UK public spending on tertiary education by year
Public spending on universities and other higher education.
£4.6 billion
HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) put public spending on tertiary education at £4.6 billion in 2025-26. In 2024-25 it was £4.8 billion, so the cash figure changed by -3.1%. The highest year in these tables is 2023-24, at £7.2 billion.
Spending by year
| Year | Cash | Change on previous year | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | £4.6 billion | -3.1% | PESA 2026 |
| 2024-25 | £4.8 billion | -33.1% | PESA 2026 |
| 2023-24 | £7.2 billion | +57.0% | PESA 2026 |
| 2022-23 | £4.6 billion | -3.4% | PESA 2026 |
| 2021-22 | £4.7 billion | -3.0% | PESA 2026 |
| 2020-21 | £4.9 billion | +11.3% | PESA 2021 |
| 2019-20 | £4.4 billion | -5.4% | PESA 2021 |
| 2018-19 | £4.6 billion | -14.7% | PESA 2021 |
| 2017-18 | £5.4 billion | -10.7% | PESA 2021 |
| 2016-17 | £6.1 billion | PESA 2021 |
PESA Table 5.2, line "9.4 Tertiary education". About these figures · CSV
Sources and receipts
- Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2026, Chapter 5 tables, HM Treasury.
File: PESA_2026_CP_Chapter_5_tables.xlsx. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256
ccb4539bb837c2b6a7f9509da49bd409eb9e5a910f3332311b494291fbd33107 - Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2021, Chapter 5 tables, HM Treasury.
File: PESA_2021_CP_Chapter_5.xlsx. Read 2026-10-15. SHA-256
7c68482aafa0fddab1cac06a01347a177533db9df354d384ea82f465ee61f6ec