University budget cuts: Necessary or narrow-minded?

Job cuts are becoming an increasing threat to university staff. Recently, many universities, including Russell Group members Cardiff and Durham, have been making large numbers of staff redundant. The axing of courses has become more common, giving a new voice to the well-established discussion and debate about which degrees are considered sufficiently worthwhile or ‘vocational’ enough to prevent them from being cut.

These money-saving methods by universities include Cardiff University’s plan to cut 400 full-time jobs and potential course closures, Durham University’s plan to axe 200 jobs as part of its £10 million cuts for this academic year alone, and the 36 staff facing the risk of redundancy at the University of Sheffield International College (USIC), with Study Group (a private operator) citing a decrease in student numbers.

The axing of courses has the potential to discourage both home and international students from attending universities

The cuts call into question the purpose of higher education. The ultimate goal of higher education should be to provide opportunities for students both within and beyond the scope of education, and government initiatives should aim to promote better educational services wherever they can – this was even central to Labour’s recent general election campaign. Instead, by targeting higher education in money-saving efforts, these budget cuts are a controversial strategy and which could lead to negative repercussions as educational opportunities are discouraged as a result.

From an economic standpoint, the reliance of the British economy on higher education, and particularly on the disproportionately high fees paid by international students, is risky. The axing of courses has the potential to discourage both home and international students from attending universities which do not offer the course they wish to study, potentially leading to a decline in students enrolling and thus paying student fees.

There is also a risk that a decline in rates of higher education would disproportionately affect arts-based and humanities degrees. This is owing to the not necessarily widespread, but certainly palpable, disparity in the perceived value of such creative degrees in comparison to STEM-based subjects. To some, there is certainly an implied hierarchy that places a Bachelor of Science higher than a Bachelor of Arts. The cost-cutting proposals could also involve course closures, as well as department mergers, with nursing, music, and modern languages amongst the subjects which are facing cuts.

However, there is a strong argument that these budget cuts are indeed necessary and inevitable for the survival of such institutions. Universities are facing multi-million-pound financial deficits, partially due to the decrease in the numbers of international students who pay increased fees compared to home students, which itself is in part due to changes in visa rules.

These cuts would no doubt lead to a decrease in the quality of education and pastoral support provided to students

The financial struggles of universities may come as a surprise, since tuition fees were increased in England in September and have been increased for the past two years in Wales. However, previously fees have been frozen for years. The extent of these financial deficits points to further fee increases in future, although this remains uncertain. However, for some universities, such fee increases may not be sufficient to prevent them from ‘falling into their overdrafts’.  

A spokesperson from The University and College Union (UCU) outlined the dangers of cutting staff costs, claiming that this “will result in a diminished student experience…in a context where workload is already a significant cause for concern.” Indeed, these cuts would no doubt lead to a decrease in the quality of education and pastoral support provided to students by universities, owing to an increase in workload for some, if not all, staff members.

These budget cuts also lead to the possibility of strikes by university staff. Already, staff at the USIC have voted in favour of striking in retaliation against proposed job cuts. 

Therefore, these budget cuts are almost certain to negatively impact university life and the quality of higher education that such institutions can provide. Nevertheless, the necessity of such measures is apparent in the face of the financial struggles of universities, and it is difficult to see how else institutions could solve this problem.