Universities face 'substantial' funding cuts amid budget delay
0 / 27
English
中文
Both Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University are expected to have financial deficits in 2025/26 Northern Ireland's universities are facing a "substantial" cut of £21m in the Stormont funding they receive to teach students.
（暂无翻译）
The top official at the Department for the Economy (DfE), Ian Snowden, said the universities were facing a reduction of 6% on the opening funding they received in 2024/25.
（暂无翻译）
The potential cuts come as the Northern Ireland Executive remains seven months into the financial year without a budget.
（暂无翻译）
Snowden said both Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Ulster University (UU) are expected to have financial deficits in 2025/26.
（暂无翻译）
With no agreed budget for 2025/26, Stormont departments have been operating under contingency arrangements allowing them to spend up to 95% of last year's funding.
（暂无翻译）
The DfE is the Stormont department with responsibility for higher and further education in Northern Ireland.
（暂无翻译）
Universities are mainly funded through student fees and a "teaching grant" provided by DfE.
（暂无翻译）
Further education colleges have already announced big cuts to student places and courses.
（暂无翻译）
Ulster University, meanwhile, is making 450 staff redundant across its campuses to save about £25m.
（暂无翻译）
The chair of Stormont's economy committee, Democratic Unionist Party assembly member Phillip Brett, said a further cut in university funding could mean that the universities would not receive money for three months for students they have already enrolled.
（暂无翻译）
"The universities have taken students on in the anticipation that they will receive funding from the department," he said.
（暂无翻译）
"We're now six months into the financial year and they still haven't received a formal letter of offer from the department.
（暂无翻译）
"And despite students enrolling in September, one of the contingencies from the department is now that come January, February, March you might say 'actually we're not going to pay you for these three months of the students that you've taken on'?"
（暂无翻译）
"It's a possibility," Snowden told the committee.
（暂无翻译）
He also said the universities could only get confirmation of how much funding they would get when the executive agreed a budget.
（暂无翻译）
"At this point we still don't know how much money we have to spend," he said.
（暂无翻译）
Amy Smith is the president of the National Union of Students-Union of Students in Ireland Amy Smith, the National Union of Students-Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI) president, said it was "disappointing to hear that our universities will be facing cuts to their teaching grants".
（暂无翻译）
"Any cuts directly impact students, their access to their education and the quality of the experience they receive while at university costs to them remain the same," she added.
（暂无翻译）
"Students and staff must not be left to shoulder the cost of underfunding.
（暂无翻译）
"We stand together in calling for the investment needed to protect jobs, access to education, and the quality of teaching."
（暂无翻译）
Universities are mainly funded through student fees and a "teaching grant" provided by Department for the Economy A spokesperson for Queen's said the university was "operating in a challenging financial environment and has consistently highlighted that the current higher education funding model, and continued budget uncertainty, are unsustainable".
（暂无翻译）
"We continue to work constructively with the Department for the Economy and government partners to secure a long-term solution that will benefit students and the wider economy," they said.
（暂无翻译）
"Queen's continues to monitor the financial and funding environment closely and remains focused on managing resources responsibly to protect the university's long-term financial sustainability while continuing to deliver for our students, staff and wider society."
（暂无翻译）
A spokesperson for Ulster University said it was "already enacting a substantial savings plan".
（暂无翻译）
"Given the deteriorating funding situation from the department, which we regard as very serious, we will continue to enact appropriate caution in relation to our finances," the spokesperson said.
（暂无翻译）
They also said 735 university staff had applied for voluntary redundancy.
（暂无翻译）
Coleraine left 'vulnerable' in university job losses 'School wasn't for me but further education suited me,' says student, as thousands of places cut
（暂无翻译）
仅供学习使用，如有侵权请联系删除 · 查看原文