10 March 2026
SDLP Foyle MLA Sinéad McLaughlin has said the expansion of Ulster University’s Magee campus has reached a critical stage after the Department for the Economy’s Permanent Secretary refused to rule out risks to the project due to funding pressures.
The Permanent Secretary was speaking during a briefing to the Economy Committee on the 2026 Budget and future capital projects, where it was stated that expanding Magee to 10,000 students by 2032 will require either an increase in student fees or an additional £40 million allocation to the Department for the Economy each year from the Executive.
Speaking after the meeting, Foyle MLA Sinéad McLaughlin said:
“The current situation at Magee is deeply concerning and more serious than many people had understood. I recognise that the financial position facing the Executive is difficult, but it is alarming to hear student fees once again being suggested as a way to deal with the funding crisis in higher education and to support the expansion of Magee.
“Students are already under huge pressure from the cost of living and the uncertainty they face when they leave education. Loading more debt onto them cannot be the answer. The SDLP opposed any attempt to increase student fees last year and we will do so again.
“We have repeatedly been told that the expansion of Magee is a priority for the Economy Minister and a key part of tackling regional imbalance. The growth in student numbers in recent years is welcome and shows what can be achieved, but that progress cannot be used to hide the reality that there is still a very significant funding gap.
“In 2024-25 the Department spent £11.8 million on the Derry campus, which is more than was spent in the previous four years combined. While that investment is positive, it is a long way from the estimated £400 million required to fully deliver the expansion to 10,000 students. The scale of that gap raises serious questions about whether the level of ambition across the Executive matches the commitments that have been made. As the Permanent Secretary has set out, the Department will have £50 million less to spend on capital projects than it has today, which represents a real terms cut of almost 60%. That makes it even harder to see how this project will be delivered unless the Executive steps up with the funding required.
“The expansion of Magee is not just about buildings or student numbers. It is about giving young people in Derry and the wider North West the chance to study close to home. It is about training the next generation of doctors, nurses and skilled workers. It is about creating a region that is equipped to grow, attract investment and provide opportunity.
“If this project stalls because the necessary funding is not secured, the consequences will be felt for decades. The Executive must show the ambition needed to deliver Magee at scale and deliver it in full – we have already waited too long.”