Strengthening academic delivery for a changing higher education landscape

By Professor Melinda Tan MBE
Chief Academic Officer for the UK & Ireland

Rising competition, financial pressure and changing student priorities are reshaping higher education, making academic capability, trust and employability the cornerstones of sustainable delivery.

Higher education has always evolved, but rarely at the pace or scale we are experiencing today. Long-established norms about student mobility, demand, graduate outcomes and institutional stability are being challenged simultaneously.

Geopolitical instability, evolving immigration policy and changing student perceptions are reshaping where, how and why students choose to study. Traditional study destinations are under pressure with visa routes under scrutiny and government policy changing with little notice. At the same time, new competitor destinations are emerging and alternative education models are expanding such as transnational education, blended delivery and flexible, career-aligned preparation programmes.

Recent data published illustrates this shift. UK study visa applications fell by around 40% year on year in April 2026, while the Office for Students has warned that over a third of universities in England are now reporting financial deficits. At the same time, research from IDP’s Emerging Futures highlights a growing link between visa uncertainty and students’ perceptions of return on investment, alongside concerns about graduate employment outcomes and post-study work opportunities.

Faced with declining student numbers and growing financial constraints, universities are being asked to do more with less, while sustaining high quality teaching, research and student support. The need to diversify revenue is no longer optional. It means conscious decisions about where to invest, what to prioritise and how to build long-term capability rather than short-term fixes.

But the response to this pressure should not be to lower standards or reduce academic rigour. If anything, the opposite is true.

In a more competitive and uncertain environment, higher education institutions need stronger academic capability, clearer standards and more consistent outcomes. Sustainable programmes are those that remain academically robust, financially viable and attractive to both students and partners. Without this, even the highest quality provision becomes vulnerable. Sustainability is therefore not separate from the student interest; it is fundamental to it.

University study represents a significant financial and personal commitment. Students and their parents are more informed and outcome-focused, so they ask sharper questions about employability, progression and return on investment – and rightly so. There are more options available than ever before – from alternative entry routes, preparation programmes to lower entry requirements – so students are not simply choosing a course; they are choosing a partner for one of the most significant transitions in their lives.

The future of work is shifting

The pressure on higher education is not only financial. The outcomes students expect from education are also changing.

Graduate labour markets are tightening. Tasks that once formed the foundation of entry-level roles are being automated or redistributed, intensifying competition for graduate vacancies. Once in post, this year’s graduates are unlikely to follow a linear career path and will change roles, sectors and professions multiple times in their working life.

Subject knowledge remains essential but is no longer sufficient on its own.

Long-term career success relies on lifelong learning, adaptability, interpersonal skills and resilience. Employers consistently highlight the importance of transferable skills – such as problem solving, collaboration, confidence and the responsible use of technology – and the ability to learn from challenge and failure.

If education is to remain future‑focused, curriculum design must reflect this reality. Employability and life skills cannot be treated as optional extras. They must be embedded alongside degree‑level study and degree preparation programmes to ensure that the curriculum is modern, relevant and future-focused. This ensures students are not only academically prepared, but equipped to navigate complexity, uncertainty and opportunity when they enter the workforce.

Traditional education models are no longer enough – but the answer is not to lower standards or academic rigour. It’s quite the opposite.

Strengthening standards through a faculty-based approach

In this environment, strong academic standards and clearly defined outcomes matter more, not less. They are what give students confidence, partners reassurance and universities the credibility to innovate responsibly. They underpin trust – and arguably, trust is increasingly the currency of modern education.

This is why we are evolving towards a faculty-based structure across our network. This shift is not just about organisational efficiency; it is designed to deliver three critical advantages:

Consistency of academic standards and outcomes – a faculty model allows us to define and maintain clear academic frameworks across locations, ensuring that learning outcomes, assessment approaches and progression criteria are aligned and standardised. This reduces variability and gives students and partners greater confidence in outcomes.

Knowledge sharing and best practice – when academic teams are connected through faculties rather than operating independently, collaboration and quality increases with the sharing of innovation, pedagogy and subject expertise. What works well in one location can be adopted, scaled and adapted elsewhere.

More effective use of resources – a faculty structure also enables us to deploy expertise, technology and curriculum investment more efficiently, reducing duplication and ensuring maximum impact.

This model enables us to continue to build on existing work to align student support across centres, including wellbeing, academic skills and progression support. This has created clearer support pathways, enabled earlier intervention and ensured that every student has access to a consistent framework as they transition through their studies.

This is so much more than a simple structure change. It is how we strengthen and improve standards. With greater coordination, oversight and shared ownership of outcomes, we can ensure not only that our quality remains consistently high across all our centres, but we continuously improve to ensure that it remains high.

Pathway programmes to prepare international students for success, when designed with purpose and rigour, are not a compromise; they are a strategic choice to entry, progression and success. Across our network, we have strengthened academic pedagogy, innovation and academic practice. This capability has enabled us to introduce new programmes, scale initiatives such as Bellerbys Global, and develop new delivery models, including the University of Huddersfield London. Each is underpinned by strong pedagogy, clear standards and a commitment to the student experience.

Innovation, when done well, is not about novelty for its own sake. It is about solving real problems, meeting emerging needs and doing so without compromising quality. Purposeful innovation allows us to adapt while protecting what matters most – our student experience.

By organising delivery through defined academic faculties, we are creating stronger alignment in curriculum design, teaching practice and assessment standards across locations. This enables us to move beyond isolated centres of excellence and instead build a connected academic community where expertise is shared, refined and continuously improved. In this model, innovation and standards reinforce each other, enabling us to innovate quickly while maintaining trust, credibility and academic rigour.

Capability is a sustainable choice

When students are more adaptable and better prepared for change, the benefits extend far beyond individual outcomes. Universities become more resilient. Partnerships become more strategic and long-lasting. Education systems are better equipped to absorb shocks and respond to volatility.

Capability – in students, in institutions and in partnerships – is the most sustainable asset an education provider can develop. It lasts beyond individual cohorts, market cycles and policy shifts. That is why our transformation across admissions, innovation and academic delivery is aligned to this principle. Each decision is guided by a commitment to preparation: academic preparation, employability preparation and preparation for a future that will continue to evolve.

Students remain at the heart of everything we do. That’s why The Smartest Choice is more than a positioning line at Study Group. It reflects a sustained commitment to wellbeing, world‑class learning experiences and the confidence and progression students need to succeed at university and beyond. Grounded in the belief that preparation, capability and trust are the foundations of long‑term success, this commitment extends beyond students to our partners and the wider sector - making it not just a value statement, but a strategic imperative.

Education is changing rapidly and irreversibly. By investing in capability, standards and outcomes, we change with it – deliberately, responsibly and with students firmly at the centre.