Over the past year, we've supported our members through our policy and advocacy work.
Download the full impact statement: Our work 2024–25 (pdf)
Highlights include:
Highlights of 2024–25
In a year marked by financial pressure and political change, Universities UK, Universities Wales and Universities Scotland have played a pivotal role in shaping national policy, securing investment, and driving reform across the higher education sector. We have worked with the sector and government to deliver tangible benefits for institutions, students, research, and the economy.
When times are challenging – as they have undoubtedly been this year – it is heartening to see our sector turn to face them. Despite financial challenges, policy uncertainty, and external pressures, our universities have continued to demonstrate why they are so essential to the prosperity of our nation.
Vivienne Stern MBE
Chief Executive
In 2024–25 we have:
- Put the financial sustainability of universities on the political agenda: This has already generated tuition fee uplifts in England and Wales, and is starting to shift the conversation in Scotland, alongside strong signals of a real terms protection of the research budget
- Provided policy leadership with our Blueprint and Transformation and Efficiency Taskforce: positioning universities as constructive and solutions-focused partners with government in the pursuit of growth and opportunity
- Protected international recruitment: seeing off further attempts to close the Graduate Route this year and averting much more significant crack downs by the last and the current government
- Led on work to boost international research collaboration: helping to increase our participation in Horizon Europe with the UK now topping the table for Advanced Grants, and new bilateral science partnerships
- Positioned universities as engines of national growth, opportunity and resilience: with campaigns like #UnisStartUpTheUK and our ‘Access to Success’ plan
- Supported our members to deal with challenging issues: with 8am calls and repositories of approaches to managing campus tensions, free speech, and the Supreme Court judgement
- Championed university impact: by generating over 19,000 media mentions and hosting 66 government meetings
- Delivered outstanding value for money for our members with 100% of respondents to our member survey agreeing that we do this ‘very well’ or ‘fairly well’, and 97% agreeing that UUK is well connected and influential.
Member feedback
100
%
members believe UUK represents value for money
97
%
agree that UUK is well-connected and influential
90
%
agree UUK provides insight and expertise that members are not able to find elsewhere
93
%
agree that UUK focuses on the issues that matter most to the HE sector
90
%
agree that UUK has the agility to respond to issues where it’s necessary for us to act
93
%