University aims to save money with job cuts

A university has launched a voluntary severance scheme as part of an attempt to reduce its staffing bill by millions of pounds, the BBC understands.

Anglia Ruskin University, which has campuses in Chelmsford, Cambridge and Peterborough, has a staffing bill of about £150m and is aiming to reduce its labour costs by 10%.

Dr John Hogan, president of the University and College Union (UCU) branch at ARU, said he believed it was because of problems attracting foreign students after changes to immigration rules.

Anglia Ruskin said, like other English universities, it was "facing a number of significant financial challenges" and must manage its expenditure carefully to protect its long-term future.

"As part of that work, we have introduced a voluntary severance scheme," a spokesman said.

"Taking action now will ensure we can continue to deliver high-quality education and research across all our campuses."

According to the university's latest annual report from 2024-25, its staffing bill totalled almost £159m.

It employed 1,410 academic staff in the same period, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

A staff member, who wished to remain anonymous, said colleagues were told of the university's intentions at a meeting earlier this week.

They told the BBC they did not believe the staffing cuts were because of financial mismanagement, but because of a struggle to recruit international students.

In January 2024, the government banned most international students from bringing their families to live with them in the UK.

Home Office data published this week showed the number of student visa applications fell by 20% in the year to October.

Hogan, a senior lecturer at the Cambridge campus, confirmed the UCU was aware of the university's plans to cut staffing expenditure.

The union had not yet received the relevant details of the university's finances, he added.

Other universities in the East of England have taken similar measures.

The University of Essex closed its Southend-on-Sea campus in August because of financial pressures, with 400 jobs being cut across the institution, which is primarily in Colchester.

Jobs have also been cut at the University of East Anglia in Norwich and the University of Northampton over the past few years.

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