In a move set to reshape the landscape of British higher education, the University of Greenwich and the University of Kent have announced plans to merge, forming what will be the UK’s first multi-university group. The new entity, provisionally named the London and South East University Group, is scheduled to launch for the 2026–27 academic year. This unprecedented collaboration aims to create a so-called “super-university,” stretching across campuses from the River Thames in London to the historic city of Canterbury.
The formal announcement came on September 10, 2025, and has already sent ripples through the sector. According to BBC News, the merger will see the two universities maintain their distinct identities on the student-facing side—applications and degree awards will remain separate—while unifying governance, leadership, and back-office operations. Professor Jane Harrington, the current Vice Chancellor of Greenwich, will take the helm as the inaugural Vice Chancellor of the new group. Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura will remain the interim leader at Kent until the merger is finalized.
“Together, we will be creating a first-of-its-kind multi-university model that will bring both of our institutions under one structure, while enabling each of us to retain our name, identity and local presence,” Professor Harrington said in a statement reported by Kent Online. She added, “Our shared vision is to create education without boundaries, from city to coast. Combining the strengths of our two great institutions will mean we can do much more to transform lives and power inclusive opportunity.”
By the numbers, the new group would be a giant in the sector. Based on 2023–24 figures, it will enroll approximately 46,885 students—29,695 from Greenwich and 17,190 from Kent—putting it on par with the University of Manchester for student population. The combined academic staff will number 2,550, and the group will offer a staggering 442 full-time undergraduate courses, outstripping Manchester’s offerings by 70 programs. Financially, the merged entity will boast nearly £598 million in income, with expenditures of £569 million, according to data compiled by Wonkhe.
Each university brings its own strengths to the table. Kent has a medical school and a strong reputation in social policy, law, and business research. Greenwich is known for its nursing, teacher training, arts, and tourism programs, as well as a solid presence in business and management studies. Both institutions have a history of collaboration, having jointly operated the Medway School of Pharmacy since 2004 and sharing a multidisciplinary campus in Medway with Canterbury Christ Church University.
While the move is not described as a takeover, the financial backdrop is hard to ignore. The Office for Students, England’s higher education regulator, welcomed the merger, suggesting it could serve as a model for others as universities face mounting economic pressures. BBC News reported that 40% of English universities are believed to be in financial deficit. The Department for Education echoed this sentiment, with a spokesperson stating, “This collaboration shows how strong partnerships in higher education can help enable delivery of world-class teaching and research whilst maintaining the best interests of students.”
For the University of Kent, the merger comes after a period of significant financial turbulence. The institution, which has around 16,000 students and more than 3,000 staff, has been without a permanent vice chancellor since Professor Karen Cox’s departure in May 2024. Cox left amid a £12 million deficit and a major redundancy program that saw the elimination of courses such as art history, journalism, and music. In contrast, Greenwich is in a healthier financial position, with £146 million in cash reserves and net assets of £360 million. Professor Harrington, who has led Greenwich since 2019, is credited with providing stable leadership during this period.
Despite the scale of the changes, both universities have stressed that students will see no immediate difference. “Students will continue to apply to, study at, and graduate from their chosen individual university, but the new ‘super university’ structure will give us greater strength, opportunity and resilience,” Professor Randsley de Moura assured staff in an email obtained by Kent Online. Professor Harrington further emphasized, “I can tell students absolutely categorically they could complete any course they are already enrolled on, including those starting university this autumn.”
Staff, however, are understandably anxious about the long-term implications. While there are no immediate plans for job losses, both universities have made recent cuts. Greenwich confirmed the reduction of 15 full-time posts by August 2025, and Kent has wound down several courses to address recurring deficits. Across England, job losses in higher education have mounted, with the University and College Union estimating around 5,000 posts cut in recent years.
The new group’s structure will feature a single governing body, academic board, and executive team. This approach, according to Wonkhe, sidesteps a common stumbling block in higher education mergers: leadership disputes. By agreeing early on the appointment of Professor Harrington as vice chancellor, the institutions hope to avoid the pitfalls that have derailed similar efforts in the past.
The merger is being closely watched by policymakers and sector leaders as a potential blueprint for future collaborations. Vivienne Stern of Universities UK described the move as “significant,” adding, “The slow erosion of university finances needs to be stopped and the government was needed on the pitch pretty fast with longer-term solutions.” Government plans for university funding are expected later this autumn, with proposals including a possible 6% tax on income from international students—a critical source of revenue that has already been hit by post-Brexit visa restrictions and a 16% drop in international applications last year.
Notably, the universities’ partnership is not entirely new. Their two decades of collaboration at Medway have laid the groundwork for this expanded alliance. As they move forward, the transition will involve detailed consultations with staff, careful planning around research frameworks, teaching excellence awards, and data management, and ongoing oversight by the Office for Students to ensure that students’ studies are not disrupted.
For now, the London and South East University Group represents both a bold experiment and a pragmatic response to the financial headwinds buffeting British higher education. As the sector looks on, the success—or failure—of this trailblazing merger could set the tone for a new era of university collaboration across the UK.
