14 May 2013 
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Universitas 21, a global network of research-intensive universities, has produced a “Ranking of National Higher Education Systems,” which ranks systems by resources, environment, connectivity and output. The UK was placed 10th on the list overall, despite finishing 2nd in the output category, which considers the level of research excellence.
The UK appears to fall behind in the Resources category, where it is in 24th place. This category considers areas such as government expenditure on tertiary education institutions as a percentage of GDP, annual expenditure per student, and expenditure on research and development. Public GDP expenditure on universities averages 1.1 per cent internationally, but is just 0.6 per cent in the UK.
The Telegraph quotes Prof Michael Sheppard, Provost and Vice-Principal of the University of Birmingham, saying “Currently, the United Kingdom has one of the most efficient national higher education systems but further investment is needed to ensure its sustainability in this changing world.” Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, added: “UK universities provide the best value in the world, but this report shows that as we continue to spend less on higher education, the rest of the world is investing more.”
