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Higher Education: Finance

Asked by Rachael MaskellLabour (Co-op)Department for EducationTabled Answered 30 March 2026UIN 121332

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the financial return to the UK economy of public investment in higher education.

Answered by Josh MacAlister

Graduates make a significant economic and financial contribution to the UK economy. A report commissioned by Universities UK and published in 2024 suggests that the UK higher education sector contributes around £265 billion to the UK economy and that every £1 of public funding invested in the sector’s teaching activities generated a total of some £13 in wider economic impact across the UK.

The Universities UK commissioned report can be found here: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/sites/default/files/field/downloads/2024-09/LE-UUK-Impact-of-university-TL-and-RI-Final-Report.pdf.

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