New Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) data show regional ‘cold spots’ where traditional degree options — notably French, German and other language courses — have contracted sharply, even as AI-related programs have expanded rapidly. Full-time enrolment in French slid from 9,700 in 2012/13 to 3,700 in 2023/24 while AI study rose from 1,800 to 9,100 over the same period. Universities cited financial pressures and low enrolment as reasons for cutting courses; the data tool reveals course availability increasingly concentrated in metropolitan hubs (London, Oxford, Bristol, Bath). Campus protests and faculty pushback have followed program suspensions, including cases at Nottingham where modern languages and music faced suspension due to unsustainable numbers. Academic planners, curriculum committees and regional system offices must weigh program viability against mission and access. Where regional course closures create gaps, institutions and state coordinators will face pressure to reconfigure offerings or deploy online/hybrid models to preserve curricular breadth.