The Principal of the University of Edinburgh has defended the institution’s ongoing restructuring, outlining his vision for its future amid continued staff opposition, programme closures, and financial uncertainty.
In a message circulated to all university staff on 28 October, titled ‘Where will all this take us?’, Peter Mathieson addressed concerns over the university’s financial position, academic reforms, and international outlook.
His assurances come amid an ongoing dispute with university staff over proposed cuts of £140m and the potential scale of job losses.
The University College Union (UCU) estimates that up to 1,800 jobs could be lost as a result of the restructuring. Despite this, Mathieson stressed that the university would continue to be “one of Scotland’s biggest employers.”
The message also addressed the university’s decision to close 90 degree programmes to new applicants from autumn 2027. The School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures faces the largest number of closures, with 48 programmes affected, including seven within Celtic and Scottish studies.
Mathieson rejected suggestions that the changes signal a retreat in the university’s commitment to Scottish culture. Instead, he argued the restructuring would offer students greater flexibility and create more opportunities to study Scotland’s histories, literatures, cultures, and languages, including Gaelic.
Turning to the university’s finances, Mathieson highlighted £73m in savings made during the 2025-26 financial year through voluntary severance, recruitment restrictions, and a freeze on promotions.
The university recorded a £16m surplus at the end of the year. Mathieson argues that, without the savings made, it would have instead faced a £57m deficit, placing it among the 38 universities identified as at immediate financial risk.
However, the £57m figure represents a hypothetical financial position rather than a deficit recorded by the university.
Mathieson said: “The only reason that Edinburgh is not one of the universities listed as at highest risk is because of the tough decisions that we have already taken.”
Addressing criticisms of the restructuring, he acknowledged that “uncertainty and pessimism in the current circumstances are fully understandable”, but added that “misinformation and disinformation are not acceptable.”
He also encouraged those questioning the severity of the university’s financial challenges to consult the 2026 Reckoning report, arguing that the pressures facing Edinburgh were neither “imagined, exaggerated or Edinburgh-specific.”
Concluding his message, Mathieson warned that further “urgent, difficult but strategically important decisions” would be necessary to safeguard the university’s future.
He called on staff to work together toward its long-term sustainability, emphasising that the university’s fate is in its own hands.
Photo by Jacob Pretorius on Unsplash.
