One of the reports I have been working on this year was on subject collaboration within higher education. We did reference a previous British Academy report, so it was with interest that I read their recent report, which obviously focuses on the arts and social sciences.

In this report the British Academy revealed a troubling trend in UK higher education: a growing number of “cold spots” where students have limited to no access to local humanities, social sciences, and arts degrees (known as SHAPE subjects). This is especially concerning since more than half of UK undergraduate students attend a university within their home region, and that number is even higher for disadvantaged students. The report argues that the lack of local access to these degrees risks deepening social inequality.

The Scope of the Problem

The decline in subject provision is not uniform. The report identifies specific subject areas that are particularly vulnerable. Modern foreign languages have been hit the hardest, with the number of available courses having nearly halved since 2011. Other subjects like linguistics, anthropology, and drama are also showing significant declines in geographical coverage. While parts of England are affected—especially the North, South West, and East—large areas of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are also experiencing a shrinking of SHAPE degrees.

This issue is a symptom of wider financial pressures on universities. The report warns that institutions are making decisions based on short-term financial concerns and competition for students, rather than a strategic vision for the future. The British Academy cautions that if these trends continue, even more popular subjects like English and history could be at risk.

Recommendations for possible solutions that come from the report.

To combat this trend, the British Academy is urging a collaborative response from the government, universities, and regulators. The report’s key recommendations include:

• National Registers for At-Risk Subjects: The creation of a national register to monitor and track the health of specific subjects in different regions. This would provide a clearer picture of where “cold spots” are emerging.
• Government Financial Support: The government should provide targeted funding to protect and support subjects that are identified as being at risk.
• Encouraging Collaboration: Universities in each UK nation and region should actively seek opportunities to collaborate on teaching, research, and shared services. This would help ensure that specialised courses remain available to students without requiring every institution to run a separate program.
• Legal: The government (well the CMA) should issue clear guidance on how far higher education providers can collaborate without breaching competition law.

The report serves as a stark warning that without urgent intervention, access to these critical subjects will continue to diminish, undermining the UK’s reputation for academic excellence and weakening the skills needed to tackle major societal and economic challenges. The British Academy argues that SHAPE subjects are crucial for fostering a well-rounded society, as they contribute to innovation, critical thinking, and cultural understanding.

It should be noted that there are similar cold spots in other subject areas as well, including core priority subjects such as nursing.