Ulster University to cut up to 450 jobs

Ulster University is set to make up to 450 staff redundant.

Staff were informed of the potential job cuts at a meeting held by the vice-chancellor, Prof Paul Bartholomew, on Wednesday.

Staff were told that the university hoped to achieve the job cuts through voluntary redundancies, but compulsory redundancies could not be ruled out. The university currently employs about 3,100 staff.

An Ulster University (UU) spokesperson said that "redundancies across the higher education sector have become unavoidable".

One staff member who contacted BBC news NI called the news "devastating."

Staff were told that the university needed to make savings of about £25m.

The university's most recent accounts for 2025 recorded income of £304m but an operating deficit of £20.2m.

It is not yet clear which areas of the university, which has campuses in Belfast, Londonderry and Coleraine as well as a campus in Qatar, will be affected.

Consultation will, however, have to take place with unions representing staff regarding any redundancy process.

The university has previously announced plans to expand its Magee campus in Derry to 10,000 students but a senior civil servant recently questioned whether funding for that expansion was in place.

In a statement to BBC News NI, a UU spokesperson said: "Ulster University has sought to hold off on making redundancies while continuing to work with the Department for the Economy, through their reviews, on possible changes to the HE funding model in Northern Ireland.

"It has recently been made clear to us that a sustainable funding model is not going to be forthcoming, and regretfully we must now act to reduce our costs."

In 2025, the five universities and university colleges in Northern Ireland called for tuition fees to rise by more than £1,000 a year.

But was ruled out by the Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald.

The Chair of the UU branch of the UCU, which represents a large number of staff employed by the university, said the cuts represent "a direct threat to the quality of education" students receive.

Norman Hagan described the announcement as "deeply alarming and unsustainable".

"Removing hundreds of staff will fundamentally damage the student experience and weaken academic provision," he said.

Hagan argued that decisions of this magnitude "if forced through would have far-reaching detrimental consequences for students, local communities, and the wider regional economy."

He added that the union will "strongly resist" compulsory redundancies.

"Our members deserve full transparency, genuine consultation, in line with legal obligations, as well as the opportunity to challenge the assumptions underpinning these decisions.

"Any process that falls short of this will be robustly contested and our members will not be afraid to take action to challenge these decisions.

"We will not stand idly by and let our university flounder through government or university neglect," he said.

Emma Campbell, UU lecturer and member of the University and College Union (UCU) said: "We are all just devastated there is so much fear and anxiety across all of the campuses."

Campbell explained that staff and members were told about the announcement, but there "wasn't a lot of detail, it wasn't really a meeting, there was no right of reply for anyone there so it has been a difficult day".

She said the decision "completely undermines everything that the staff has given" to the university.

Aisling O'Beirn, staff and committee member of the UCU said she was "utterly devastated".

"It will restrict peoples access to education which is so important in a post-conflict society, the role higher education plays here is hugely important."

"There are a lot of questions but we haven't had a lot of information yet."