‘We believe this is the way to do it’: Exploring the City St George’s merger
Think tank: HEPI
Author(s): Simon Watts; Amy Ripley
February 12, 2026
This report from UK think tank HEPI offers rare real-world guidance from an unusually large and high-stakes merger.
City St George’s: HEPI report sets out practical insights and recommendations from a landmark university merger. A new HEPI report, ‘We believe this is the way to do it’: Exploring the City St George’s Merger (HEPI Report 197), offers a detailed examination of the UK’s most significant university merger in more than a decade, drawing out practical recommendations for sector leaders considering similar structural reforms.
Based on in‑depth interviews with senior leaders who guided the process, the report offers rare real-world guidance from an unusually large and high-stakes merger, including:
The critical importance of clear governance and phased milestones
The need for robust due diligence and shared financial planning.
The reality that integrating cultures takes time, empathy and transparency
The value of investing early in professional change management
The need to support students’ unions through highly visible change
The importance of anchoring decisions in academic purpose even during operational pressure
The HEPI report provides a valuable contribution to a mergers playbook, capturing early insights from a rare institutional transformation. For senior leaders weighing options such as shared services, deeper partnerships or full mergers, the report highlights what must be in place long before legal consolidation.
