We at your Students’ Union know that many of you will have been following the news about UWS, including UWS Staff Trade Unions , and the ongoing
We are keeping this page up to date with FAQs and information but please email uwsunion@uws.ac.uk.
Your Student President team are working to ensure that the impact on students is minimal and are gathering your questions as well as holding ALL STUDENT MEETINGS. The next one will be held on:
Tuesday 15 July 2025
3:00pm – 4:00pm (online)
Link will be provided by e-mail to your student e-mail address.
This is your chance to:
- Hear updates directly from the Students’ Union
- Share your concerns and shape our collective response
- Prepare for possible collective action if concerns remain unaddressed
Quick jump:
UWS Students’ Union Public Statement on the Organisational Change Project (OCP)
Our Position
We are gravely concerned and as your Union we stand in full solidarity with Our Students and Staff during this deeply unsettling time. While we acknowledge the wider financial pressures across the higher education sector in Scotland, we are alarmed by the scale and speed of the University’s Leadership proposed cuts - including over 75 academic roles at risk, disproportionately affecting schools such as Education & Social Sciences (35.7 Full Time Equivalent) and Business & Creative Industries.
These cuts threaten not only the quality of education but the support services and learning environment that your (Our Student Community) rely on.
Key Concerns
- Educational Quality: Significant reduction in academic staff risks higher staff-student ratios, decreased supervision quality, and potential loss of course variety and availability.
- Student Support: With professional services already stretched and under review, further erosion of disability, learning, and mental health support will worsen the student experience.
- Transparency and Involvement: While staff have been consulted through formal mechanisms, students have not been meaningfully included in the Organisational Change Process (OCP) decision-making structures. When we as student presidents have asked for information or updates, or to involve students in the process, we have been constantly told that it is not yet time to involve students.
What Students Are Demanding
From our All-Student Meeting on 12 June 2025, where over 180 students joined to raise concerns, we have consolidated the following urgent and formal demands to university leadership:
- Financial Protection for Students
- No additional costs to students due to course or campus changes
- Guaranteed completion of degrees at UWS with equivalent quality and accreditation
- Protection from any fee increases related to restructuring
- Academic Quality Safeguards
- Maintain appropriate staff-student ratios
- Guarantee no mid-programme course closures for current students
- Uphold professional accreditations throughout and after any changes
- Enhanced Communication and Consultation
- Structured and ongoing engagement with student representatives at key points throughout the OCP consultation process, ensuring the student voice is actively considered
- Communication of timelines and milestones of the OCP
- Regular meetings with the Students’ Union and the student body
- Use of accessible, plain English in all communications
- Protection of Student Support Services
- Immediate moratorium on cuts to existing student services
- Continued provision of current disability and learning support
- Continue to provide support for students with mental health needs via the Student Services team
- Clarity on Alternative Arrangements
- Transparent partnership frameworks for any inter-institutional transfers
- Explicit student consent and full information before any programme relocations or changes
- Guarantees that alternative arrangements meet or exceed current standards
- Process and Accountability Requirements
- Mandatory student impact assessments for all proposed changes
- The University should treat the Trade Unions as partners in the OCP process.
- Independent review of implementation outcomes after 12 months
- Fair compensation for any negative impact on the student experience
Call to Action
Follow-Up All Student Consultation Meeting
Tuesday 15 July 2025
3:00pm – 4:00pm (Online)
This is your chance to:
- Hear updates directly from the Students’ Union
- Share your concerns and shape our collective response
- Prepare for possible collective action if concerns remain unaddressed
We Stand Ready
We are committed to working constructively with university leadership - but we will not compromise on the rights, education, and wellbeing of our students. This is not just about staffing numbers - it is about your future, your learning, and the kind of university we all want to belong to.
Let’s stand together - for transparency, fairness, and a UWS that puts students and staff first.
Omowaleola Adebayo
Student President
Timiebi Oyinpere
Vice-President Education
Immad Ud Din
Vice-President Welfare and Wellbeing
What are the main proposals?
The principal held an all staff meeting on Wednesday 21st May where it was announced that the savings needed to be made totalled £16.9 million, with this cost saving to be achieved across the short, medium, and long term. As well as reducing the spend in procurement, and reviewing professional services provision, the proposal is to remove 75.2 full time equivalent (FTE)* academic staff positions, as well as not filling a large number of the current vacancies at UWS. This may result in some courses being discontinued.
Which areas will be most impacted?
