Nearly 50 universities whose financial situation was so precarious they were considered at risk of failure are included on a list compiled by the British government, The Guardian reported. The list was dominated by former polytechnics, institutions that were granted full university status only in the 1990s. Officials told the newspaper that the situation had improved at many of the universities since the list was compiled. But The Guardian reported that documents it had obtained indicated that three institutions were deemed “so ‘at risk’ that officials are still withholding their names,” and that more universities were being monitored “because they are under threat unless they act.”

The Higher Education Funding Council for England, which is responsible for distributing public money to universities in England, released the information to the newspaper under Britain’s new Freedom of Information law. Since 2006, institutions have been allowed to charge tuition of up to £3,000 (about $6,000 a year), and many universities are expected to press for the government-set cap to be lifted when an independent review of university finances takes place in 2009. —Aisha Labi