Dundee University is facing a major financial crisis, with up to 700 jobs at risk as it tries to tackle a £35 million deficit.
The university’s initial plan to cut 632 full-time equivalent posts—about 20% of its workforce—sparked alarm among staff, unions, and government officials.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth has called the scale of potential job losses “not palatable,” and the Scottish Government has already provided £22 million in emergency funding.
An external taskforce is being set up to help the university find ways to reduce the number of redundancies and explore alternative cost-saving measures.
The cuts could affect most academic and professional areas, except for medicine, dentistry, nursing, and education.
Unions warn of a “catastrophic” impact on the university and the local economy. Both the government and university leaders are urgently seeking solutions to minimize job losses, with further announcements expected soon.
Gilruth said: “I don’t think any job losses would be acceptable to ministers, but we have to be pragmatic here about the challenges facing the institution, and they are significant.”
Dundee University is working quickly with government support to reduce the number of job losses as it faces a severe financial shortfall, with all parties aiming to protect as many jobs and courses as possible.
