The University of Aberdeen's governing body has approved a $13.5 million cost-cutting plan that could eliminate up to 111 full-time academic posts before 2027, as the institution battles a structural financial deficit.
The University Court confirmed the decision in an email sent to staff on May 28, 2026, signed by Interim Senior Governor Gary McRae and Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Edwards.
The communication stated that the court's decision was focused on reducing costs rather than targeting a specific number of workforce reductions, adding that "the university and the rest of the sector face stark" financial challenges, according to Times Higher Education.
Future staffing budgets will be guided by indicative student-to-staff ratios (SSRs) of 20:1 for STEM disciplines and 25:1 for SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts) subjects. University chiefs clarified that these ratios will inform spending decisions and will not be identically replicated across all disciplines.
As part of the broader restructuring, the Court also approved plans to consolidate the university's 12 existing schools into four faculties: the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, the Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences.
The new structure is set to take effect on Aug. 1, 2026, pending final approval at the Court's Jun. 24 meeting. Postgraduate programs consistently enrolling fewer than six students will also be discontinued.
The university plans to launch a voluntary severance and early retirement program the week following the court decision, though it acknowledged compulsory redundancies could not be completely ruled out as a last resort.
An earlier round of voluntary severance in 2024–2025 saw 41 staff accept packages, and approximately 443 permanent positions have been eliminated over the past two years, primarily through voluntary exits.
The university said it expects to record a $5.4 million surplus by the end of the current financial year but cautioned that a large portion of this comes from one-time savings and income that cannot be expected to recur, which it said, "obscures the underlying structural deficit." It faces a projected $16.1 million shortfall over the next two years and must break even by 2027–2028, Yahoo News reported.
The announcement follows more than 14 days of strike action by members of the University and College Union (UCU) this term, spanning March and April 2026.
UCU members voted 83% in favor of strikes on a 60% turnout, with demands centered on ruling out compulsory redundancies, restoring frozen academic promotions, and securing transparent consultation on the university's "Adapting for Continued Success" program. The union said management's refusal to suspend the threat of compulsory redundancies made further industrial action unavoidable.
The University of Aberdeen, founded in 1495, is one of several Scottish universities grappling with financial strain driven by stagnant domestic tuition fees, declining international student enrollment following UK visa restrictions, rising National Insurance contributions, and inflationary pressures.
The number of affected jobs was previously estimated at up to 200 before the court confirmed the revised figure of up to 111, as per Academic Jobs.
Originally published on University Herald
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