Kent and Greenwich university merger set to create a regional ‘super-university’
The UK’s first region-wide “super-university” will be created by a merger of the universities of Kent and Greenwich from the 2026–27 academic year. The Kent and Greenwich merger will bring almost 50,000 students under one leadership across Canterbury, Medway, Greenwich and Avery Hill, while degrees will continue to be awarded in the names of Kent or Greenwich.
The higher-education regulator says it oversees changes of this scale to protect students and standards, and has indicated more providers may consider similar moves as finances tighten. Ministers have also welcomed “innovative approaches” intended to keep teaching and research on a stable footing.
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On campus, most day-to-day study should look familiar. Medway already runs shared facilities; the library there is used by both communities, which hints at how the model could work on the ground. Leaders argue the Kent and Greenwich merger gives the combined institution the scale to manage rising costs and choppy income, a point echoed by the sector body in its call for longer-term fixes.
Staff representatives take a different view. The main academic union says redundancies are “almost certain”, pointing to recent cuts at both universities and thousands of posts lost nationally in the past two years (University and College Union). In Canterbury this morning, some welcomed the prospect of shared equipment and wider module choice; others worried about job security and departmental identity.
The funding context explains the nerves. While the headline home-fee is now £9,535, universities say the real value has fallen after years of rising costs. International recruitment, often the pressure valve, has been hit by rule changes restricting dependants, and providers are planning more cautiously (current guidance: student visa). Against that backdrop, backers of the Kent and Greenwich merger say a regional group can keep more courses open and invest across several sites; critics fear consolidation means fewer posts and less choice.
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