HE provider framework: mitigate market exit risks & ensure sustainability

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Financial sustainability is a growing concern in HE, with increasing risks of insolvency and market exit threatening students, staff, and communities. While no major university has yet become insolvent, the risks are rising. HE lacks a dedicated insolvency regime and there is little practical support for providers in this situation, making closures legally and operationally uncertain for students. 
For these reasons, together with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator, SUMS led a cross-sector study in 2025 to strengthen student protection during HE provider closures.
  • The Framework is an Excel-based checklist of key actions to mitigate market exit risks and manage closures effectively, covering planning, governance, communication, and safeguarding of students.  
  • The report from the study explains what happens during provider closure, shares lessons learned, and offers case studies and recommendations for government, regulators, and providers to strengthen student protection.  

Together, these tools can help providers prepare for sustainability challenges and reduce the impact on students. 

How will the framework benefit your organisation?

Closure in HE is uniquely complex – requiring ongoing student support, alternative provision, and navigating funding and pension obligations.

The Framework is intended to provide a practical checklist of key actions that might be taken by providers to mitigate the risk of market exit and, or if unavoidable, to help prepare for and manage an exit effectively if unavoidable.

Focused on the “what” rather than the “how,” the Framework serves as a prompt or HEPs to support and inform their planning around strategy and finance, governance, communications, and student safeguarding.

It is designed to promote transparency, informed decision-making, and holistic student support to reduce disruption and protect students during institutional uncertainty.

Why are SUMS the experts? 

Over 50 years, SUMS has developed extensive expertise in areas such as governance, risk management, scenario planning, portfolio analysis, student wellbeing, and embedding strategic change.

How can I access support from SUMS?

SUMS offers expert support to help HE providers navigate financial and operational challenges. Our tailored services include:  

  • Governance reviews, executive facilitation, bespoke training, and risk management 
  • Scenario planning, institutional dashboards, and identifying early warning signs  
  • Portfolio mapping and costing 
  • Strategic communications planning 
  • Student wellbeing strategies  
  • Ongoing mentoring and critical friend support to embed change effectively.  

These tailored solutions enable providers to strengthen resilience, improve decision-making, and protect students while managing complex sustainability challenges. 

Find out more about our specialist HE services

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How we support you

Whether you need an in-depth analysis and recommendations for significant transformation, or a more high-level review from a critical friend, we have the expertise to support you at every stage. In designing our support, we bring together higher education-specific insight from our comparative research and benchmarking, and world-leading effective practice from other sectors and internationally.