University cuts 45 jobs due to 'financial pressure'

A university under "considerable financial pressure" has cut 45 jobs.

The University of Suffolk, based in Ipswich, said it made 26 redundancies and decided to close 19 vacant posts due to "the falling value of the student tuition fee, tightening of overseas visa rules and rising costs".

It added that the redundancies were "mostly voluntary" and included a "mixture of academic, professional services, senior managers, support and technical staff".

Job cuts were first proposed in May, as part of measures to save £3.5m.

A spokesperson for the University of Suffolk said: "Like the majority of UK universities, Suffolk is under considerable financial pressure.

"Following a wide-ranging consultation, we have restructured the university into two academic schools, reducing management and administration costs, and streamlined structures and processes across our professional services."

It said it had been able to "minimise" the number of redundancies by some members of staff changing jobs or cutting their hours.

The spokesperson said: "While the financial position remains challenging, we have been able to minimise the impact on our students and will continue to invest in providing a high-quality education and student experience."