University of Suffolk proposes staff redundancies

A university has proposed to cut some of its workforce as it looks to make £3.5m in savings.

The University of Suffolk said like other universities it was "under considerable financial pressure" due to reasons including rising costs and the tightening of visa rules around overseas students.

A spokesperson said a consultation had begun on proposals to restructure its academic schools and the way administrative support was provided.

It comes after the site in Ipswich was awarded University of the Year in the 2025 Whatuni Student Choice Awards on Wednesday.

The university said it was considering "the non-replacement of a number of vacant posts", as well as a "potential net reduction of around 35 occupied posts".

The initial consultation process would run until late June.

"Like most universities, the University of Suffolk is under considerable financial pressure due to the real-terms fall in the value of the UK student tuition fee, the tightening of overseas visa rules and rising costs, including the recent National Insurance increase," the spokesperson said.

"We also face an increasingly competitive student recruitment environment.

"While we have an ongoing programme to maximise efficiency savings and digital transformation, we still need to take immediate action to reduce our costs by £3.5 million.

"The university is proposing to make structural and workforce changes both to reduce costs and to create a scalable and sustainable organisation that can thrive for the future."

The spokesperson added that the university remained "committed to providing a high quality and maintaining our positive student experience".

The University and College Union's regional support official, Michael Kyriacou, said the announcement left it "disappointed".

"As a union we stand against any measures that negatively impact on our working conditions and student learning conditions," he said.

"We expect management to work with us to take compulsory redundancies off the table and produce a secure and stable vision for the future for the university that protects our members and students."

The university's Students' Union echoed its concerns.

"It is very disappointing to hear that the sector-wide financial issues are now being felt locally," a spokesperson said.

"In the Students' Union we will continue to make sure that the student voice is heard by the university, and that any impact on the student experience here is minimised."

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