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The N8 universities punch above their weight
economically: we deliver into the North a
collective income, or turnover, of £4.1 billion
p.a.; this is 12% of the turnover of the entire UK
higher education (HE) sector, and 59% of the
HE sector in the North’s turnover
(£7.0 billion total).
N8 universities are 8 out of 31 Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in
the North of England (26%), and of 163 HEIs in the UK (5%).
As one comparison, N8 universities’ turnover is larger than that
of all the football clubs of the Premier League, added together.
Economic impact of N8 universities
Collective turnover per annum
The N8 vs The English Premier League
6
Comparing the
N8
to the
20 Premier
League teams
56%
£4.1 bn
£3.2 bn
44%
International income
The N8 universities are internationally renowned for quality.
Each of the N8 universities is among the top 200 universities
in the world, according to the Times Higher World University
ranking for 2015-16.
Reflecting this international profile, 26% of N8 university income
(£1.06 billion) is from international sources. This includes student
fees (non-EU students £714 million and EU students £62 million),
together with research grants and contracts (non-EU £32 million
and EU £127 million).
When this is combined with the off-campus personal
expenditure of N8 international students, a total of over £1.83
billion of export earnings is attributable to the N8 universities.
13.3% of N8 university competitive research income comes from
EU sources.