London and South East University Group

The London and South East University Group is a proposed merger of the universities of the University of Greenwich and the University of Kent.[1] The two institutions will have a single vice-chancellor – Jane Harrington, the current vice-chancellor of Greenwich – from spring 2026.[1][2]

The two universities will continue to award degrees in their respective names and retain their own identities, courses and campuses.[1] However, there will be a single governing body, executive team and academic board. The merged institution will have a similar number of students to the University of Manchester at around 47,000, a similar number of academic staff to Manchester Metropolitan University at around 2,500, similar income to Newcastle University at around £600 million, and similar expenditure to the University of Warwick at around £570 million.[3]

The Office for Students, the higher education regulatory agency for England, supported the merger and said that this might be an option other institutions might pursue due to the ongoing crisis in university finances. The British government Department for Education also welcomed the merger, although the Universities and Colleges Union noted that staff and students would be alarmed, with their general secretary describing the merger as a takeover by Greenwich due to Kent being at "the brink of insolvency".[1][2]

The announcement was widely covered in the news media, including BBC News,[1] The Guardian,[2] The Times,[4] The Independent,[5] The Financial Times[6] and Times Higher Education.[7] The multi-university group model, similar to the multi-academy trusts found in the school sector, is something that the higher education sector has been exploring for a while, with Universities UK having previously noted that universities do not have a lot of experience in this kind of arrangement. As the first implementation of this model in England, the merger has been described as "something of a watershed moment" that could lead to other institutions following similar models.[3]

Kent and Greenwich have over two decades of collaboration at their shared Medway campus, which started with their joint Medway School of Pharmacy in 2004, giving them practical experience of working together. The proposal as announced already addressed the main cause of failures in higher education mergers: who would be the head of the new institution.[3] Kent did not have a permanent vice-chancellor in place at the time of the announcement and will continue to be led by its interim vice-chancellor, Georgina Randsley de Moura, until the merger is completed.[2] However, questions that remain to be solved include how degree awarding powers, submissions to the Research Excellence Framework and Teaching Excellence Framework awards will be handled.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "UK's first 'super-university' to be created as two merge from 2026". BBC News. 10 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Rachel Hall (10 September 2025). "Kent and Greenwich universities to merge in attempt to improve financial viability". The Guardian.
  3. ^ a b c d Mark Leach; David Kernohan (10 September 2025). "The first multi-university group arrives". Wonkhe.
  4. ^ Nicola Woolcock (10 September 2025). "Kent and Greenwich to merge and form 'super-university'". The Times.
  5. ^ Ellie Crabbe (10 September 2025). "UK's first 'super-university' to be created with merger". The Independent.
  6. ^ "Kent and Greenwich universities to merge in bid to strengthen financial footing". The Financial Times. 10 September 2025.
  7. ^ Tom Williams (10 September 2025). "Kent and Greenwich to join forces as new 'super university'". Times Higher Education.
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