Here’s exactly which Russell Group unis are making dramatic cuts to science subjects

We’re all used to hearing about how the arts are underfunded in the UK, and how university courses are giving up on some humanities degrees. But after years of financial difficulties, even Russell Group unis are at the point of cutting back science subjects too.

Research from the Institute of Physics discovered that 58 per cent of UK university physics departments expect to scrap some degree courses within the next two years, and 26 per cent anticipate their departments could be axed altogether.

So, here’s a closer look at exactly which Russell Group unis we know are making big cuts to science subjects.

Cardiff University

Erm, so it was reported at the end of 2024 that Cardiff has a working deficit of £32.8 million. As part of their plan to cut costs, management are reshuffling how the uni’s departments are structured. The uni plans to merge the chemistry department with the earth and environmental science department, plus the physics and astronomy department. Protests from staff and students did lead to management scaling back their initial plans for budget cuts. But the uni still aims to get rid of 400 jobs.

University of Edinburgh

Real life Edinburgh students

The Institute of Physics is worried about the future of the undergraduate geophysics course, as degree programmes in geophysics have been culled at Imperial College London and thew University of Southampton.

By the end of August, 350 staff at Edi had agreed to leave through the voluntary severance scheme. The uni aims to reduce the staff even further. We don’t know how many staff are leaving in each faculty, but it’s likely that some science staff have gone.

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If not enough staff leave, the uni might resort to just laying people off. The uni’s guide to voluntary severance states: “The University is committed to avoiding making compulsory redundancies wherever reasonably possible however if not enough people opt for VS, compulsory redundancies may be required.”

University of Liverpool

Liverpool has changed the science subjects on offer. You can’t do a straightforward BSc in geophysics anymore, and the Institute of Physics is worried management could make changes to the joint degree in physics and geophysics.

The uni also ran a voluntary severance scheme earlier this year.

Queen Mary University of London

Part of the Queen Mary campus
(Credit: The wub)

The uni is restructuring its departments, and lots of jobs are being lost in the process. In the spring of 2025, Queen Mary opened a voluntary severance scheme targeted at lots of academics, including some in the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, the Institute of Dentistry and the Institute of Health Science Education. Queen Mary has also reduced the number of professional service roles in the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

University of Sheffield

The uni hasn’t announced plans to limit the choice of degrees. But management have put 1,000 jobs at risk. They’ve opened up a voluntary severance scheme to academic staff in the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (as well as six other departments).

University College London (UCL)

UCL has been revamping the Professional Service teams. The proposed plans would entail roles being at risk of redundancy in the Faculty of Brain Sciences and the Faculty of Life Sciences.

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Featured image of Queen Mary University of London by Ewan Munro.