150 jobs at risk as Aberystwyth University announces £16m cuts

Up to 150 jobs are feared at risk under a £16m savings plan announced by Aberystwyth University.

Announcing the cuts Aberystwyth University vice-chancellor Professor Jon Timmis said his institution was grappling with financial challenges with rising costs and falling income, including a decline in higher-paying international students.

The UCU union said staff are "devastated" as it estimated 150 jobs will go under plans to make the savings by the end of the 2027-28 academic year. The university, which employs 1,819 staff, did not dispute the possible job loss figures from the UCU.

It said a further "restructure of the institution" will include a review of all academic units, including the curriculum, as well as the ongoing restructure of non-academic departments. Staff will be offered a voluntary severance scheme. Ensure our latest news and sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings

The announcement follow years of deep cuts across higher education in Wales with hundreds of jobs lost amd degree courses and departments shut. Earlier this month Universities Wales released figures showing a combined £130m financial black hole with deficits ballooning more than £54m despite years of cuts at institutions across across Wales.

Prof Timmis, who became the university's vice-chancellor in 2024, blamed external forces leading to cuts of £16m needed by the end of the 2027-28 academic year.

He said: “The higher education sector is going through some unprecedented challenges – bringing about a necessity to adapt our institutions to very different circumstances.

“At Aberystwyth we are focused on maintaining our excellent student experience while at the same time facing up to the fact that government regulated tuition fees now lag significantly behind the costs universities are paying to teach students.

“For some years universities have attracted higher fee-paying international students as an important income stream, but recent changes in UK visa and immigration metrics have significantly impacted universities’ ability to recruit international students and consequently made domestic recruitment more competitive.

“Adapting universities to be financially sustainable cannot be achieved without some very difficult decisions. We will need to work through those tough choices as we proceed to restructure our university.

“Once restructured we will employ fewer staff, which will help to ensure future sustainability of the university.

"These financial challenges are something the whole university sector is grappling with, and we must act to secure a prosperous future for our university and its wider community in our wonderful part of mid Wales.

“We recognise the uncertainty this can bring and will provide support and seek to work with our trade unions. We are committed to trying to mitigate redundancies where possible and will be giving staff access to a voluntary severance scheme.”

In a statement the Aberysywyth branch of the UCU said: "We are devastated and angry by the announcement that over 150 jobs are to be lost at Aberystwyth University. This follows the loss of more than 150 colleagues in the last 18 months in the previous round of restructuring.

"Most of these cuts will fall on teaching and research staff. We estimate a quarter to a third of our academic staff will not be employed at the university by this time next year. Coming after previous rounds of job losses they represent a devastating blow to our university, our students, and our community."

The union said official figures show that between 2014 and 2025 Aberystwyth University lost more than 450 posts (200 non-academic, 250 academic) as it predicted further cuts at other institutions.

"Aberystwyth University is one of the most important institutions in mid Wales contributing close to £200m to the regional economy. The impact of these redundancies will be felt far beyond the campus, affecting the wider job market, local businesses and supply chains, public services, voluntary groups and the wider community," the UCU added.

"They will impoverish communities throughout the region, impacting Ceredigion’s schools and the Welsh language. Our town will be made less."

Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice.

Choose Wales Online as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.