Ulster University plans to eliminate up to 450 staff positions. The move targets campuses in Belfast, Coleraine, Magee in Londonderry, and Jordanstown. Officials prefer voluntary redundancies to achieve the reductions.

Vice-Chancellor Paul Bartholomew informed staff that the university recorded large operating deficits in 2024 and 2025. Savings of about £25m are required. A spokesperson stated that a sustainable funding model for higher education in Northern Ireland will not materialise.

The University and College Union challenged the university's position. Northern Ireland official Katharine Clarke wrote that the provided information fails to meet statutory consultation requirements. She noted the university did not supply precise details on numbers and categories of staff targeted across departments and curriculum areas.

Clarke described the university's reference to an unsustainable funding model as criticism of Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald's policies before the 2027 election. Union official Paddy Mackel called it an attempt to undermine the minister.

A university spokesperson rejected the accusation of a political attack and affirmed full transparency on its response to the operating context. The spokesperson added that all legal obligations for consultation have been met.

Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald addressed the redundancies in the Northern Ireland Assembly. She attributed the cuts to insufficient executive funding. Archibald pointed to inadequate investment from the British government in further and higher education.

In 2025, Archibald rejected a request from Northern Ireland's universities to increase tuition fees by more than £1,000 annually. Fees stand at £4,855 per year in Northern Ireland, compared to £9,535 in England. Mackel noted the minister's firm stance against fee hikes.