Aston University has published an innovative response to the financial challenges facing UK higher education in its new report, Pathways to Success. The report sets out how Aston is evolving into a more agile, resilient, and globally connected institution that prioritises student success and socio-economic impact.
Pathways to Success acknowledges the serious strain on the UK’s higher education funding model, noting that rising costs, frozen tuition fees, and growing uncertainty surrounding government policy on graduate route visas and international student access are placing the sector under unsustainable pressure.
In response, Aston University is undertaking a major transformation of its business model to remain financially secure and to continue to serve students, employers, and communities at nation-leading levels.
Rather than relying overly on traditional funding streams, Aston University has developed a more commercial and collaborative approach — one that has already generated over £1 billion in value for the regional and national economy, with ambitions to double this by 2030.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Aleks Subic said:
“We are at a critical juncture for British higher education. Long-standing challenges in sector funding, compounded by potential changes to international student visas, require a serious rethink of how universities operate. We cannot depend solely on legacy structures or historical reputations. At Aston, we are adapting by embedding innovation, enterprise, and impact into everything we do, while staying rooted in our civic mission.”
The report recommends that universities work more closely with industry, government, and communities to create inclusive innovation ecosystems — an approach often referred to as the Quadruple Helix model. This has been central to Aston’s growth and relevance in a rapidly changing world.
It also calls on the Government to provide performance funding for graduate outcomes (especially for skills and employability success), and more consistent, long-term investment in research and innovation programmes aligned with priority industry sectors — moving beyond short-term, project-based funding. This would provide the stability needed for universities to build expertise, attract industrial partners, and support regional economic development.
As the next phase of the Government’s Spending Review approaches, the report urges policymakers to prioritise industry collaboration through sustained research and development funding. Without it, the UK risks falling further behind in translating academic excellence into commercial and societal impact, particularly in high-potential sectors such as advanced manufacturing, digital and life sciences.
Pathways to Success also argues for a more flexible, lifelong approach to education. With the UK projected to need 11 million additional graduates by 2035, universities must go beyond traditional degree models and expand accelerated work-based learning, apprenticeships, boot camps, and short courses in partnership with industry and other education providers.
Aston University alumna and broadcaster Susannah Streeter, who contributed the report’s foreword, added:
“At a time of global uncertainty and economic change, the UK’s growth challenge is closely tied to how we support skills and innovation. Aston’s long-standing focus on industry engagement and employability offers a model for how universities can remain relevant and resilient by diversifying their funding and deepening their community impact.”
The report outlines key recommendations for universities across the UK:
- Act as civic anchors: Partner with local authorities, businesses, and community organisations to address regional priorities.
- Adapt the operating model: Develop more agile, enterprise-focused structures while preserving academic values.
- Equip students for life and work: Emphasise both career readiness and broader life skills to enhance social mobility.
- Deliver commercial and social impact: Build ecosystems that convert research into real-world applications and high-value jobs.
- Expand global partnerships: Establish scalable international alliances, including digitally enabled models.
- Embed industry-relevant skills: Make work placements, digital tools, and simulation-based learning standard across courses.
- Drive regional innovation: Align research with local needs using the Quadruple Helix approach.
- Notes to editors
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About Aston University
For over 130 years, Aston University has been making our world a better place through education, research and innovation. Our history is intertwined with the remarkable city of Birmingham, once the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and now the thriving base for an innovation ecosystem of global significance, which Aston is co-creating.
Our vision is to be a leading university for science, technology and enterprise, measured by the positive transformational impact we achieve for our people, students, businesses and the communities we serve.
Aston focuses on high-quality, exploitable research that has an impact on society through medical breakthroughs, advancements in engineering, policy and practice in government, and the strategies and performance of business. The university offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, as well as Continuing Professional Development solutions.
Thanks to its focus on delivering excellent outcomes for students, Aston University's reputation continues to grow. It was recognised as the Daily Mail University of the Year for Student Success 2025, is 2nd in England for social mobility (2023 HEPI Social Mobility Index), and is top 20 for graduate salaries (2024 Longitudinal Education Outcomes).
Aston University is now defining its place in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world.