More than a quarter of jobs at a university could be slashed in a bid to save £20 million, KentOnline can reveal.

Vice-chancellor Rama Thirunamachandran has told Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) staff about 80% of the savings will come from redundancies.

KentOnline understands the move will put some 400 roles at risk – 26% of the institution’s 1,500-strong workforce.

This website spoke to a member of staff today who said they were told about the redundancies during an online call with Prof Thirunamachandran this morning.

“We were told a few months ago it was £10m they needed to save,” the staff member said.

“But we have had student retention problems and it has now gone up to £20m.

“They have been very open to communication but there is disgruntlement among staff with it.

“It is an outcome of the national picture and the university is trying to save itself using drastic measures before it goes under.”

Questions will be raised over how the university has got into the current situation after Prof Thirunamachandran said in the institution’s annual financial report published in July that “we are in a relatively strong financial position” despite difficulties across the sector.

The document confirmed the university made a profit of £3.6m in the 2023/24 financial year – although this was down from £7.2m the previous year – from an income of £319m, up 21% compared to 2023.

It also highlighted there were 11,000 more students enrolled in 2024 at 38,000 compared to 27,000 studying there in the year before.

Asked why the proposals are deemed necessary, a CCCU spokesperson said: “As has been widely reported, many universities currently face significant financial and recruitment challenges.

“This is due to years of underfunding universities, a significant fall in students, especially international students, and substantial increases in relation to the employer national insurance, pay, pensions and above inflation running costs.

“Despite a small surplus last year, the new projected income for the university has been reduced, which is the reality of the challenges currently faced by most universities. If we take no action our expenditure in 2025/26 will exceed income, and like many universities we will be running at a deficit. This would be unsustainable in the long term and highly irresponsible management.”

They added the “change programme” will preserve the university’s aims of being academically successful and financially sustainable.

It is not confirmed what impact the proposals will have on staff numbers and no information about what courses are at risk has been released.

The spokesperson added: “We are working with colleagues to minimise as much as possible any impact this may have upon them. This includes the launch of an enhanced early exit scheme to try and reduce the need for compulsory redundancies.”

CCCU is a major employer in the south east and a centre for undergraduate and postgraduate education.

Its main campus is in the city but it also has one in Medway at Chatham Maritime and in Tunbridge Wells.

The annual reports released in the summer also said the university expected to continue to make a profit.

“These forecasts provide confidence to the governing body over the financial sustainability of the university and confirm the university remains a going concern throughout 2023/2024 and for the foreseeable future,” the 2023 financial statement says.

And this year, it said: “The governing body has reviewed the financial forecasts through to 2028/29.

“Whilst recognising the uncertainty over funding beyond 2025/26, the board remains assured the university continues to be a going concern.”

CCCU recently announced it would stop offering English literature degrees from September next year.

The university revealed it had seen a dramatic decline in the number of students wanting to study the subject over the past few years.

But it said it would continue to teach the course to students currently in their first or second year.

City council leader Cllr Alan Baldock says universities are “critical” to the city and district – which is also home to the University of Kent and the University for the Creative Arts.

“Any job losses will be felt by those families affected,” the Labour councillor said.

“My heart goes out to those people who may be impacted.

“I really hope the university can work through the funding crisis and the cuts won’t go ahead.”

The news forms part of the national picture of some universities across the country facing crippling overheads.

It comes after the University of Kent announced in January that 58 jobs and six courses will be cut on its Canterbury and Medway campuses.

Despite protests by staff and students, a petition 16,000 signatures strong and an overwhelming majority of academic union members voting for industrial action, bosses said in April they would push forward with the changes.

‘My heart goes out to those people who may be impacted…’

The University of Kent courses set for closure include art history, music and audio technology, philosophy, religious studies, anthropology, health and social care, and journalism.

Following the turmoil, the university president and vice-chancellor, Professor Karen Cox, resigned from her posts in April.

Speaking about today’s announcement, a CCCU spokesperson says it is “operating in a challenging environment and responding to a number of external challenges” like many other universities.

They added: “A recent report by the Office for Students expects nearly three-quarters of universities to be operating at a loss next year.

“We have launched a programme of change to ensure the university has a sustainable financial future and continues to deliver an exceptional student and staff experience.

“The programme will be looking at a wide range of measures to achieve a savings target of about £20m by the end of the financial year in July.

“We envisage about 80% will need to come from staff savings, with the remaining 20% from non-staff and capital savings.

“We understand and appreciate that the next few months will be unsettling and difficult for all our staff, and we remain committed to working with colleagues in a compassionate and collaborative way as we progress with the changes.”