Growth in student numbers (up almost third over a decade) concentrated in large institutions in big cities. That geography has several drawbacks
- can reinforce economic gaps
- town/gown tensions harder to manage
- adds to demographic, cultural & political polarisation over time

The unintended fallout of 2020 exams crisis and u-turn (higher grades; larger institutions will have offers/ acceptances over capacity; other institutions may struggle with student numbers and finances) could accelerate/exacerbate this in both the short-term and over time

It becomes more important for every institution to have a serious community engagement strategy. Our National Conversation found particularly strong tensions in Durham, Swansea and Oxford, and some efforts to manage this.

Unintended consequences of this crisis may well further concentrate student numbers in 10 big cities, making it more difficult to think strategically about broadening the geography of higher education, which would be good for economy, check social polarisation over universities