UK universities are on the brink — what is their greatest source of stress?

 

The United Kingdom’s universities are under pressure from almost every direction. Four in ten higher-education (HE) institutions are forecast to be in a deficit this financial year, as they grapple with monetary pressures, changing student uptake and reduced funding. 

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Nature asked eight HE leaders and consultants to take stock of the state of the sector, and where they think it is heading. Their responses reveal stark differences in opinion on whether degrees still deliver value to students and if there are crises surrounding funding or the university model. But they do find common ground: agreeing that the current system is financially unsustainable, and that universities are unprepared for the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence.

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Read the article here.

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Retro cartoony loop animation for Nature magazine.

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Thank you Claire Welsh and Welsey Fernandes for the trust and good vibes on this project.

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The challenge was showing a distorting university, without going too dark and showing the apocalypse. A student is left confused by a classroom breaking in two.​​​​

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