Closures ‘led to divorce, homelessness and visa revocation’

Students whose higher education providers or courses closed have subsequently endured homelessness, relationship breakdowns and the threat of deportation from the UK, a new study says.

Drawing on interviews with students whose course or provider had unexpectedly shut down, the report by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) highlights the far-reaching impact of institutional closures on those affected even when they were able to complete their degree at a different provider.

The report, co-authored by SUMS Consulting, says closures had a “disproportionate impact felt by students from underrepresented groups, including widening participation students and disabled students who have likely chosen a specific provider based on its known avenues of support or specialist provision”.

Mature students at their institution had been unable to pay their mortgages as a result of the financial impact of the closures, explained one of the 12 interviewees. Others had faced relationship breakdowns, homelessness and delayed entry into the job market which affected salary progression, they said.

International students were also unsure if they were able to remain in the country against a backdrop of ongoing negotiations with the Home Office, says the report published on 8 September. One interviewee explained how the closure of their provider “ultimately resulted in my graduate visa being taken away”.

Many interviewees also complained about “vague or incomplete” communications from institutions about the impending closure with “vital information about next steps unnecessarily hidden in email attachments, or no named contact provided for who they could reach out to”.

Some “expressed disappointment that such colossal news was delivered by email rather than in person” while their classmates “first found out about the closure via media coverage, prior to reading any email”.

That sense of being “misled by a lack of transparency about their provider’s financial instability” was particularly acute for some students who felt the institution’s financial troubles had started prior to their enrolment.

“It felt like they had already started planning the closure far before they told us about it, perhaps even as early as when we were accepting our places,” said one student, adding: “To not have that clarity is frustrating. I’m still angry about it.”

In many cases, students had received significant disruption to their teaching prior to the institution’s collapse. “Classes got cancelled often from staff absence, and teachers were always coming and going,” said one interviewee, who attributed the events at the time to disruption linked to the Covid pandemic.

Even when students successfully transferred to a different institution to complete their studies, they felt dissatisfied and had a “limited sense of belonging” to their new institution, the report continues.

“Many had little to no interaction with its campus, staff or wider student community. For some, their only visit to the new provider was to attend their graduation ceremony,” the report notes.

“Even if the new institution has a good reputation, it can feel like it’s ‘in name only’ that you attend that institution. It doesn’t really feel like I went there, I went down for my graduation. That’s the only time I’ve ever been. I don’t know any teachers that work there,” one student explained.

“We were all really stressed, really angry, especially in our third year,” said another interviewee, adding: “Everything was just really, really bad.”

Charlotte Corrish, head of public policy at the OIA, said the students interviewed for the report “offered valuable insight into an experience that is rarely captured in policy discussions about provider closure”.

“Their accounts remind us that student protection is about much more than enabling academic continuation. It is also about how people are supported through uncertainty, disruption and change,” she added.

The latest report followed an OIA study in 2025 which provided a checklist to help higher education providers prepare for, manage and mitigate the risks associated with course or provider closure, covering governance, communications, student protection and institutional responsibilities.

Nick Pidgeon, managing consultant at SUMS Consulting, said provider closure “remains relatively uncommon” but may become an “increasingly important issue across the sector” owing to financial challenges.

“By listening directly to students, we can better understand the practical steps institutions, regulators and government can take to minimise harm and strengthen protection,” he said.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com