Currently it looks as though the School of Education and Social Sciences will face the biggest impact from these cuts/potential redundancies as set out in the table below. However, we are unable to say currently what the impact on individual courses or modules will be.
| School |
FTE Job Loss |
| Business and Creative Industries |
19.5 |
| Computing Engineering and Physical Sciences |
18 |
| Education and Social Sciences |
35.7 |
| Health and Life Sciences |
2 |
| UWS Total |
75.2 |
What is the Students' Union doing?
Your Student Presidents have met with the University Principal, James Miller, and discussed some of your concerns. We are updating the FAQs below as we get more information.
Further to this, using the information gathered at the all-student meeting on Thursday 12th of June Your Student Presidents are drafting up demands to try to ensure that students and the student experience at UWS is protected.
FAQs
This is a collection of questions we have gathered from students, and are asking of the universities senior leadership team. We will update this list of questions with answers as and when we can, and with details as they are released.
Continuation and completion
Will students who are already enrolled be able to complete their degrees?
No courses have been confirmed for closure yet. It is likely that students currently enrolled will be accommodated; however, from 2026–27, it is likely that some courses will no longer accept new students. From conversations with UWS senior management, we believe that eventually, some courses will be cut due to no and/or low number of applications.
Senior Leadership have given assurance that students will be protected throughout their studies and would be supported to complete their courses, even if low student numbers resulted in changes such as transferring to another university. However, exactly what will happen is unknown right now as UWS continues to work out the details of their plans.
What options will students have if courses are removed?
If UWS is unable to facilitate the completion of your course via. a process often called “Teaching Out”, where new students are not recruited but existing , you are likely to be offered a move to a similar course at UWS, or alternatively, UWS may liaise with other institutions to guarantee acceptance onto an equivalent course to complete your studies. If a move to another specific university is suggested, it will be for UWS to negotiate on your behalf with that institution – students would not be expected to do this themselves.
What will happen to PhD students if their supervisors, with specific knowledge, leave UWS?
All currently enrolled postgraduates are expected be supported through their studies. Further clarification is being sought by the Students’ Union on exactly how the current climate will impact postgraduates’ supervision, which relies heavily on the specific expertise of individual lecturers.
Impact on course delivery
Has my lecturer been made redundant?
The University has begun the formal process of consultation with staff who are at risk of redundancy. This means, that all staff in the areas at risk have been given notice that their jobs are at risk and that there is a consultation period which will last for a minimum of 45 days. As of the 25/6/2025 no staff members have yet been made redundant due to the Organisational Change Project (OCP).
What does the cut of 75.2 FTE staff mean?
FTE is an abbreviation for Full-Time Equivalent. This figure is used to highlight that the University needs to save the equivalent of 75.2 Full-time roles. This does not mean that only 75.2 people will be made redundant as some staff may be working part-time contracts. The actual headcount of staff being made redundant is not yet known. Under UK labour laws, if an organisation is looking to make more than 100 people redundant then there needs to be a mandatory 45 day consultation period. UWS has triggered a 45 day formal consultation period, therefore we can confidently speculate that the University is considering making 100 or more staff redundant.
Are courses likely to have a widening staff-student ratio?
It is unclear whether this will happen, but it is possible that staff redundancies will reduce the number of staff teaching on a course. So far UWS has not addressed these concerns, but your Student Presidents will add this to the questions to ask.
Will students have fewer choices when it comes to optional modules etc.
It is likely that on some courses, some under-selected optional modules may be removed.
What is being done to support staff who are retained, to ensure they are not overworked and stressed (which will have a negative impact on the student experience)?
Your Student Presidents will seek an answer to this question as so far this is unknown.
Will courses that are externally accredited be able to keep their accreditation?
The Students’ Union does not currently know whether the accreditation of courses is at risk. However, we would expect that if you came onto a course because it was accredited and it stops being accredited before you finish, you have been miss-sold, and the Union Advice Team will be able to help you, as the University will be obligated to give you the degree you signed up for.
Will we have to move campus to be taught our course?
The Students Union does not currently know which courses are being affected by the cuts, however in a situation where the University stops teaching a course on one campus and moves it to another, the University would likely offer support to students that would have to travel. If this situation arises your Student Presidents will be working to ensure you are supported.
Who will be impacted
Which courses will be impacted?
At this stage we don't know precisely which courses will be affected and we do not have any timescales. The most affected areas will be Education and Social Sciences. Some staff have begun receiving letters about being at risk of redundancy, though no final decisions have been made.
Job Losses Per School
These job loses are on top of the existing staff vacancies within the schools, and some positions may not be refilled – depending on whether or not a sufficent business case can be made for the position.
Although the University has not ruled out compulsory redundancies for these job loses, they have stated at the all-staff meeting held on the 25th June 2025 that compulsory redundancies would be a last resort.
