Leaked plans to cut 600 jobs at the University of Nottingham have been described by union members as confirming their “worst fears”.

In a draft business case, the university outlined measures to cut 600 jobs in a bid to save £50 million on staffing costs by 2029-30, according to .

The plan states that Nottingham intends to open a voluntary redundancy scheme for at-risk staff in May, before considering compulsory redundancies.

Challenges to international student recruitment and increased competition mean that the university’s current financial model is “unsustainable”, according to the business case.

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While the document acknowledges that the cuts generate risks for Nottingham, these are “outweighed by the significantly greater risk to the institution of inaction and permitting current trends to worsen”, it says.

“The greatest risk to the university is doing nothing to improve financial sustainability and academic excellence,” it explains.

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More than 300 staff members have left the institution in recent years as a result of cost-cutting measures.

In December, the university announced plans to suspend recruitment to 42 courses, which would see its music and languages departments shut down, as well as courses in nursing, education, microbiology and agriculture close.

Insisting that “nothing has been finalised”, the university said that it will hold a council meeting on 6 May to discuss the proposals.

A Nottingham spokesperson said: “We are extremely disappointed that this information has been leaked ahead of any final decision being made.

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“Our highest priority throughout this process has been to ensure that staff and students would have the opportunity to hear this news, and how it may affect them, from the university, rather than through unverified information from the media.”

In an online statement issued after the leak, the university outlined that upon completion of the consultation, it will submit the final business case to its trade unions, senate and council in September, with a view to carrying out the “proposed changes” from October 2026.

Staff have expressed disappointment at the decision. The Nottingham University and College Union branch said the news had “confirmed our worst fears”.

“We have a mandate for industrial action in place and will inform [Nottingham] shortly about which actions to take, unless council steps back from the brink and rejects management’s draft business case on 6 May,” a branch spokesperson said.

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The university spokesperson added that staff will be informed once a “final decision has been made” and said that “we are confident the changes we are proposing will ensure our university continues to be a global leader in education, innovation, student success and research long into the future”.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com