A recent economic impact study is projecting that The University of the West Indies Cave Hill 
campus will contribute an estimated BDS $325 million to the local economy during the current academic year. 

The study was conducted by Professor of Economics, Winston Moore who presented his findings during a public lecture, entitled ‘Valuing the Impact of The UWI Cave Hill Campus’. It was the second installation in the campus’ ongoing Legacy Lecture Series to mark its 60th anniversary. 

Moore, who is also Deputy Principal of the campus, told the audience that the aim of the study was to evaluate the financial and economic returns that the government and people of the Caribbean gain from investing in The UWI.  

An examination of the economic base revealed that the total contribution of students was BBD $125 million for the 2022/2023 academic year, a slight reduction from the $131 million recorded in the previous year.    

An evaluation of the skills base, meanwhile, revealed that for the period under review the campus generated BBD $707 million in additional income from the 2022/2023 cohort of graduates, with $572 million accruing to Barbados.   

 Researchers adopted three approaches to measure the campus’s contribution to the economy: the economic base, which assessed the extent to which the university’s expenditure led to the creation of jobs and the generation of income and tax revenue; the skills-base approach, which accounts for the value of the additional skills generated by the university and the impact on students’ incomes; and the existence value, which is the value the institution provides to its community through supporting cultural and sporting events and other community-based activities.