Staff at the University of Lincoln fear they could lose their job as early as next month after the institution announced dozens of redundancies across its academic departments.

The University and College Union (UCU) said 140 staff have been told their jobs are at risk in the East Midlands university’s latest cost-cutting exercise, with 34 posts eventually being lost.

Redundancies will be concentrated in the schools of humanities and heritage; engineering and physical sciences; social and political sciences; chemistry; geography; and design and architecture, as well as the Lincoln International Business School, the union said.

It is understood that the whole team teaching politics and international relations is at risk, although the university stressed it has no plans to close these subject areas entirely.

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The university said it needed to adapt given changing student demand, demographic change and competitive pressures. 

UCU said those being made redundant could be told they are out of a job as soon as next month, as part of a fresh wave of cuts announced as universities wrap up for the end of the academic year.

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Lincoln lost 303 employees in 2025, 240 in 2024 and 41 in 2023, according to its . It has spent nearly £10 million on severance payments over the past two years. 

A university spokesperson said: “Like many universities across the sector, we have adapted our workforce over recent years in response to changing student demographics and demand. Changes over that period have included a range of factors, including normal staff turnover, retirements, the expiry of fixed-term contracts, voluntary severance schemes and targeted restructuring.

“It is therefore misleading to present cumulative departures over several years as though they represent a permanent reduction in the University's workforce. Official HESA data shows that our total staffing levels in 2024/25 remain higher than they were before the pandemic.”

The union threatened to launch a strike ballot against the plans. It previously passed a vote of no confidence in the university’s senior leadership team.

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“These cuts are completely unacceptable, and we will have no choice but to begin balloting for strike action if management refuses to change course,” said UCU general secretary Jo Grady.

“This is the fourth year of job losses in a row and more than a third of the workers who were at Lincoln four years ago have now left the university. There is simply nothing left to cut without severely degrading student learning, the institution’s research capacity and its reputation.”

The Lincoln spokesperson added: “The higher education sector is experiencing shifts in student demand, demographic change and increasing competitive pressures.

“The university is adapting accordingly and we are making deliberate choices now to reshape for the future in a changing environment.

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“Our focus remains on ensuring the university is sustainable, agile and well placed for the years ahead, continuing to deliver high-quality teaching, strong student outcomes, and playing a vital role in supporting the economy and communities of Lincolnshire and beyond.”

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com