HE and Covid-19: new financial uncertainty for creative HE

Written by Dr Roberta Comunian, King's College London

While health and safety issues emerging in response to Covid-19 are rightly getting the full attention of media and researchers, others are starting to reflect on its future impact on national and global economies (McKibbin and Fernando 2020). Like every other sector, Higher Education (HE) will be heavily affected by the changes brought by Covid-19 globally and as Connors (2020) while the immediate impact was not so drastic,  the long-term economic impact of this 'perfect storm' might be more significant. 
Student numbers might not be the main concern. Hillman (2020) from the pages of Times Higher Education suggests that “recessions tend to mean that people want more education because the alternatives – underemployment or unemployment – are worse, and having more skills can protect you against the economic chill winds”. So while the numbers of international students moving globally will certainly lower, the trends discussed also in Australia might suggest there will be more home students “Sitting out the recession at university: postgraduate courses”.  However, the different patterns highlighted above will also have very important economic outcomes. This follows the recent criticisms of the sector made in the Augar review suggesting that students’ fees in UK should be reduced as a degree does not offer the expected economic returns to students after graduation. The same review raised questions more specifically around the economic value of creative arts degrees.
We also acknowledge in this debate that the position of creative (arts and design) degrees always seems to be more precarious than that of other subjects. Philipps (2019) from Royal Academic Magazine discuss the threats that arts schools have experienced in the last year, even before the Covid-19 crisis. This vulnerability might increase both in reference to future students’ intake as well as the employability outcomes of recent graduates in this crisis. 

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​We also acknowledge in this debate that the position of creative (arts and design) degrees always seems to be more precarious than that of other subjects. Philipps (2019) from Royal Academic Magazine discuss the threats that arts schools have experienced in the last year, even before the Covid-19 crisis. This vulnerability might increase both in reference to future students’ intake as well as the employability outcomes of recent graduates in this crisis.
From the intake perspective, the negative publicity might lead to less enrolment in creative degrees. Similarly, during 2017 the drop in enrolment was discussed in relation to the impact of tuition fees but also of uncertain career outcomes. Furthermore, the impact of Brexit might have affected enrolments from European students too. We can argue that – based on previous fluctuation in student enrolments during the recession and with the introduction of full-fees – creative degrees might expect a drop in demand. From the employability perspective, there is already great fear around the impact the Covid-19 pandemic is having on creative and cultural workers and industries. Creative graduates have already been found to face more challenging and unstable working conditions when entering the labour market in non-crisis situations. Greater effect will probably be felt by students who have just graduated from creative degrees.
Beyond the general uncertainty projected for the HE sector, the economic impact will surely be felt more by creative degrees* and the institutions offering them (partially or exclusively) might be more vulnerable at this time. Covid-19 might be to blame, but we can certainly acknowledge a lot of other structural conditions and policy discourses that have recently weakened the value and position of these disciplines in our society and economy. 

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