Are all years of study going to be impacted?
UWS are required to deliver the degree they have agreed to with existing students. This means that those already enrolled are likely to be supported to complete their course, whatever year of study they are in. However, it is possible in cases where there are very small student numbers, that an alternative such as a move to a similar course within UWS or a similar course at another institution may be suggested.
Are all campuses going to be impacted?
The impact of the cuts will vary by campus depending on course location – for example, Computer Engineering is a Paisley-specific course. So, if an affected course is specific to one campus, that campus will be affected differently. It is impossible at this stage to say which campuses will be most affected.The University has ruled out any campus closures as part of this exercise.
Why is the School of Education and Social Sciences the hardest hit?
A decline in student numbers and loss of over 2,000 funded places over the last five years (many from ESS and BCI) is a major factor.
Timescales
When will cuts happen?
It is likely that the cuts to academic staff will be confirmed and complete by the beginning of academic year 2026/2027. The University has also committed to a review of its Professional Services staff (Student Services, Student Admin, etc) over the next 18 months. At the all staff meeting on the 25th June 2025, The Principal confirmed that the focus of this review will not be overall staff reduction, although some redundancies would not be ruled out.
When will students find out what is happening both broadly and on their specific course?
UWS have not yet given any timescales for informing or consulting with students.
Student involvement and supporting staff
How can students get involved in the response?
Make sure that we know what your concerns are, give us feedback on our response, and come to the all student meetings we hold. We are also looking at providing email templates so you can write letters of protest. Staff Unions are also holding actions such as protests which you may wish to be involved in.
How can students support lecturers and programmes?
Staff Unions are holding actions such as protests which you may wish to get involved in. In recognition that this is a difficult time for staff you also may also wish to tell staff what you appreciate about them and show them some love!
What is happening with Staff Union Strike Actions and response to the cuts?
Staff unions have conducted indicative ballots showing strong support for strike action, but no formal ballots have occurred yet. The Staff Unions have 6 months from the indicative ballot to hold the formal ballot. Any possible strikes may align with high-impact periods such as enrolment and marking (as we are seeing at other universities such as Edinburgh), but until the Unions hold their votes, we will not be able to confirm specific times. Other Staff Union actions include working to rule and holding successful votes of no confidence in the Principal and members of the University's Senior Leadership Team.
Finance questions
How did the £16.9 million deficit arise?
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Scottish Funding Council Places Allocation and related "claw-back"
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) sets the number of funded places each university gets. These are for home students, and the university gets allocated a certain amount of money per student. UWS has had a reduction in funded places from the SFC of more than 1,800 Full-time equivalent between 2022/23 and 2025/26. This has had the impact of around a £14m reduction in annual funding.
"Clawback" occurs when universities under-recruit to SFC funded places. UWS did not meet the SFC funded places targets in in 2022/23 or 2025/24 and does not expect to meet targets for 2024/25. Clawback for under-recruitment between 2022 and 2024 is expected to be around £18m.
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Changes to international student populations
Changes to student visa regulations have impacted international student recruitment across the sector – a 16% decrease in visa applications to UK universities in the last recruitment cycle. UWS saw a fall of around 1,500 students between 2022/23 and 2023/24. Upcoming changes to UK immigration policy may impact this further.
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Changes to pension contributions and national insurance payments
There has been an increase in employers contributions to the Scottish Teachers Pension Scheme in 2024, resulting in a cost of around £1.3m. Changes to national insurance employer contributions in April 2025 will increase annual staff costs on an ongoing basis. This is expected to cost £1.7m in the financial year 2025/26.
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Trends in student and staff numbers?
As part of the business plan, UWS have pointed a reduction in student headcount of 792, alongside an increase in staff headcount of 237.6 between 2020/21 and 2024/25. Although this applies to all staff, not just academic staff, UWS ranks just 118th of 122 when looking at student-academic staff ratio (https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2024/sep/07/the-guardian-university-guide-2025-the-rankings). Because of this, we feel that it cannot be said that the numbers of staff at UWS are too high.
Where and how are savings going to be made beyond academic staff cuts?
There are a number of areas where UWS have been and will continue to reduce spending:
- Ongoing review of staff vacancies. UWS have been reviewing whether or not to replace vacant posts, and an equivalent 112.8 Full Time Equivalent vacancies will not be refilled, with an estimated saving of £8m to UWS.
- Professional Services Provision. Professional services at UWS which encompass the staff at UWS who do not hold academic teaching roles will undergo an 18 month review to look at where costs could be saved within those areas. It has been confirmed that reducing staffing is not a focus of this review, although some positions may be lost.