By Innes Paton and Sanvee Rout
Staff received an email at 8pm on Thursday evening, by no means a usual time to receive such a message. However, its significance meant staff were waiting up for the message.
For the previous few months, tension has been building within staff circles at the prospect of the changes that will be inflicted on the university by the Adapting for Continued Success (ACS) programme. University of Aberdeen Court, one of the three governing bodies of the institution, came to a decision to approve the most recent set of proposals brought forth by ACS.
The final decision is to implement new SSRs, or student-to-staff ratios. These will be the way the university will guide staffing numbers going forward. STEM subjects have a target of 20 students per staff member, while SHAPE (humanities and social sciences) subjects have a target of 25 students. Staffing budgets will be adjusted for departments whose current staffing does not meet those ratios.
Up to 111 full-time equivalent academic roles could be eliminated, the university has announced.
Court has also approved proposals to transform the 12 faculties to four schools, as well as cutting courses that don’t meet a certain student threshold.
What is the context of the financial issues?
The Scottish Higher Education system means that the Scottish Government grants universities money per student. This funding has fallen by roughly 22% over the past five years (in real terms), with universities receiving only £7,530 per Scottish student per year. Due to the shortfall, universities heavily rely on international student fees to cover the deficit. When income decreased due to tighter UK visa rules and growing global competition, the financial model unravelled. A £40m government bailout was required for Dundee University. £140 million has been cut from Edinburgh’s budget. In the last three years, Aberdeen has dealt with its own version of this crisis.
According to the university, Aberdeen had a deficit of £8.5 million in July 2024. In 2025, a three-year recovery plan was implemented, with the aim of reaching break-even by 2028. A total of two rounds of voluntary severance have taken place in the past few months, and recruitment has largely been stopped throughout the university. By the time those earlier schemes were implemented, 41 people had already left the institution.
Will staff be forced to leave?
The decision on SSRs means that in the next few weeks, an Enhanced Retirement and Voluntary Severance Scheme will be open to academic staff. There will be ‘better-than-standard’ terms for those who wish to leave, and voluntary departures are expected to fill most of the gap. It will take into account the latest student enrolment figures when reviewing the numbers after the scheme closes in autumn.
The Court decision email described compulsory redundancies (CR) as a “last resort.” Staff have been striking over this very issue for the last few months, as Principal Pete Edwards has continuously refused to rule them out. A deal between Senior Management and the striking staff was recently ripped up by Principal Edwards which asked him to rule out CR for 6 months.
Are the university’s finances improving?
Interim Senior Governor Gary McRae and Principal Edwards shared the financial prospects of the university with staff in an email. It showed the university was forecasting a £4 million surplus for the 2026/27 financial year.
The university has been transparent about the fact that it does not reflect the whole picture. There are a number of factors contributing to the forecasted surplus for July 2026, including one-off savings and income that will not occur again next year. These include paused promotions and short-term cost-cutting measures that cannot be sustained. Still, there is a structural deficit.
What could this mean for students?
The university is yet to outline the direct effect that these cuts will have on current students. The staff have expressed concern for the student experience. Dan Cutts, UCU branch co-chair and a Teaching Fellow, expressed gratitude for the students that came out in solidarity with the staff, saying, “We care really deeply about our students.”
Jo-Anne Murray, Vice-Principal of Education, told students, “I want to assure you that these changes will not affect your ability to complete your studies.” Many critics have come forward claiming that cuts to academic staff will naturally affect the student experience.
What happens next?
From next week, academic staff can participate in the voluntary schemes. Meanwhile, Heads of School will receive the new financial resourcing model and begin local planning. Upon getting a better understanding of voluntary departures and incoming student numbers, Senior Management will make further decisions.
How have staff responded?
A few hours after the Court sent its late-night e-mail, staff messages began to circulate. According to an anonymous account, many are likely frustrated not just by the decision itself, but by how and who made it:
“Cowardly stuff from the external members of court. These guys show up five times a year, drink whatever rubbish management serves them, vote to destroy the university and leave without talking to any members of staff or students. They have no understanding of the circumstances on the ground, and listen to nothing. I’m told about 60 members of staff wrote lengthy emails outlining the issues with the plans and it made no difference.
“These cowards won’t show up to take responsibility when management take the stage at the Town Hall, they will note their ‘regret’ at having to take ‘difficult’ decisions, but they will pass the blame to the court decision, and the external court members will be nowhere to be seen, ignorant of the devastation their decision.
“Just in case people don’t know, the external members are: Lesley Birse, Neil Calvert, Ewan Cameron, Dónall Curtin, Ayten Hajiyeva, Luke Halliday, Fiona Islam, Caryn Miller, Lorenzo Moretti, Alison Rankin and Adaku Ufere, and the interim Senior Governor is Gary McRae. These are the people that have decided to cut your jobs.”
Another staff member, Economics lecturer Juergen Bracht, took to social media to express his grievances, saying, “I am deeply concerned about the proposed cuts and restructuring, including moving to four faculties. This should not be presented as a strategy for renewal. It looks like another way to manage decline.”
What is University Court?
University Court serves as its structural governing body. It is one of the three governing bodies in the institution. In addition to internal members, it also includes academic staff and student representatives. Nevertheless, a significant portion of Court members come from outside the university, usually from business, government, or another institution.
Many students and staff have written to the members of court to convey their perspective on the matter. Iona Fyfe, rector at the university, sits on Court. Many students have shared their grievances with Fyfe, with a student-led Maths Education group saying, “Your role as the only Court member elected by students places you in a unique position to ensure that our concerns are heard and taken seriously.”
What can staff and students do?
Students’ Union representatives have formal rights to participate in governance processes and the Student President sits on Court.
In an autumn review, decisions about the scale of compulsory redundancies required, if any, will be made. That decision is expected to have a profound impact.