The University of South Wales is expected this week to confirm plans to significantly reduce staffing numbers as well as scrapping some courses. The university, which has projected a £20m deficit in its current financial year, like many higher education institutions has been hit a fall off in higher fee paying international graduate and postgraduate students.
The latter cohort has been impacted in particular by visa rules preventing family members coming to join them while studying in the Ƶ.
The university, which also includes the Royal College of Music and Drama and has its main campus in Treforest, has already seen 100 academic and non-academic leave through a voluntary severance scheme initiated as part of plans to curb costs.
The university’s expected consultation on its plans with staff will follow on from a live process at which is proposing 400 job losses and the closing of some courses.
A source said of the university’s plans, said: “Academic job cuts are likely to be more than 4% with whole subjects being culled.”
A University of South Wales spokesperson said: “We have advised colleagues that a consultation will launch later this week regarding workforce implications of a review of our academic provision. Further information will be provided after the consultation starts and our staff and students have been spoken with directly.”
In the past the university has said it could not rule out compulsory redundancies.
It its last financial 2023/24 year, the University of South Wales had outstanding bank debt of £41m and £200m in investments, cash and cash equivalents. It employs just over 2,220, which included 1,257 in academic departments.
It has around 26,000 full time students.
