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Cardiff University to axe 400 academic staff and close its music course

Wales’s largest university has said it will run out of money in four years if it doesn’t make cuts.

Chris Sharratt
3 min read

Cardiff University has announced plans to cut 400 academic staff jobs and close a number of courses entirely, including music.

The cuts, which have been described as a “betrayal” and “a gross dereliction of duty” in a petition launched online, represent around 7% of the Russell Group university’s total academic staff.

Cardiff University’s vice-chancellor, Professor Wendy Larner, said the university’s financial situation means it “is no longer an option for us to continue as we are”.

According to a Guardian report, a slide shown at staff meetings earlier this week said the university had an operating deficit of £31.2m in 2023/24, and that it would “run out of cash in four years” if it carried on as it was.

It is not yet clear when any cuts will take place or what will happen to students on affected courses, which also include ancient history, modern languages and translation, nursing, and religion and theology.

Other cost-cutting proposals include increasing student-to-staff ratios and merging schools where there are “complementary” disciplines.

Consultation period

The university has said there will be a 90-day consultation period and has not ruled out compulsory redundancies.

Larner added: “We have worked diligently to create initial proposals for a slightly smaller university, refocused around our core and emerging strengths: a university ready to leverage new academic opportunities, prepare students for an adapting world and meet changing market demands as they arise.

“I know that these proposals impact some staff more than others and they will cause a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety for those potentially impacted.”

The University and College Union (UCU) has described the proposals as “cruel”.

UCU official Gareth Lloyd added: “While Cardiff’s senior management have questions to answer, these announcements cannot be removed from the wider context of a higher education funding crisis.”

He called on the Welsh government to use its 2025/26 budget “to stabilise the sector”.

‘Short-sighted betrayal’

Launching an online petition musician Llion Huw Williams described the proposals as “a gross dereliction of duty and a deeply short-sighted betrayal of Wales’s rich musical heritage”.

He added: “By abandoning a key cultural course such as music, Cardiff University is risking its own reputation as a leader in higher education and as a progressive institution. 

“To discard such a cornerstone of our cultural identity is an act of cultural vandalism.”

Williams has launched a petition to ‘Save Welsh Music’, which at the time of writing had nearly 1,500 signatures.

He continued: “By eliminating the only dedicated music degree course in Cardiff, the university is effectively forcing aspiring musicians to seek their education elsewhere, likely in England.

“This not only undermines the aspirations of countless talented young people but also weakens Wales’s capacity to produce world-class musicians and contribute to the global music scene.

“By cutting the music degree [course], Cardiff University risks undermining the future contribution of Welsh musicians and artists to both the local and national economy.”

Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for education, said the job cuts at Wales’s biggest university “will have a devastating impact and damage Wales’s reputation as a nation of learning”.