Zarah ChoudharyCardiff University has announced plans to cut approximately 400 academic positions, equivalent to 7% of its total workforce, and may use compulsory redundancies if necessary.
Durham University has similarly announced its intention to reduce staff costs by £10m in professional services staff in the academic year 2024-25, with a further £10m reduction proposed for 2025-26, split equally between professional services and academic staff costs.
In the current academic year, this could result in approximately 200 professional services staff posts being affected.
Cardiff University also intends to discontinue subjects and programmes in Ancient History, Modern Languages and Translation, Music, Nursing, and Religion and Theology.
It plans to increase student-to-staff ratios across the university while revising approaches to learning, teaching, and assessment and simplifying bureaucratic processes.
Professor Wendy Larner, vice-chancellor at Cardiff University, said: “The precarious financial position of many universities, particularly in the context of declining international student applications and increasing cost pressures, and the need to adapt to survive are well documented.
“We know here at Cardiff University that it is no longer an option for us to continue as we are.
“Our new strategy, co-created with our community, lays out an ambitious future for our University where it is collaborative, innovative, and delivering value for Cardiff, Wales and the wider world.
“Securing that future, in the context of tightening finances, means we need to take difficult decisions to realise our ambitions to enhance our education and research, and improve the staff and student experience.
“We have worked diligently to create initial proposals for a slightly smaller University, refocused around our core and emerging strengths – a University ready to leverage new academic opportunities, prepare students for an adapting world and meet changing market demands as they arise.
“At the same time as putting forward these proposals to reshape our current activities, we will be working on a new model for flexible lifelong learning, new opportunities in transnational education, and new approaches to learning and teaching.
“Our proposals aim to create a more focused, higher quality research environment for staff and students that is world-leading with cynefin, place and co-creation at its heart.
“We also want to ensure a consistently excellent education experience for students of all backgrounds and experiences.
“I want to stress that these are proposals and our final plans will be shaped by our community – both internal and external – through formal consultation.
“The scale of the challenge will remain, but the way that we address it will certainly be refined and developed over the next 90 days.”
Professor Larner added: “I know that these proposals impact some staff more than others and they will cause a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety for those potentially impacted.
“We have done everything that we can to avoid reaching this position, but ultimately we know that annual rounds of cuts demoralise our staff, affect our students, and limit our ability to retain and grow new partnerships with our community here in the UK and elsewhere.
“We need to act now to ensure that we are able to deliver on the aspirations of our new strategy and have a viable university for the future.
“These academically-led proposals aim to reverse our deficit trend and create headroom for new revenue-generating activities to be established.”
The consultation will run for three months, with final plans expected to be considered by the University Council in June 2025.
Durham University confirmed that efforts would be made to secure cost savings through voluntary means, including a voluntary severance package.
However, it stated that if these savings cannot be achieved voluntarily, compulsory measures cannot be ruled out.
The university said it prioritised education, research, frontline student support, and its capability for ongoing income generation.
The proposals were shared with recognised campus trade unions, and formal consultation has begun.
A voluntary severance scheme for professional services staff will open on 17th February 2025, and will be available to all professional services staff.
A similar scheme for academic staff will also be open, with further details expected in early February.
Professor Karen O’Brien, vice-chancellor at Durham University, said: “Durham University remains a world-leading university, and our achievements in research and education are made possible by the talent, work, and dedication of our staff.
“However, we cannot fulfil our aims of remaining a world-class centre of research and education without a firmly established and sustainable financial base.
“We appreciate today’s announcement will be concerning to staff.
“We are committed to working with our recognised trade unions and our staff in an open, transparent, and timely way to achieve the savings required.”
Mike Short, head of education at UNISON union, said: “Universities, like other public services, were starved of cash under the previous Conservative Governments.
“Persistent underfunding has left many institutions in financial crisis, but essential support staff shouldn’t be bearing the brunt of budget woes.
“This is already an anxious time for students.
“Announcing job cuts just as the applications process for 2025 closes is not a good look for universities.
“Cutting staff numbers is a false economy, harming the higher education experience for thousands of students who will lose their safety, security and support.
“The government must provide long-term, sustainable funding in response to the crisis in higher education.”
