Three more UK universities have confirmed they are not taking subscriptions to Elsevier journals, with one Russell Group institution hitting out at the “financially unsustainable” terms of the nationally agreed deal. “Unfortunately, the Elsevier deal continues to be financially unsustainable and we will not be in a position to subscribe to this deal,” it explained. Lancaster University and the University of Surrey have also confirmed it will not sign another deal with Elsevier, joining the universities of Essex, Kent and Sussex among those walking away from direct access to the imprint’s 2,800 journals. Sheffield and Surrey were among three UK universities to terminate their previous deal with Elsevier at the start of 2025. Most UK universities have yet to declare whether they are taking up the Jisc-negotiated Elsevier deal, with the 2023-25 agreement extended for a month until the end of January to allow for further talks.

Source: The Times January 28, 2026 13:11 UTC