The University of Aberdeen’s governing body, the University Court, has formally approved a comprehensive three-year financial plan that includes significant structural changes, marking a pivotal moment for the historic institution. The decision, made on 24 June 2026, will see the university transition from its current 12 academic schools into a streamlined model of four faculties.
This academic restructuring forms a core component of the university’s “Adapting for Continued Success” (ACS) programme. The shift to four faculties, which will commence on 1 August 2026 and be completed by 1 August 2027, is intended to enhance operational efficiency and improve governance.
The approved financial plan incorporates a £10 million savings strategy that was agreed by the Court last month. This cost-cutting measure could lead to the loss of up to 111 academic positions, though the university has indicated a preference for voluntary redundancies.
Despite this, according to the University and College Union (UCU), the implementation of the new four faculty structure entails the creation of four new highly-remunerated senior management positions.
While the university is forecasting a £4 million surplus for the current financial year (2025/26), this positive outlook is largely attributed to “one-off” income and savings that are not expected to recur. The underlying financial pressures persist, necessitating the adopted measures. The ultimate goal of the financial plan is to achieve a break-even position by 2028, with a modest surplus targeted for 2029.
The new faculty structure will encompass:
- Arts and Humanities
- Business, Law and Social Sciences
- Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
- Science and Engineering
The university stated that “The new structure will better enable us to improve performance, increase efficiencies, remove duplication, bring more agility to decision making and increase consistency to our processes and governance. We will now begin work to deliver these commitments.” It highlighted that the previous 12-school structure posed challenges due to “operational inconsistencies, a flat structure, varying deficits and structural barriers which impedes collaboration and innovation.”
Principal Peter Edwards commented on the university’s strategic direction, stating: “We are navigating a period of significant challenge and like other universities we are evolving to be more resilient and relevant. Refining our academic structure will give us greater agility in how we respond to change ensuring we continue to deliver for our students, our communities and the wider world.”
The UCU has expressed strong opposition to the restructuring, describing it as “deeply disappointing”, and angrily commented that the institution’s governance processes are “fundamentally broken” after the restructuring was voted down by the senate earlier this month.
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Dan Cutts, Aberdeen co-chair of the UCU, criticised the decision, commenting: “These changes will result in the creation of four additional senior management posts while jobs remain at risk. Staff will rightly question the priorities of a leadership team that can find resources for further managerial expansion while pursuing a programme of cuts that threatens livelihoods across the university.”
Cutts further contended that “AUCU believes this decision demonstrates that the university’s governance processes are fundamentally broken,” citing a “profound crisis of confidence” and indicating that the union intends to continue challenging the plans.
The impact of these changes on specific courses is yet to be fully determined, although the university has already paused recruitment for certain postgraduate taught programmes with historically low student numbers.
