University of Aberdeen facing £12m financial gap over next two years

The University of Aberdeen is facing a financial gap of £12 million over the next two years – and must either make savings or generate additional income to tackle this.

In an email sent to staff today, seen by STV News, the university revealed the extent of its financial challenges as it battles a multi-million-pound deficit.

41 staff members left the institution as part of cost-saving measures last year, but the university continues to tackle a deficit of more than £4m.

Today, the university told staff it must break even by 2027/2028 and, alongside inflationary costs, it must deliver savings and/or generate additional income of £12m over the next two years.

Proposals will be presented at the next university court meeting, including applying a ten-student minimum to all undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

It will also look at the possibility of a Student:Staff Ratio of 20:1 for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) and 25:1 for SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts and People and the Economy).

Other proposals include moving to a four-faculty model and immediately stopping recruitment to postgraduate programmes that have consistently recruited fewer than six students.

The University of Aberdeen emphasised that no final decisions have been made on these proposals and that it will be reviewed at the next court meeting in April.

This comes as the Universities and Colleges Union at the institution is set to take strike action next month in a dispute over cuts.

The institution will take action on the 12th, 13th, 17th and 18th of March.

The union is urging the university to rule out compulsory redundancies.

A University of Aberdeen spokesperson said: “The University is exploring a range of measures to help tackle its deficit, make it more resilient and create capacity for investment and growth.

“We’re consulting with staff and campus trade unions ahead of any decisions being taken by our University Court in April.”