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For over 100 years we have brought universities together in all four nations of the UK to foster collaboration, exchange insight and influence policy.

We are the collective voice of the UK's universities and have over 140 member universities.

Our purpose

• influencing policy and opinion.
• bringing our universities together to take collective action.
• providing insight into our universities, helping others to understand them better and helping them to plan for the future.

Our universities are vital to the future of the UK and everyone in it.

Find out more about our achievements in the past year: Our work 2022–23

Our universities

• Educate over 2.7 million students every year, 96% of all higher education students in the UK.
• Produce over 100,000 public service workers every year; 42,000 nurses, 21,000 medical specialists, and 38,000 teachers.
• Educate over half a million students in more than 230 countries and territories worldwide.
• Produce world-leading research: the UK is the fourth largest producer of research in the world and 84% of university research submitted for assessment was considered world-leading or internationally excellent.
• Are responsible for having helped to create 21,000 active spin-out companies, start-ups and social enterprises, employing 98,000 people.
• Contribute £115.7bn a year to the economy and support more than 760,000 jobs. Our international students generate an additional £14.8bn.

Universities Wales and Universities Scotland 

As the voice of universities across the UK, we must account for the diversity of policies and priorities in devolved nations. 

Universities Wales and Universities Scotland work autonomously as part of »ÆÉ«Ö±²¥, representing the interests of universities in Wales and Scotland. They campaign, influence and develop policy on behalf of the higher education sectors in the devolved nations.

For more information on activities in Wales, visit the
For more information on activities in Scotland, visit the