Funding and staff capacity biggest barriers to digital transformation for UK universities finds new Jisc report

Half of all UK universities* (88 responses from 83 providers) responded to our 2026 digital maturity assessment, designed to provide a baseline for the effective use of digital and data across the UK higher education sector, based on our digital maturity model.

The report findings reveal that on a scale of one to five, where one demonstrates institutions are at a reactive stage of digital maturity and five an integrated stage, the aggregated sector score was 2.84. This indicates that, on average, UK higher education providers have moved beyond reactive investment in digital infrastructure and are embedding more strategic approaches and proactive practices.

The results also show:

• Reliable, safe and secure digital infrastructure is the highest-rated aspect of the assessment
• Digital capability, including AI capability, has the lowest maturity ratings
• Funding or investment is the most frequently cited single barrier to further progress, followed by staff capacity and time

Many providers report established digital foundations in areas such as business continuity, teaching, learning and assessment infrastructure and business intelligence. However, fragmented systems, information, processes and organisational activity, alongside uneven digital capability and staff capacity, were repeatedly identified as limiting the value gained from existing digital investment.

With financial pressures, cyber threats and operational challenges continuing to evolve, many providers now need to strengthen organisational capacity, coordinated practice and connected infrastructure to sustain digital transformation and resilience over time.

Universities that are more digitally mature typically:

• Align digital priorities with institutional strategy and long-term objectives to deliver a whole organisation approach
• Work collaboratively across academic, professional, technical and leadership teams to reduce fragmentation and minimise silos
• Invest in people, digital capability and organisational culture alongside technology
• Embed continuous reviews, evaluations and organisational improvements within normal planning processes
• Design services around the needs of learners, staff and researchers rather than organisational structures

Heidi Fraser-Krauss, chief executive at Jisc said:

“It is no secret that UK higher education providers have been operating in an exceptionally challenging environment where funding is tight, resources are scarce and digital innovation is rapidly evolving.

“The fact that half of all UK universities completed this assessment demonstrates a strong appetite across the sector for shared evidence and a better understanding of digital maturity. We’re grateful to all respondents for the time and effort involved in creating a benchmark from which providers can digitally develop, both collectively and at an organisational level.

“The findings are encouraging, and it’s great to see reliable and secure digital infrastructure as the highest rated aspect of the assessment, but we know digital transformation is about much more than just the technology, and there are clear challenges ahead.

“We’re proud to be working with our members and with Universities UK’s Transformation and Efficiency Implementation Group to support the UK HE sector to achieve greater value from their digital investments.”

Vivienne Stern MBE, chief executive of universities UK said:

“UK higher education providers cannot make good decisions about their future without first understanding their current position.

“That’s why Jisc’s digital maturity assessment is so important. It is the product of partnership and a shared conviction to support the UK higher education sector through the challenges ahead.

“For the first time we have sector-wide insight into the organisational conditions that support effective digital transformation, extending beyond technology alone, and the findings of this assessment should be of interest to every leadership team working in UK higher education today.

“At UUK, our work on transformation and efficiency helps universities to work together, reduce costs and prepare for the future, and we’re pleased to be working with Jisc to ensure effective digital transformation remains an essential part of this conversation.”

Drawing on our framework for digital transformation, respondents to the assessment were asked 24 questions selected from six interconnected themes:

• Organisational digital culture
• Knowledge creation and innovation
• Knowledge development
• Knowledge management and use
• Knowledge exchange and partnerships
• Digital and physical infrastructure

Our digital maturity assessment was developed in response to a recommendation in Universities UK's 2025 report Transformation and efficiency: towards a new era of collaboration, which identified the need for a sector-wide baseline of universities' digital and data maturity.

If you are a senior leader working in UK higher education, register for our upcoming Beyond digital foundations: understanding digital maturity across UK higher education webinar to gain greater insight into how the findings of the digital maturity assessment can support digital transformation at your institution.