Northern Ireland student numbers will reduce with funding cuts, universities say

Universities in Northern Ireland say they would have to cut student numbers if their Stormont funding is reduced.

Four universities raised the issue in a joint letter to the Northern Ireland secretary.

The letter said cutting undergraduate places would have "a fundamental and dangerous impact" on Northern Ireland's future.

The Department for the Economy (DfE) is set to reduce its funding to universities to save money.

Its recently published consultation on its 2023-24 budget said it planned to reduce the teaching grant to Northern Ireland's universities by 10% to save about £14m.

It is also planning to cut funding to further education (FE) colleges by 4% to save about £9m.

Officials have examined the possibility of a rise in tuition fees to raise money, but that would require a decision by a Stormont minister and a change in legislation.

The assembly and executive at Stormont remain suspended due to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) boycott over its opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The amount of funding provided by the DfE to universities directly affects how many undergraduate places there are for Northern Ireland students.

'Devastating effect'

The joint letter to Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris was sent by Queen's University, the Open University, St Mary's University College and Stranmillis University College.

It said that about 5,000 Northern Irish students left to study elsewhere in the UK every year, and only a third of them returned after graduation.

"This not only has a devastating effect on families but brings real and present dangers for our economy," the joint letter said.

"Further the higher education (HE) sector in Northern Ireland has also absorbed a 40% cut in funding since 2011 while other regions and jurisdictions have had significant investment.

"In the event of any planned budget reductions, the only course of action available to the universities to protect sustainability will be a reduction in undergraduate numbers.

"Such a reduction in funding will inevitably drive further inequality in HE provision and impact negatively.

"Crucially, this approach will further disadvantage our economic recovery."

Queen's University is among the universities to write to the NI Secretary

Both Queen's and Ulster universities previously said they would need an extra 5,000 places for Northern Ireland undergraduates by 2030, due to the projected rise in the number of 18 and 19 year olds.

The joint letter to Mr Heaton-Harris said, therefore, that cuts to funding and student numbers would "have a fundamental and dangerous impact on our future".

It also pointed out that many university staff are currently involved in industrial action over pay and conditions.

As part of that action involves a marking boycott, over 1,000 final-year students at Queen's University face uncertainty over whether they will be awarded a degree as planned this summer.