Staff at Aberystwyth University are ‘devastated and angry’ following the announcement that 150 jobs are to be lost.

On Wednesday, the university announced plans to restructure in a bid to save £16 million, with the Vice Chancellor saying higher education is going through some ‘unprecedented challenges’.

Reacting, members of the Aberystwyth University UCU (University and College Union) said staff are devastated and angry by the announcement that over 150 jobs are to be lost.

The latest announcement follows the loss of more than 150 colleagues in the last 18 months in the previous round of restructuring.

In a statement, Aberystwyth UCU said: “Most of these cuts will fall on teaching and research staff. We estimate a quarter to a third of our academic staff will not be employed at the university by this time next year.

“Coming after previous rounds of job losses they represent a devastating blow to our university, our students and our community.

“According to official figures between 2014 and 2025 Aberystwyth University lost over 450 posts (200 non-academic, 250 academic).

“That excludes jobs lost last year and the ones announced today.

“This is part of a wider crisis in higher education.

“Welsh universities are facing significant deficits, making massive cuts and increasing numbers of job losses with official data showing a fall of around 640 staff in 2024/25 alone. Figures for this year will be even starker.”

UCU says the scale and speed of what is being proposed has shocked staff, adding: “Behind every job is a person, a family, and years of knowledge, expertise and commitment that help make Aberystwyth University what it is.

“We recognise the financial pressure that Aberystwyth University is under. Every year we are asked to do more with less.

“Those of us who will be left will no doubt work harder than ever to teach, research, shape and support the lives of young people from Wales and those far beyond it.

“These losses will not only affect those who leave. They will place far greater pressure on the already hard-pressed staff who remain and have real consequences for teaching, research and student experience and for our members welfare. We are concerned these losses are the ones that could break the camel’s back.”

Aberystwyth University said: “Following on from the ongoing review of non-academic departments, the next phase of the process will include a review of all academic units, including looking at portfolio and curriculum as well as resourcing.

“The aim will be to ensure that all areas remain in line with the needs of learners as they prepare for successful careers, as well as ensuring that departments remain well-placed to conduct world leading research while operating as efficiently as possible in order to achieve cost savings.

“While the proposed changes will ensure continued focus on student experience, they will also respond to significant financial challenges within the higher education sector. Projected to achieve significant reductions in running costs, the latest restructure phase is planned to save around £16m by the end of the 2027/28 academic year.

“The reviews of academic units will build upon the ongoing process of adopting an academic schools structure which will incorporate all current academic areas, as well as the ongoing restructure of non-academic departments.”

Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University, Professor Jon Timmis added: “The Higher Education sector is going through some unprecedented challenges – bringing about a necessity to adapt our institutions to very different circumstances.

“At Aberystwyth, we are focussed on maintaining our excellent student experience, while at the same time facing up to the fact that government regulated tuition fees now lag significantly behind the costs universities are paying to teach students.

“For some years, universities have attracted higher fee-paying international students as an important income stream, but recent changes in UK visa and immigration metrics have significantly impacted universities’ ability to recruit international students and consequently made domestic recruitment more competitive.

“Adapting universities to be financially sustainable cannot be achieved without some very difficult decisions. We will need to work through those tough choices as we proceed to restructure our University.

“Once restructured, we will employ fewer staff, which will help to ensure future sustainability of the university. These financial challenges are something the whole university sector is grappling with, and we must act to secure a prosperous future for our University and its wider community in our wonderful part of mid-Wales.

“We recognise the uncertainty this can bring and will provide support and seek to work with our trade unions. We are committed to trying to mitigate redundancies where possible and will be giving staff access to a voluntary severance scheme.”

Aberystwyth UCU said the cuts will have a wider impact on mid Wales, adding: “Aberystwyth University is one of the most important institutions in mid Wales contributing close to £200 million to the regional economy.

“The impact of these redundancies will be felt far beyond the campus, affecting the wider job market, local businesses and supply chains, public services, voluntary groups and the wider community.

“They will impoverish communities throughout the region, impacting Ceredigion’s schools and the Welsh language. Our town will be made less.

“We will work urgently to examine the proposals, fight to protect jobs and press for every possible alternative. We remain opposed to compulsory redundancies.

“Ultimately, this announcement exposes the fundamentally broken nature of the market model of higher education – precisely the failure we hope the Review of Higher Education in Wales will address. But that will not lessen the damage being done here, now.

“This announcement cannot be allowed to pass as ‘just another round of cuts’. Once jobs, expertise and subject areas are hollowed out, they are extraordinarily difficult to rebuild.

“The Welsh Government must act immediately to prevent further damage and help save jobs. Delay will only make the consequences more severe for our university, our community and the future of mid Wales.”

UCU Cymru, the national office of the trade union said it is horrified by this most recent announcement.

Peter Hill from the union added: “Should these plans be realised, the damage will not only be felt by staff but also learners, business and the wider community”.

“Having witnessed similar cuts across almost every Welsh university, it is clear that the Welsh higher education sector is in a state of crisis. Were this happening in any other strategic industry, people would justifiably demand immediate government intervention!”

“Ahead of the 2027/28 Wales Budget, we call upon government to act urgently to stabilise Welsh universities and avoid industrial action”.

The Welsh Government said: “The financial position of the higher education sector is extremely challenging and some universities, as autonomous institutions, may need to make difficult decisions to protect their financial sustainability.

“We recognise the concern that many Aberystwyth students and staff will be feeling, and we expect universities to work in social partnership on any restructuring plans.

“Our review of higher education is considering how the sector is funded and organised to secure a sustainable and successful system into the future. In the meantime, we are in regular dialogue with all of our universities via the sector’s regulator, Medr, and are committed to working with them as part of our ongoing HE review.”

The academic unit review will begin in February and will begin with schools currently under formation, before moving on to other departments.