Nottingham University is facing continued disruption as staff strike in response to plans to cut courses and reduce jobs across multiple faculties. The industrial action, which began last week, follows the institution’s announcement to close three departments—modern foreign languages, American and Canadian studies, and music—and eliminate over 600 positions.
The university plans to phase out more than 40 academic programs, impacting faculties including medicine, chemistry, English, physics, and geography. Around 250 academics participated in strikes on the previous Wednesday and Thursday, and the University and College Union (UCU) has called for an indefinite cessation of teaching activities through December 11 or until a resolution is reached.
Nottingham University’s council held a meeting last Thursday to consider staff proposals aimed at limiting the scale of the cuts and to assess whether compulsory redundancies will be necessary. The university indicated the three at-risk departments will proceed with closure. Dr. Paul Smith, head of the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, argued that instead of full closure, the department could have been downscaled, similar to adjustments at the universities of Edinburgh and Cardiff. He noted staff had proposed reducing the teaching team from 50 to between 16 and 20 lecturers and offering broader, global modules instead of language-specific courses. Dr. Smith highlighted the decline in student numbers for languages but criticized the university’s approach as a complete dismantling of the department, which still enrolled 600 students last year.
Student reactions illustrate the tension caused by the dispute and cuts. Flora Charnock, an 18-year-old politics and international relations student, had her first seminar canceled just a week after starting her degree. Third-year criminology student Ellen Parker described ongoing cancellations and reduced teaching hours as undermining the value of her tuition fees, which exceed £9,000 annually.
The university’s financial difficulties stem from a combination of operational cost increases and falling student enrolment, particularly among international applicants affected by increased global competition and stricter visa regulations. Student numbers decreased from 37,890 in 2022-23 to 36,460 in 2024-25. Nottingham posted the largest deficit among 128 UK universities in 2024-25, totaling £76.8 million. Unions attribute part of this shortfall to the university’s unsuccessful development of the Castle Meadow campus, which was intended as a city centre enterprise hub but may be sold at a significant loss.
Nick Clare, an assistant professor in geography, criticized high-level management decisions as the root cause of the crisis, emphasizing that staff and students are suffering the consequences. The university responded by stating that current financial pressures, rather than past capital investments, are driving the need for job cuts and course closures.
Nottingham is now the only member of the Russell Group not offering modern language degrees to first-year students. This marks a significant shift for the institution, which once ranked eighth nationally and attracted students with academic credentials approaching those admitted to Oxbridge. The university currently ranks 24th, an improvement from last year’s 30th position.
Existing language students face an uncertain future amid the winding down of departments that have been part of Nottingham since the 19th century. One second-year student studying Chinese and Spanish described the situation as a “sinking ship,” concerned about limited staff support once they complete their degrees.
The ongoing strikes and course discontinuations highlight broader challenges facing UK universities balancing financial sustainability with academic provision amid changing student demographics and sector-wide pressures.