As thousands of teenagers prepare for their first day of higher education, the universities of Greenwich and Kent in southern England are taking their own step into the unknown. The two mid-ranking institutions are merging into one of the U.K.’s biggest, forging a blueprint for others in the economically challenged sector to follow. While both schools will continue under their individual names, the combination aims to create “greater economies of scale” and allow for a “centralizing of some services” under a restructuring that is still being drawn up.
The radical move, first discussed three years ago, is a sign of the times in a sector that is struggling to stave off a full-blown financial crisis. British universities have long traded off their stellar global reputation to attract higher-paying international students, but domestic demographics, tighter visa rules and increased competition from Asia is strangling that golden goose.
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