State of the Sector 2025: sustainability in post-16 education
The State of the Sector 2025 research provides the clearest, most up-to-date picture of sustainability across further and higher education in the UK and Ireland. Based on responses from over 120 institutions, it shows how sustainability is now embedded in strategies and expectations, and where delivery is being held back by funding pressures, limited capacity and uneven accountability.
The findings reveal a sector with strong ambition and commitment, but facing significant structural constraints. Alongside persistent challenges, the research highlights positive progress, including strong student influence, growing collaboration and continued action despite an increasingly difficult operating environment.
This evidence offers a practical foundation for institutions, sector bodies and policymakers to understand where the sector stands, and what’s needed to move from intent to impact.
Who this research is for
This research is designed to support:
- Further and higher education institutions looking to benchmark progress, strengthen internal business cases and plan next steps;
- Senior leaders and governors seeking clear evidence on resourcing, governance and accountability;
- Policymakers, funders and sector bodies shaping sustainability expectations, funding models and regulatory frameworks;
- Sustainability practitioners, students’ unions and researchers looking for robust, sector-wide insight.
The findings are available in multiple formats (from a headline infographic and executive summary to the full report and open data) ensuring the evidence is accessible, usable and relevant for different audiences.
| 3 February 2026 | |
| Resource | |
| State of the Sector 2025 - summary report | |
| State of the Sector 2025 - infographic | |
| State of the Sector 2025 - full dataset | |
| EAUC in partnership with AoC, Colleges Scotland, Guild HE, Education Training Foundation, UCU and SOS UK |
