The union representing staff at Northern Ireland’s largest university has warned the “unprecedented” cut of up to 450 jobs would have “far-reaching, detrimental consequences for students, local communities, and the wider regional economy”.
“You cannot cut your way to excellence,” said Norman Hagan, chair of the Ulster University [UU] branch of the University and College Union (UCU).
“Removing 450 jobs risks hollowing out the very foundations that make this university viable, credible and capable of serving its students and the broader society.”
Staff at Ulster University were told of the potential job losses at an online meeting on Wednesday.
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It is understood UU needs to make cost savings of £25 million (€28.7 million), which it hopes to achieve through voluntary redundancies, but compulsory job losses cannot be ruled out.
A spokesperson for the university said redundancies in the higher education sector had become “unavoidable” and “regretfully, we must now act to reduce our costs”.
Ulster University employs about 3,100 people at campuses in Belfast, Derry and Coleraine, as well as at branches in England and Qatar.
The majority of the college’s 30,000 students are from Northern Ireland, though in recent years it has sought to increase numbers from south of the Border.
In 2024/25, it had 704 undergraduate new entrants from the Republic of Ireland.
It is not yet clear which parts of the university will be affected by the job losses. A 90-day consultation period will now take place between the university and trade unions.
In a statement, the university said that redundancies across the higher education (HE) sector have become “unavoidable”.
“To date, more than 100 institutions across the UK have downsized their staffing complement,” a spokesperson said.
“Ulster University has sought to hold off on making redundancies while continuing to work with the Department for the Economy, through their reviews, on possible changes to the HE funding model in Northern Ireland.
“It has recently been made clear to us that a sustainable funding model is not going to be forthcoming, and regretfully we must now act to reduce our costs.”
UCU’s Hagan said compulsory redundancies would be “strongly resisted” and the union’s members “deserve full transparency, genuine consultation, in line with legal obligations, as well as the opportunity to challenge the assumptions underpinning these decisions”.
“Any process that falls short of this will be robustly contested and our members will not be afraid to take action to challenge these decisions,” he said.
It was “not just about jobs; it is about protecting the integrity of higher education in Northern Ireland”, he added.
In 2025 Northern Ireland’s higher education sector, including UU, called for an above-inflation rise in university tuition fees, but this was rejected by the Minister for the Economy, Sinn Féin’s Caoimhe Archibald, who said that while she recognised the situation universities were in, she did not want to put “additional pressure” on students.
In a statement, the Department for the Economy said that, like all Stormont departments, its finances were “extremely challenging”.
“The Executive has repeatedly warned that its finances are unsustainable and urged the British government to ensure the Executive has a proper, sustainable funding model that allows for investment in transformation while delivering quality public services.
“This announcement by Ulster University is another example of the real-world consequences of those warnings not being heeded.”
The department said that despite a “very challenging budget”, it and the Minister had “worked to prioritise skills delivery through our further and higher education institutions and have engaged in good faith with Ulster University in relation to its budget.
“However, it is worth noting universities in England are facing similar, and in many cases, greater challenges and redundancies, despite charging students twice as much in tuition fees,” it said.
Other political parties on Wednesday said the potential job losses demonstrated the financial pressures facing the sector and called on the Minister to take action.
DUP MLA Philip Brett said it showed “a failure of leadership” and called for “urgent, decisive intervention ... to protect jobs, safeguard students and secure the future of higher education in Northern Ireland”.
Alliance MLA Kate Nicholl said it was “concerning” but “not entirely surprising” and she hoped “the Minister, even at this late stage, can work with colleagues at UU to find a resolution that avoids redundancies where possible, and to ensure further cuts are avoided in future”.
