Nottingham among three universities with whole campuses for sale due to financial pressures

Three UK universities have listed whole campuses for sale due to financial pressures.

Many of the UK’s universities have struggled with money over the last few years, due to stagnant tuition fees, a decrease in international students, and higher running costs. These three universities aim to deal with financial problems by selling off campuses.

University of Essex

In December 2025, the University of Essex announced its Southend campus would close in summer 2026. This decision was rather controversial, as 800 students had to switch to the Colchester campus, and 400 staff are expected to lose jobs.

Essex’s vice-chancellor, Professor Frances Brown, said the university had “to operate more efficiently and reduce [its] costs”. The university saw a 52 per cent decrease in international students between 2021 and 2025.

The University of Essex put three buildings from the Southend campus up for sale in September 2026. The student accommodation site University Square is up for sale for £12 million.

 

 

 

 

 

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The Clifftown Theatre and Studios – a Victorian church that was converted into a performing arts space – is on the market for £1.5 million.

Clifftown Studios and Theatre
(Credit: Cikabum)

The university is also selling the huge Gateway Building. The brochure doesn’t specify a price.

University of Gloucestershire

 

 

 

 

 

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On 14th October 20265, the university announced its Francis Close Hall Campus on the market. The site is in Cheltenham, and has Grade II-listed gothic buildings from the 1840s. The campus contains a large library. bioscience labs, architecture studios and facilities for studying crime.

The campus’s fate isn’t sealed – apparently the university wants to “explore options for the long-term future”. The University of Gloucestershire’s chief financial officer, Camille Stallard, said: “Putting [Francis Close Hall] on the market is an important next step in helping us understand the genuine options for its long-term future, but it is important to be clear that this does not mean the campus has been sold or that we have already decided what will happen to it.

The Francis Close Hall Campus
(Credit: University of Gloucestershire)

“We are testing the market to understand what interest exists and what ideas may come forward. That will give us much better information on which to base future decisions, while ensuring the needs of our students and staff remain at the heart of our plans.”

Last year, the University of Gloucestershire shared that the site had a maintenance backlog of £14 million, and required modernisation.

University of Nottingham

The main pathway through the Castle Meadow site (Credit: Alan Murray-Rust)

The vast Castle Meadow Campus in Nottingham‘s city centre is currently for sale.

The 10.6 acre site used to be offices for HMRC. The Russell Group university bought the place for £37.5 million in 2021, spent £40 million renovating it, then listed it in July 2026. The university’s 2025 annual accounts says the campus was valued at between £14.4 million and £18 million.

The brochure says the campus has “significant value-add and repositioning prospects”.

The University of Nottingham is facing significant financial problems. The university reported an an adjusted deficit of £85.3 million for the 2024/2025 academic year. In October, Nottingham confirmed the controversial Future Nottingham 2 restructuring programme would go ahead.  This entails 560 job losses, and the closure of the modern languages and the music departments.

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