Due to a sharp drop in student numbers, several leading UK universities are exploring ways to merge their language departments.
The N8 consortium, made up of research-focused universities in northern England, is discussing how it can collaborate and share resources to keep language programs available.
According to the Financial Times, universities including Durham, Lancaster, Manchester, and Newcastle are part of early talks to address sustainability challenges facing modern language departments. The discussions come as applications for language degrees continue to fall, contributing to staffing shortages and raising concerns about the future of language education in the UK.
Regional Collaboration in Language Education
Professor Nigel Harkness, deputy vice-chancellor at Newcastle University and a French professor, said that early planning for language courses had started within the N8 group. He wondered if local universities could work together to manage teaching, since there is no national coordination.
“What does practical collaboration look like?” Harkness asked.
He expressed that they are looking at different ideas, from sharing good teaching methods like using AI in language learning to more advanced options like joint degree programs. But for now, they are not working on shared degrees.
Language Departments Face Restructuring
A university official told the Financial Times that even top Russell Group schools are looking at sharing courses to support their language departments. Another said language programs are being reduced, and universities are trying to fix the problem themselves due to little outside help.
Staff sharing across institutions and potential departmental mergers are being considered, raising the possibility of closures in some cases. Financial pressures and teacher shortages are among the factors contributing to these changes.
Declining Interest in Language Degrees
Reports note that applications for undergraduate degrees in modern languages have declined by over 20% between 2019 and 2025, based on data from the UK university admissions service. This contrasts with a 10% increase in overall university applications during the same period.
Also, several institutions, including Aberdeen, Coventry, and Lincoln, have already reduced their language offerings. Cardiff University reversed a decision to cut its modern language degrees after opposition, though it still plans staff and student reductions as part of its restructuring.
National Strategy and Future Provision
Hetan Shah, chief executive of the British Academy, supported regional cooperation but highlighted the need for a national strategy.
“The bigger and longer-term question is, what languages do we think we need strategic provision in nationally, and how should that be safeguarded?” he said.
Shah warned against losing national capacity in critical languages such as Russian and Chinese, adding, “It’s easy to turn off the tap; it’s much harder to turn it back on.”
Data from exam regulator Ofqual shows that fewer than 3% of A-level entries in England for 2025 are in foreign languages. The Higher Education Policy Institute also reported a 20% drop in enrolments in language and area studies at the university level over the past five years.
In comparison, more A-levels were taken in physical education than in French, German, and classical languages combined. The decline has been partly attributed to a shortage of language teachers and the removal of the requirement to study a language until age 16, a policy change made in 2004.
Universities Seek New Teaching Models
The University of Manchester confirmed its involvement in N8 efforts to address language provision challenges. Lancaster University’s Professor, Caron Gentry, described languages as “fundamental to a comprehensive university education” and said the university was “looking for innovative ways to teach.”
Durham University stated that it regularly engages with partner institutions to improve collaboration in language teaching, but added that it currently has “no plans to change what we deliver.”
