'Super-university' created amid funding squeeze
The universities of Kent and Greenwich have merged to form the UK's first 'super-university' to combat financial pressures. The new group, LASE, will retain individual branding while sharing resources and expanding academic offerings.
Why it matters
This merger highlights the growing economic instability within the higher education sector and a trend toward consolidation to ensure institutional survival.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The two universities, which legally merged last month, will retain their current names
The universities of Kent and Greenwich have merged to form the UK's first "super-university" amid sector-wide financial pressures.
The new London and South East University Group (LASE) becomes the UK's third largest, with more than 50,000 students across four campuses in south-east London and Kent.
Leaders say the institutions are "much stronger" together as higher education providers face mounting economic strain, but the University and College Union previously raised concerns that the merger signalled a "broader problem for the sector" .
The two universities, which legally merged last month, will still operate as distinct academic divisions within the group, retaining their current names.
Students will still apply to the institution they choose and degrees will be awarded in the name of Kent or Greenwich.
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