The Council responds to OfS Funding Guidance Letter 

The Office for Students (OfS) has received advice from the government which sets out the Strategic Priorities Grant funding available for distribution in 2025-26. OfS will allocate £1,348 million of funding in 2025-26. This represents a reduction in the funding available to the OfS of £108 million, compared to 2024-25. Importantly for CoDH members, the letter makes clear that the OfS should prioritise support for high cost subjects, including nursing, midwifery and allied health, and the level of funding per student for the nursing, midwifery and allied health supplementary funding should stay the same as in 24-25.

Commenting on the announcement, Ed Hughes, CEO of CoDH, said:

“Although continued commitment to fund high-cost subjects, including critical health subjects such as nursing, midwifery and allied health, is welcome, this reduction in the OfS Strategic Priorities Grant is a further significant cut to the budgets for higher education providers. Reducing the resource available to universities and colleges to educate our future health workforce, just as the government prepares to announce its 10 Year Health Plan, risks undermining the work being done to increase the supply of the highly-skilled workforce the NHS needs. We look forward to working with the Office for Students in its review of the Strategic Priorities Grant to ensure a sustainable future for health education which enables universities and colleges to support our fantastic nursing, midwifery and allied health students to successful outcomes.”