Cardiff University plans to cut 400 jobs and courses.
2d884240-ddad-11ef-93a2-45736c5a96a4.jpg.webp
An exterior view of a Cardiff University building with students entering Alamy
The university has confirmed it is planning to cut hundreds of jobs and close some courses.
Cardiff University has confirmed plans to cut 400 full-time jobs due to a lack of funding.
The cost-cutting proposals could also include closing courses, as well as merging departments, with nursing, music and modern languages among the subjects facing cuts.
The Cardiff University and College Union (UCU) has branded the measures "cruel and unnecessary" and said it would fight the plans for compulsory furloughs.
The university said it would only make compulsory cuts "if absolutely necessary".
44d508e0-dda1-11ef-926a-cbf3c346618d.jpg.webp
Hundreds of university jobs threatened by lack of funding
Fall in foreign student visas worries UK universities
Vice-chancellor Professor Wendy Larner has defended the decision to cut jobs, saying the university will become "unsustainable" without drastic reforms. The job cuts are just a proposal, she said, but she insisted the university would have to "make difficult decisions" due to a drop in international student applications and mounting pressure on costs.
Professor Larner said the university was not alone in its financial difficulties, with most UK universities struggling with a "broken" funding system.
She admitted the news would be "difficult and upsetting" for staff, but added that all students currently graduating from the university would be able to complete their studies.
Dr Joey Whitfield of Cardiff UCU said they were "absolutely devastated" by the "cruel and unnecessary" cuts.
"I've had colleagues in tears. "They are damaging to our members, our students, the city and Wales as a whole," he added.
He said union members "are prepared to fight tooth and nail against any compulsory redundancy".
0lc7d5e820-ddad-11ef-93a2-45736c5a96a4.jpg.webp
Proposed job cuts "make me nervous for my future", say Cardiff University students
A Welsh Government spokesman said they were "very disappointed that nursing courses are part of these proposals" and were "working urgently" to ensure the same number of nurses are trained as in Wales.
They said they understood the "great concern" the announcement would cause.
"Universities across the UK are facing difficult financial times due to a range of factors and we expect all institutions to work with unions, staff and students on any proposals," they said. The Royal College of Nursing said the proposed closure of the nursing school "has the potential to threaten the pipeline of qualified nurses in Wales' largest health board".
Ruth Jones MP, chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, compared the job cuts to a "canary in a coal mine" for the severe financial pressures facing universities across the UK.
"It is not just academics and students who will suffer from these cuts, but the wider community of South Wales," added Ms Jones.
Conservative Senedd MP Natasha Asghar MS said she feared "these concerns will be echoed in our universities in Wales".
Plaid Cymru's education spokesman, Cefin Campbell MS, said the job losses would have a "devastating impact", damaging "Wales' reputation as a learning nation". Madison Hutchinson, president of Cardiff University's students' union, said she would "like to express our unwavering support for all students and solidarity with staff who may be affected".
"The university is committed to ensuring that all affected students will be informed tomorrow," she added.
Getty Images Cardiff University facadeGetty Images
Cardiff University is the largest university in Wales and is a member of the Russell Group.
Subjects and programmes being cut also include ancient history, religion and theology.
The university said the proposals would also include the following subject combinations:
Chemistry, Earth Science and Physics would join to create the School of Natural Sciences
Computer Science and Mathematics would join to become the School of Data Science
Social Science, Geography and Planning would join to become the School of Humanities and Social Sciences
English, Communication and Philosophy, Welsh and the remaining elements of History, Archaeology and Religion and Modern Languages would join to form the School of Global Humanities.
The consultations would last three months, with final approval of the plans to be considered by the University Council in June 2025.
Lloyd-Llewellyn Jones, Professor of Ancient History
Lloyd-Llewellyn Jones, Professor of Ancient History, said the announcement was "devastating".
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, 57, professor of ancient history at Cardiff University, said the news was "devastating" and "shocking". He said that "significant parts of our teaching" in the College of Humanities would be lost, with his department being "taught out, so it no longer exists."
"How are we going to continue trying to teach for years to come, with a sword of Damocles hanging over our heads?" he added.
Kristin Millward stands outside. She is wearing a brown leather jacket, a grey sweater, and a jade necklace. Criminology student Kristin Millward said she was concerned about the impact on staff and her course.
Kristin Milward, from London, is studying criminology and sociology and said the announcement was "terrifying." "My professor just told me he's not sure about his job security – even though I'm not part of the university courses that are going to be cut, it's really scary knowing that 'I could leave at any moment,'" she said.
"Don't wait to sign up, pay all this money and have this happen to you," she added.
The 20-year-old said her roommate is studying nursing and doesn't know what she's going to do next, but they're all worried about their future.
"Cardiff is a really great place to study, I really like it and it would be a shame if people couldn't stay here anymore," she said.
Students Gabriella Coviell (right) and Catherine Harris (left) pictured outside Cardiff University. Media and communications students Gabriella and Catherine say they are concerned about the quality of their teaching.
The university had previously said it needed to take action to plug a £30m black hole in its budget, with pressure from rising costs and falling international student numbers affecting the entire education sector.
A voluntary redundancy offer from June to September 2024 has been accepted and approved for 155 staff and a second round closed earlier this month The Welsh government has announced that university tuition fees will rise to £9,535 a year from September 2025, in line with the UK government's announced fee increases for English universities.
Cardiff University is the largest in Wales, with 32,725 students in 2023.
It is part of the Russell Group of 24 leading, research-intensive institutions, often considered the most elite in the country.
Analysis: Vanessa Clarke, BBC News Education Correspondent
Cardiff University is not alone - Newcastle University, the University of East Anglia and the University of Kent are just some of the institutions struggling to address their financial shortfalls.
Almost three-quarters of universities could spend more money than they take in next year - with a total forecast of £1.6 billion - according to England's higher education regulator. There are several reasons for the rise in black holes, including the fact that the number of international students is falling, partly due to changes in visa rules.
Tuition fees have been rising in England in September and in Wales for the past two years, but this comes after years of fee freezes.
Further fee increases remain uncertain, but even if tuition fees continue to rise, there are concerns that this will not be enough to prevent universities from falling into overdraft.
[attachment deleted by admin]