Students in the North East are facing a double blow as rising tuition fees and dwindling access to arts and humanities courses narrow their choices and increase financial pressures.

A new study by the British Academy highlights that the North East is one of the country’s largest ‘cold spots’ for Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts (SHAPE) subjects. A ‘cold spot’ is an area where a student would need to travel more than a commutable distance (60km) to access provision.

Language studies and social work are particularly underrepresented, creating significant barriers for students hoping to pursue these fields locally. SHAPE graduates play a critical role in the UK’s economy, with the services sector accounting for 81 per cent of total economic output.

The decline in accessible language courses could have a profound impact on the region’s future, limiting its ability to compete in global trade and international collaboration.

The UK’s linguistic underperformance already costs the economy up to £48 billion annually, or 3.5 per cent of GDP, and the North East’s inability to provide sufficient language education risks worsening this national challenge.

Meanwhile, the shortage of social work programs risks exacerbating workforce shortages in a sector already under strain, particularly in rural areas.

A Teesside University spokesperson said: “Teesside University recognises the positive and valued contribution that SHAPE subjects make to the economic, social and cultural success of the region.

“By fostering creativity, enterprise and innovation, our School of Arts and Creative Industries and School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law, supported by the University-run MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Arts), are helping to build a thriving creative economy in the Tees Valley and beyond.”

The report also reveals a stark rural-urban divide in the North East. Urban centres like Newcastle and Durham offer a broader variety of SHAPE courses, while rural communities face significant gaps, leaving students with few options.

This divide hits disadvantaged students hardest. Many prefer to study close to home, but with limited local opportunities, they are forced to look outside the region or abandon higher education entirely.

Ruairí Cullen, Senior Observatory Lead for Higher Education and Research Policy at the British Academy, said: “Our maps show that students have a wide range of SHAPE undergraduate degrees to choose from in the North East – an overall positive picture. But we can also see that provision of modern languages has been declining and that many providers no longer offer single honours courses like French, German and Spanish.

"We are concerned that unequal access to university disciplines may exacerbate regional disparities and limit the options and ambitions of students – which is why we think it is so important to be able to be able to present the evidence visually through these new maps.”

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SHAPE subjects also form a vital foundation for public governance, with over 80 per cent of Civil Service Fast Stream candidates coming from non-STEM disciplines. Without adequate investment in SHAPE subjects, the North East risks losing its contribution to this essential talent pipeline.

The study’s findings coincide with the government’s recently announced tuition fee hike, which could see fees rise as early as 2025. Critics argue that this will further exacerbate inequalities, as students in regions like the North East face the dual burden of increasing costs and shrinking access to vital courses.

Combined, these challenges are raising urgent questions about the accessibility and equity of higher education in the North East.