(Image: Wikipedia Creative Commons)
University of Edinburgh bosses are planning to cut 60 per cent of jobs in the university’s study abroad service, it has been claimed.
Staff fear the cuts will impact the university’s ability to participate in the Erasmus+ scheme when it returns next year.
The university’s Study and Work Away (SWAY) team supports Edinburgh students studying abroad as well as international students coming to Edinburgh on temporary exchange programmes.
The team has helped to craft the university’s response to the UK Government’s decision to bring back the Erasmus+ programme from 2027.
However, multiple sources told The Herald that SWAY will be folded into the university’s Student Experience Services (SES) department, and that 16 of the 28 jobs in the team will be lost.
While a university spokesperson acknowledged that a restructure was taking place, they said the university "cannot comment on numbers of staff affected by these changes".
The restructure comes amid anger from staff and students over the closure of 94 programmes in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Edinburgh Futures Institute amid a £140m budget savings drive.
University College Union (UCU) members are in the midst of a five-week strike over the closures - they say as many as 1,800 jobs could be lost. (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)
A letter signed by 43 academics, exchange coordinators and directors of internationalisation at the university has urged managers to reconsider the “catastrophic” decision.
“New, scaled down staffing arrangements will mean that the current variety of agreements cannot be sustained, which will directly impact the university’s attractiveness and result in a loss of student income, including from international, full-fee paying students,” the letter states.
“It is also very concerning that the planned cuts are to happen at a time when the UK is rejoining the Erasmus+ programme and the university is preparing for that.
“To dismantle the team at the same time as expecting them to be the agents of Edinburgh’s participation in this flagship programme is both cruel and incredibly short-sighted and counter-productive, even from a very narrow cost/benefit point of view.”
In April 2026, the UK reached an agreement with the European Union to rejoin the Erasmus+ programme, six years after leaving the scheme due to Brexit.
The move is expected to increase the number of Scottish students able to study abroad and the number of European students able to study in Scotland.
Staff fear that the decision to downsize the study abroad team at this critical juncture will have a negative effect on the university’s attractiveness to students.
A letter sent by 17 university exchange coordinators and directors of internationalisation to the European Movement in Scotland (EMS) raises the alarm.
“The University of Edinburgh’s study and work-away suite of programmes is the largest in the UK, and a very successful one,” it states, noting that more than 1,400 students studied abroad last year.
“Slashing the number of people working on this by 60 per cent and dismantling the team puts this aim in serious jeopardy. In fact, our fear is that the University of Edinburgh will not be able to deliver on its promises to the Erasmus programme.
“The University of Edinburgh’s senior leadership is failing to recognise the significance of our political moment and the role that the university would be expected to take in such a moment,” the letter adds.
The UK is rejoining the EU's Erasmus study abroad scheme in 2027. (Image: Thierry Monasse)
“To sacrifice such a role and responsibility for the sake of ‘savings’ (that are actually undermining the university’s capacity to generate more income) feels utterly short-sighted.”
The letter goes on to urge EMS leaders to lobby the university to reverse the cuts and “demand accountability”.
In addition to providing study abroad opportunities, the SWAY team also organises short programmes, virtual opportunities, and summer schools.
A group of staff with knowledge of how the team operates told The Herald that the university’s international reputation would suffer if the cuts go forward.
“After lobbying the UK Government to retain the connection to the Erasmus programme, the university's senior leadership team is now getting rid of the very team which has been in charge of preparing the renewed participation of the university,” they said.
“Rejoining Erasmus is not just a question of applying to it, it also entails managing and administering it: as the university is making two-thirds of its exchange team redundant, and particularly expert staff, it will not be in capacity to deliver.”
Working-class students at Edinburgh University could miss out. (Image: Gordon Terris)
The staff members went on to say that they “anticipate an Erasmus fiasco”, leading to a “loss of reputation in Europe and with our partners”, as well as a loss for students from working-class backgrounds who would be unable to study abroad if not for the exchange programmes.
“The way in which these cuts are proceeding is extremely brutal - no rationale has been provided, no basis for them has been shared, and there has been no opening for dialogue. It seems to all be proceeding shockingly fast and in secrecy,” the group added.
“We are all in shock and disbelief.”
An Edinburgh University spokesperson defended the restructure, insisting that the institution remained committed to "international mobility for our students".
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They said: "Studying and working abroad is a fantastic, often transformative, experience for our students. As a global institution, we will continue to provide the support our students need to benefit from these international opportunities.
“The University has conducted an in-depth review of how this service is delivered, resulting in changes that will more closely connect areas that directly support our students. In-person meetings with affected staff are taking place to discuss what this means and to help them navigate next steps.
“Any changes to service delivery do not mean that the University no longer values the benefits of student exchange programmes nor the expertise of staff working in this area," the spokesperson remarked.
"While we appreciate the desire to understand potential impact on roles, the process is ongoing and we cannot comment on numbers of staff affected by these changes."