Leading Article: Survive and thrive

Universities could become unviable and be forced to merge, and their unpopular courses shut down, under a worst-case scenario discussed by a report published today. The report by Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, warned that the number of 18-year-olds will fall by 2020, removing 70,000 potential students from the higher education system.

But there are still opportunities for universities to thrive. Those that successfully offer more career training and postgraduate courses rather than remaining merely ivory towers of academia for school leavers will do well. Universities must seize the opportunities that changing demographics offer rather than simply complaining about the way times have changed.