Guidance

Collaborating with other higher education providers

How to comply with competition law while working with other higher education providers.

• From: Competition and Markets Authority
• Published: 22 January 2026

Documents

Collaborating with other higher education providers

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This guide sets out how to collaborate with other higher education (HE) providers while staying on the right side of competition law. 

It covers: 

• working informally with other HE providers 

• establishing contractual partnerships 

• merging with other HE providers  

• working with non-HE providers  

This guide is for senior managers and senior decision makers at HE providers, who want to collaborate with another provider. 

Find out more about: 

• collaborating with other businesses 

• competing for talent

Published 22 January 2026