Pensions, salary sacrifice and rising employer costs

This week on the podcast we examine how Budget 2025 reshapes the university funding model – from the international levy and modest new maintenance grants, to confirmed tuition fee uplifts and changes to pension tax arrangements that will affect institutional costs.

We discuss what the package tells us about the government’s approach to public finances, the politics of international recruitment, and the sustainability of cross-subsidy in a tight fiscal environment for higher education.

Plus we discuss research and innovation announcements and get across debate in Holyrood on the Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill.

With Ken Sloan, Vice-Chancellor and CEO at Harper Adams University, Debbie McVitty, Editor at Wonkhe, David Kernohan, Deputy Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.

Budget 2025 for universities and students

Universities now need to be much clearer about the total cost of a course

Student finance changes in the budget – Director’s cut

Reclassification ghosts and jam tomorrow at stage 2 of Scotland’s tertiary bill

A government running out of road still sets the economic weather for higher education

A change in approach means research may never be the same again