Scotland’s universities are hitting a crunch point with their finances, forcing job losses on a scale seen from major factory closures and raising questions about whether they can all survive. Dundee University is cutting 632 full-time jobs – a fifth of its workforce – as it tries to tackle a £35m deficit, and its underlying financial position looks even worse. The University of Edinburgh is looking to make £140m of cuts over the next 18 months. Aberdeen University has also cut staff through voluntary redundancy programmes, while Robert Gordon University has put 135 roles “at risk”, which usually means they will go. It’s suggested that more than 80 universities across the UK face deficits of between £10m and £50m, with Durham and Cardiff planning significant spending cuts. When the Scottish Funding Council publishes its delayed annual assessment of the sector, it’s expected to say that more than half of Scotland’s institutions are running a deficit.
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