London campuses ‘here to stay’ as Sunderland expands capital site

The University of Sunderland is aiming for more than a third of its students to be based in London after unveiling a newly revamped £10 million branch campus.

More than a decade after first setting up a satellite site in the capital, the north-east university has moved into a new bigger building near Canary Wharf, which it said was reflective of the success it has enjoyed in attracting students.

Vice-chancellor David Bell said the move into the London market had been “more than worth it for us, both educationally and financially”, as he predicted that there will be no “exodus” of regional universities from the capital, despite financial pressures constricting new investments.

The new site was officially opened on 27 March by education minister and MP for Houghton and Sunderland South Bridget Phillipson, who said that it was “fantastic to see the university expanding outside the north-east”.

London campuses have often been criticised by staff unions as “vanity projects” that deflect investment away from home sites, while the fact they cater for mostly international students has also attracted attention.

A report by the right-wing thinktank the Centre for Policy Studies last year called for a review of the “18 satellite campuses of non-London universities in London” which it claimed were “geared towards international students on master’s courses of dubious quality”.

More universities have announced plans to launch in the capital in recent years, despite several institutions struggling to make London sites work. The universities of Liverpool, Newcastle and East Anglia have all previously launched in the city, only to close sites a few years later.

The University of Portsmouth had to delay the opening of its own campus in Waltham Forest last year before eventually launching with what it admitted was a “modest” student number.

Bell said that Sunderland’s strategy had proven successful where others had failed because of its heavy focus on both academic and pastoral student support as well as retaining links to its parent university.

But it has not always been plain sailing for the site, he admitted. After launching exclusively for international students in 2012, its student population was made up of 90 per cent domestic students as the overseas market slumped during the Brexit period, before settling to a 60-40 split in favour of those from abroad.

The university is aiming for 7,000 students to eventually be based in London. It currently has 18,300 students overall, according to its website. 

Bell said the London site – which is run as a subsidiary company with staff on different terms and conditions – was “financially more than viable” and was making a “major contribution” to the university.

“People say to me: ‘Isn’t London a risk?’ To be honest, all higher education is a risk at the moment,” Bell said.

“What we have tried to do both in our activities in the UK and internationally is diversify the risk,” he said, adding that arguably the Sunderland site itself was more volatile, given the intense competition for domestic student recruitment.

Asked if he would consider opening further sites in the UK or abroad, Bell said it had been talked about, but the current plan was to consolidate and grow its existing campuses.

On the state of the wider London market overall, Bell said he did not think there would be a “mass exodus” from the city despite the current financial climate.

“Whether or not we’ll see a mass influx of a new generation of campuses may remain to be seen because of the current general pressures on universities,” he said.

“Those that are here and are making a decent fist of it, why wouldn’t you stay given there are so many students?

“There’s no doubt that for some home and international students this kind of branch campus type of organisation is preferable than a more traditional university.”

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com