Sheffield University has 'no plans' to close departments or courses as it faces £50m financial shortfall

The comments come after it was revealed the university is facing a £50million financial shortfall over the next two years due to “sector-wide challenges”.

A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield told The Star the higher education provider had “no plans” to close any academic departments or courses, but stopped short of ruling out the cost-cutting measure.

It was said that, like all universities, the university regularly reviews its courses to ensure they are meeting student demand and makes routine changes from time to time on this basis.

On November 18, it was confirmed the university would be offering voluntary redundancy to both academic and professional services staff - following concerns from union members that the voluntary severance scheme (VSS) would fall hardest on back-of-office and support staff.

A spokesperson said in an earlier statement: “The University sector is facing unprecedented financial difficulties and we are committed to navigating these challenges responsibly and transparently.

“As part of a range of measures to address a financial shortfall, we have introduced a voluntary severance scheme in selected areas of the University.

“The sector-wide challenges mean we must remain flexible and agile to protect our excellent research and teaching, and we will be taking considered decisions to ensure the institution’s long-term sustainability and success.

"We recognise this is a difficult time for colleagues and are firmly committed to supporting our staff and working constructively with our trade unions throughout this period, whilst maintaining the high standards of academic excellence for which Sheffield is renowned.”

The university also said it had prioritised “non-staff reductions” first, which, when asked by The Star, include reviewing the university estate, pausing infrastructure projects and asking colleagues to minimise discretionary spend.

When asked, the university did not confirm or deny it was considering closing any university buildings.

The cost-cutting moves comes after it was revealed in September that the university attracted up to 2,200 fewer international students this year, or around seven per cent, and is now facing a £50m shortfall.

At the end of the 2023/24 academic year, the University of Sheffield announced the closure of the department of archaeology. The decision to close the department was ratified by the University Council in 2021 due to a “crisis” in student recruitment.

However, significant campaigning and outrage from archaeologists around the world led to a climbdown.

The closure was postponed to 2024 and it was agreed that all 11 members of staff on permanent contracts at the time would be retained, moving to other departments.