Government responds to NCTJ’s Save Quality Journalism Education campaign

The Department for Education has responded to the NCTJ following the launch of the Save Quality Journalism Education campaign, which calls for the reversal of planned cuts to high-cost subject funding for journalism courses in higher education.

In a letter to NCTJ chief executive Joanne Forbes, the department acknowledged the “invaluable role which journalism plays in the fabric of our society” and said that supporting high-quality, public-interest journalism remains a government priority.

However, the response confirmed that journalism has been removed from the list of high-cost subjects receiving targeted Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) funding in 2025-26. This position does not reflect the department’s stated support for journalism. The letter states this decision is part of a wider effort to prioritise investment in science, engineering and technology.

The department cited “tough prioritisation decisions” due to a challenging fiscal context, while noting that journalism remains a “valued subject” and that provision will benefit from a 3.1 per cent increase in tuition fee limits for 2025-26.

The NCTJ had previously written to the Secretaries of State for Education and for Culture, Media and Sport, warning the cuts risk damaging journalism education, reducing accessibility and diversity, and harming the wider talent pipeline into the profession.

In response to the government’s letter, NCTJ chief executive Joanne Forbes said: “While we welcome the department’s recognition of the value of journalism, the decision to cut targeted funding remains deeply disappointing and contradictory. These courses already operate under financial pressure, and further cuts risk undermining access, quality and opportunity. It also sends a damaging message about the value of journalism education at a time when quality, trusted journalism is more important than ever.”

The government has warned that further reforms to the Strategic Priorities Grant will be set out in the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy white paper this summer.

The NCTJ will continue discussions with government as part of the Save Quality Journalism Education campaign. You can help by writing to your MP by downloading the template letter or using this simple tool provided by the National Union of Journalists.

Read the government’s full response here:

Thank you for your correspondence of 6 June, addressed to the Secretary of State for Education, about the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) Guidance letter to the Office for Students (OfS) for financial year 2025-26 and your concerns around the removal of high-cost subject funding for media studies, journalism, publishing and information services. I am sure you will appreciate that the Secretary of State receives a large amount of correspondence and is unable to reply to each one personally. It is for this reason I have been asked to reply.

Supporting the provision of high-quality public-interest journalism is a priority for this government. A free, sustainable, and diverse media landscape is the best way to maintain a shared understanding of facts, and we are committed to supporting the invaluable role which journalism plays in the fabric of our society.

At the same time, we have made tough prioritisation decisions driven by the challenging fiscal context that we inherited. We are prioritising support for high-cost subjects that are essential to delivery of our industrial strategy and core funding to support access to higher education (HE) for disadvantaged groups. It is important that the targeted funding allocated through the SPG supports courses that have higher costs of delivery, our Plan for Growth, and the Industrial Strategy.

This means that we are prioritising investment in science, engineering and technology subjects. Media studies, journalism, publishing, and information services are important and valued subjects. Provision for these subjects will also benefit from the increase in tuition fee limits in line with inflation – the maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535.

Additionally, we have had to make the difficult decision to reduce the overall amount of money provided for student premium funding this year (2025-26), due to the fiscal challenges. We have asked the OfS to achieve this saving by allocating Student Premiums on a basis which disregards courses delivered at franchised providers, except where providers are in the OfS registered Approved (fee cap) category. Our commitment that opportunity is available for all remains unwavering, and the Government will achieve this by addressing gaps in access and outcomes faced by underrepresented and disadvantaged groups. That is why we have asked that the OfS retain the per-student funding rates for the full-time, part-time, disabled premium and mental health Student Premiums at their current level unless not possible due to fluctuation in student numbers.

We are determined that the HE funding system should deliver for our economy, for universities and for students. We are currently developing a reform plan for the SPG to deliver the Secretary of State’s priorities, including effectively targeting high-cost funding towards provision that supports the priorities set out in the Industrial Strategy within the future. These reforms to the SPG are central our wider plans for HE reform, which we will set out in this summer’s Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy White paper.

I hope this information is helpful and thank you again for taking the time to share your concerns with the Department for Education.