Higher Education

The Higher Education sector promotes valuable activity and investment throughout the UK and makes world-leading contributions in teaching and research.

The 150+ universities which comprise the HE sector represent a diverse range of institutions, which face a range of complex corporate challenges as they seek to deliver excellence in their academic activities and student experience.

We are the leading financial advisory team in the HE sector. Our nearly 20 years of experience in advising universities provides with the insight to develop and deliver solutions to their distinctive challenges. We provide advice on matters where in-house teams can benefit from our transaction experience and complementary skills. The areas which we can assist include:

Debt Funding & Treasury Management

• Independent advice across the full range of borrowing options: bank facilities, private placements, public bonds and property-related alternatives such as income strips.
• Assistance in developing a financing strategy
• Support in arrangement of debt facilities, including managing competitive processes among funders.
• Interest rate hedging, financial covenant analysis, commercial negotiation and considering refinancing options.

Energy and Sustainability

• Low carbon energy strategy and feasibility
• Financial appraisal of individual projects – including business cases & financial modelling
• Identification of external funding or partnering opportunities to support capital investment
• Advice on project structuring
  Understanding of various technologies including biomass, wind, district heating, energy storage and energy efficiency.

Strategic Advice

We also provide general corporate finance in other areas, including:

• Business cases and options appraisals for capital projects
• Overseas campuses
• Joint-venture partnerships
• Partnerships with International Pathway student providers (such as INTO, Kaplan and Navitas)

Student Accommodation

• Options appraisals and financial modelling
• Raising debt finance
• Commercial deal structuring, including nominations agreements with developers and operators
• Procurement of new accommodation through private sector partnerships
• See main page for further details

For further information contact: