England's regulator told MPs that 50 higher‑education providers are at risk of exiting the market within the next two-to-three years and flagged 24 at more immediate risk of stopping degree courses in 12 months, including seven large institutions with more than 3,000 students. The Office for Students stressed it is engaging proactively to avoid disorderly exits, while sector leaders point to a mix of factors—falling international recruitment, historic tuition freezes, rising costs, and governance failures. A related analysis in the UK press warns the country’s universities are paying for the nation’s weak growth and policy shifts, which have reduced research and teaching income and prompted new levies. Moody’s and other rating agencies have also put the sector on a negative outlook, heightening urgency for financial planning and consolidation discussions.