Nearly seven centuries after the heads of medieval European universities from Oxford to Padua were forced to close during the Black Death and oversee a drop in the quantity and quality of scholarship that lasted for decades, their successors will hope that any potential parallels with the coronavirus crisis will be limited.

For now, academics at hundreds of higher education institutions across the world are focused on responding to the short-term disruption caused by the pandemic in maintaining staff and student welfare, shutting down campuses and adapting to teaching and exams conducted online.

But many fear a broader upheaval, restructuring and even closures — something that critics have long anticipated. The economic and social impact of the pandemic are accelerating changes to admissions, income and working practices which are set to transform the shape of higher education in all aspects — from how it is funded to how lessons are taught.