. • A modest real terms cut to higher education as planned for 2025/26, comes on the back of the funding cuts to the current year (2024/25) which were severe for HEIs, including: o A cut of £28.5m to HE resource year to year, on top of an in-year cut of £20m in 2023/24. o The removal of 1,289 funded places, which in of itself was ok, but the resource linked to those places (£7million) left the sector rather than stay in to address wider funding challenges. o The Upskilling Fund (worth £6.9 million) was cut entirely. o Financial support for those universities who are members of the Scottish Teachers Pension Fund (STPS), worth £4.8 million was also cut entirely, coinciding with a 3% rise in employer contributions to 26%.