The UK has axed a major overseas higher education initiative for women and girls after just two years, withdrawing the tender for Strengthening higher education for female empowerment (SHEFE). The program—announced by the outgoing Conservative government with a £45 million budget to support access to higher education for 1 million students worldwide—was stopped by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) following aid cuts. For universities and partners involved in recruitment, capacity building, and education-to-employment pathways, the abrupt withdrawal signals near-term funding volatility for international access programs and could disrupt pipeline planning for cohorts that were already in progress or scheduled to launch.