Professor Robin Pollard called the recommendation of a merger "naive" during his time in the vice-chancellor's role.

Lincoln University appears to have evaded a merger with another university.

Lincoln has battled falling enrolments and a decade of financial deficits prompting a request by Education Minister Chris Hipkins for expressions of interest from other universities.

It is understood three universities considered submitting, but their positions had shifted by Friday evening, sources with knowledge of the situation claimed.

A University of Canterbury spokeswoman said she could not comment on "rumours" while Massey University did not return a request for comment.

READ MORE:

* Lincoln University rejects merger proposal

* Lincoln premature in dismissing merger talks

* Lincoln University's path out of financial turmoil

A source said a Cabinet announcement regarding the "direction of a large scale change" for Lincoln is expected as soon as early next week.

However, Hipkins' office said he was "not planning any announcement" and declined to answer further questions.

When contacted, a Lincoln University spokesperson also declined to comment.

Stuff understands vice-chancellors have rallied behind Lincoln, expressing a strong belief that the institution should be in charge of its own future.

GRANT MATTHEW/STUFF Education Minister Chris Hipkins declined to answer Stuff's questions.

Several sources said Lincoln was not underperforming academically, nor was it in enough financial trouble, to merit disestablishment.

Vice-chancellor Professor James McWha recently disclosed to some university staff the possibility of integration with another institution.

One source described the proposal, as it stood then, as an "umbrella operation", in which the university would retain its campus and academic programmes.

STUFF The future of Lincoln University is uncertain after call for expressions of interest from other universities, sources have claimed.

The university reported a $17 million surplus in 2016 after a decade of deficits. The surplus dropped to $7.5m in its 2017 annual report.

An independent report, jointly commissioned by Lincoln and the Tertiary Education Commission in February 2016 and released in June last year, said merging with another institution presented "the lowest risk and highest reward" for the university.

Auditors EY advised steps towards a merger should be made, even if Lincoln did not intend to follow through.

SUPPLIED Lincoln University vice-chancellor Professor James McWha is understood to have told some staff that integration into another university was possible.

"In moving to undertake analysis of an integration now, Lincoln maintains a high degree of control over its own destiny, while exploring structures that will ensure the things that are important to it over the long term can be maintained, or even enhanced," the report said.

Lincoln's vice-chancellor at the time, Professor Robin Pollard, called the idea of a merger "naive".

He said EY's report assumed small universities were not financially viable, and that Lincoln had a promising future by specialising in primary industries.

Pollard resigned the vice-chancellor's role in March. He is now a special projects adviser at Lincoln University.