Skip to main content

Industry report: Digital investment at UK universities

As UK universities face tighter budgets and an increasingly competitive digital landscape, many are rethinking how they invest in online platforms. Our latest report offers critical insights into how institutions are investing in digital infrastructure. This report is an essential read for university marketing and student recruitment teams, digital managers, and vice chancellors seeking to enhance their online presence and streamline digital strategies.

27 pages45 mins read
A student wearing a backpack and carrying a folder of papers.

Overview

In this report, we analyse the digital investment patterns of more than 70 UK universities, highlighting the spending trends on content management systems, digital experience platforms, and hosting solutions. Discover how factors like regional position, university reputation, and operational demands shape investment, and gain an understanding of how UK institutions are building the digital future of higher education.

Key takeaways

  • Understand the average digital spending across UK universities, with top institutions allocating up to £1 million annually and learn whether your institution is spending over the odds or if you’re under investing compared to your competitors.

  • See how an institution's location and league table position affects its digital spend and find out which platforms the top universities are using to manage their digital presence.

  • Gain insights into the benefits and costs of different hosting solutions, with cloud options emerging as a cost-effective favorite.

  • Learn how reliance on clearing admissions shapes digital investment, especially for institutions aiming to improve student engagement year-round.

Authors

Ryan BromleyProduct owner and content strategist

Ryan is a product owner and content strategist in the team behind Contensis.com. With a background in marketing and copywriting, Ryan also delivers in-person training and webinars for Contensis users on subjects including content modelling, content design and writing for the web.

Robert TurnerScrum master

Rob Turner is a scrum master at Zengenti, and has previously worked on multiple digital transformation projects for higher education providers over a near 20 year period, including the cyclical revamping of entire websites.

Get your copy