Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have had with the Office for Students about priorities and criteria for category C1 strategic funding for university courses.

The Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) is one of our main higher education funding levers and provides support for high-cost subjects. Funding is allocated by the Office for Students (OfS) based on subject classifications. Subjects are grouped into price groups (A, B, C1.1, and C1.2), which reflect the cost of delivering those courses.

As set out in the 2025/26 SPG guidance letter from my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to the OfS, we are working with the OfS to review and reform the high-cost subject funding, including price group C1, to ensure that it best aligns with the government’s growth mission and is targeted effectively towards provision that supports the industrial strategy and future skills needs.

We are working closely with the OfS to understand the impact of any changes to SPG funding, and the department will issue guidance to the OfS in due course setting out our funding priorities for 2026/27.