The University of Gloucestershire has put its Francis Close Hall campus in Cheltenham on the market, it said on 14 October 2026. The university is marketing the site through commercial property advisers Avison Young and says interest could cover all or part of the campus.

The university stressed that the move is not a decision to sell or lease, and that it could keep a presence at Francis Close Hall even if a buyer or leaseholder is found. It gave no guide price, no terms and no date for a decision. It said it would consider the interest that comes forward before deciding anything further.

A listed campus with a £14 million backlog

Francis Close Hall dates from 1847, when it was founded as Cheltenham Training College, and the building is Grade II* listed, according to a university consultation page published in October 2025. That page put the campus’s maintenance backlog at around £14 million and said significant modernisation was needed, including changes to make the building fully accessible.

The campus houses humanities, natural and social sciences and creative arts programmes, the university archive and the Countryside and Community Research Institute. In 2025 the university said a specialist agent was assessing options that could include leasing or selling all or part of the site, or repurposing it, and that it expected a decision in 2026.

The new statement says teaching continues as normal and that most programmes taught at the campus will remain there until at least 2029. If any programmes move, they will stay in Cheltenham. The university says there is no immediate change for students or staff.

We are testing the market to understand what interest exists and what ideas may come forward.

Camille Stallard, Chief Financial Officer, University of Gloucestershire

Other campuses on the market

Gloucestershire is one of three English universities with whole campuses for sale, according to The Tab, a student news site, which listed the others on 16 October. It reported that the University of Essex has put buildings at its Southend campus on the market, including student accommodation at an asking price of £12 million, after announcing in December 2025 that the campus would close in summer 2026.

The Tab also reported that the University of Nottingham put its Castle Meadow campus on the market in July. The former tax office site was bought for £37.5 million in 2021 and renovated for about £40 million, and the university’s 2025 accounts valued it at between £14.4 million and £18 million, according to The Tab. TED has not checked the Essex and Nottingham figures against the universities’ own documents.

What it means

TED analysis:

  • For university finance directors: a market test lets a governing body learn what a heritage site is worth before it commits to a sale, and keeps lease and part-sale options open. The cost is a period of uncertainty for staff and students, which Gloucestershire has tried to limit by committing most teaching to the campus until at least 2029.
  • For buyers and developers: a Grade II* listing and a £14 million backlog are likely to weigh on bids, and the university’s wish to keep some presence on site may favour bidders willing to share a campus over those wanting vacant possession.
  • For boards and lenders: if The Tab’s Nottingham figures are right, a campus bought and refitted for around £77.5 million is now valued at less than a quarter of that. Estate bought for growth can lose most of its book value once the growth stops.
  • What to watch: whether Gloucestershire names a preferred buyer or tenant, and whether other universities in deficit move from selling single buildings to selling whole sites.