the challenges involved in doing so."
The Department for Education has been contacted for comment.
