Tarnished Towers

Fixing England’s Broken Higher Education System

June 8, 2026

Tarnished Towers: Fixing England’s Broken Higher Education System, provides a comprehensive examination of the university crisis. It reveals a system in melt-down, with job losses, course closures and restructuring initiatives across the sector, alongside a wholesale collapse in outcomes, standards and the graduate premium.

The report demonstrates that we have a funding system that does not enjoy the confidence of the public, and yet subjects universities to year-on-year real terms cuts while loading graduates with debt. We have a regulatory system that is heavy-handed and costly – and yet does not provide ministers or the public assurance that quality and standards are maintained. We have a system that was intended to have the student at its heart – and yet struggles to supply basic needs such as a liveable maintenance allowance, available accommodation or mental health support. The report also discusses broader concerns about universities, including on issues such as free speech and antisemitism.

Backed by a cross-party group of MPs and Peers, the report argues that the twin policies of mass expansion and marketisation – pursued over three decades – are responsible for the crisis, which has left the country short of the skills it needs while graduates are left to shoulder the consequences in the form of high debt. It sets out 40 recommendations for comprehensive reform of the system – on fees, funding, number controls, standards and governance.

The launch of this report was covered by: