New year, new challenges

If universities are to survive and thrive, something must change.  Influencing the media narrative has never been more important in a battle for survival of the fittest.

Media interest in universities has remained substantially higher than it was in the years before the pandemic. Journalists have realised that the sector provides a rich seam of stories, with national, regional and specialist media continuing to seek out new topics and issues relating to the state of higher education in the UK. At the same time, the level of audience actively engaging with news about universities continues to increase. Comms teams are struggling against the tide of a negative news cycle where the stories that fulfil the definition of ‘news appeal’ reflect a sector under relentless pressure.

Last year saw the Gaza issue create fierce headwinds for several institutions. Already in 2025 coverage is focusing on the precarious financial situation across the sector. Vice-chancellors’ pay and expenses have again hit the headlines.  Similarly, the inadequacy of the government’s increase in student fees to cover the real cost of educating young people, not least as new taxes hit universities as large employers. Analysis from the Office for Students published in November 2024 found that 72% of UK universities could be in deficit by 2025-26 if steps are not taken to address financial risk.

This noise is important, as it highlights issues and challenges which merit wider discussion, not just in the corridors of academia and government. Yet it continually undermines the efforts of comms teams to communicate success around the core purpose of universities – producing employable graduates and a body of research that contributes to human understanding and progress.

If universities are to survive and thrive, it is not only about capturing a greater share of overseas and UK students by poaching from competitors. Strategically difficult decisions for university leadership will include closing courses and focusing on core strengths. The essential ingredients for success will be the ability to align with this, by articulating value and exercising ruthless focus on being famous for a few specific things your institution genuinely excels at.

From our work with universities, we’ve summarised five imperatives for comms teams in 2025:

1. The media frenzy makes it more important than ever to keep tabs on the narrative, using audience-focused media evaluation to quantify how media coverage is impacting the reputation of individual institutions compared to their peers

2. Efforts to reset the news agenda must continue. However difficult this is, keep calm and carry on feeding journalists with selective, high quality, newsworthy content. Gaining coverage in high-audience media for key research projects and academic initiatives is of the essence

3. Academics can be your allies in this, if you focus on key spokespeople and help them raise their profile alongside the university brand

4. Instead of an endless news flow which prioritises volume over impact, put your energy into creating genuine differentiation for your institution, that can influence reputation, student choices and research funding

5. Contact Metricomm to discover how we can help you increase effectiveness using a tailored approach. Points 1-4 above are generic and optimising your university’s communication requires detailed insights and actionable data.

To arrange a no-obligation conversation, contact us on hello@metricomm.com or by using the form below, and we’ll get straight back to you.