- Universities UK acknowledges severe financial pressures facing universities but warned against overlooking long-term importance of humanities education
- 'It will always be useful to think clearly, communicate, work with other people, be imaginative, ask questions and remain curious,' says English Literature lecturer
Could job cuts at one British university reflect a much wider shift in how higher education values the humanities?
When Ruby Granger, a popular YouTube creator, received a message from a student union asking her to highlight planned job cuts at her former university, she initially thought it was an isolated issue.
It wasn't.
Announced in June, the University of Exeter's restructuring proposals would reduce the equivalent of around 150 full-time roles, affecting about 500 staff members during the consultation process.
Most of the proposed reductions are in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, according to staff representatives.
After publishing a video about the proposals, Granger received hundreds of comments from students, academics and graduates describing similar job cuts at universities across the UK, Europe, Australia and the US.
The response led her to look more broadly at cuts affecting humanities departments.
"I was so angry," Granger told Anadolu.
"These are tutors I've stayed in touch with... people who gave so much to me and my peers during our time at university."
In a statement to Anadolu, the university said the proposals remain under consultation and are intended to secure its long-term sustainability amid rising costs, declining tuition fee income in real terms, underfunded research and falling international student demand.
"The University is not proposing to close any departments or disciplines, and under these proposals Exeter would continue to have one of the largest faculties of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences in the UK," the statement said.
The university said it hopes to achieve the changes through voluntary measures and is working with trade unions to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible.
"While Exeter remains in a strong position, rising costs, the real-terms decline in tuition fee income, underfunded research, and a sustained drop in international student demand mean we must take action now. These changes are intended to secure the University's long-term sustainability, protect our teaching and research excellence, and ensure our activities remain aligned with future priorities," it said.
Beyond Exeter
The response to Granger's video reflects broader pressures facing higher education.
British universities have announced restructurings and job cuts in recent years as institutions grapple with rising costs, frozen domestic tuition fees and uncertainty surrounding international student recruitment.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency reported earlier this year that the number of academic staff employed at UK higher education providers fell for the first time, declining by 1% in the 2024-25 academic year.
Yet interviews with academics and sector representatives suggest the debate extends beyond university finances.
Michael J. Flexer, a lecturer in English Literature at Exeter and co-chair of the university's branch of the University and College Union (UCU), said staff had begun organizing months before the restructuring proposals became public.
"The University of Exeter is an excellent university. We already have something valuable, and all we need to do is defend it."
He said Exeter remains in a relatively strong financial position, citing budget surpluses, substantial cash reserves and continued student recruitment.
Union representatives have repeatedly asked management to provide detailed evidence supporting its long-term projections.
"We still have not received a serious, detailed, data-based answer," he said.
More than employability
For years, universities have increasingly faced pressure to demonstrate the employability of their graduates.
Flexer argues that framing university education primarily around today's labor market misunderstands how rapidly economies change.
Students beginning university today will enter careers six or seven years from now, he said, making it nearly impossible to predict which technical skills employers will be seeking.
Instead, Flexer argued, universities should equip students with abilities that remain valuable regardless of technological change.
"But I can truthfully tell a student that it will always be useful to think clearly, communicate, work with other people, be imaginative, ask questions and remain curious," he said.
Those qualities, he argued, remain valuable regardless of technological change.
Humanities in the age of AI
Universities UK, which represents 142 higher education institutions, acknowledged the severe financial pressures facing universities but warned against overlooking the long-term importance of humanities education.
"We should be collectively concerned about any reduction in the pipeline of humanities graduates because, in an age of AI, we are likely to value understanding how humans think and act more, not less," Universities UK Chief Executive Vivienne Stern told Anadolu.
Other academics interviewed by Anadolu argued that the value of the humanities extends beyond employability.
Amelia Morris, a lecturer in Communications at Exeter, argued that humanities and social sciences help students understand "the power embedded in supposedly 'neutral' language" and develop the critical thinking and creativity needed to respond to growing social challenges.
Peter Riley, senior lecturer in American Literature, said the disciplines also play an essential role in questioning authority and holding institutions to account, arguing that their contribution extends beyond universities themselves.
