On 6 November 2025, the University of Nottingham announced that, from 10 November 2025, it will suspend 48 courses, including all Music, Modern Foreign Languages (MFL), and some nursing courses. The announcement came as the University provided updates on plans to “reshape” its future. Two elements of the plan were listed in the University’s statement: “academic course suspension” and “faculty restructure”. The University claims the cull on courses is a “tough decision” being made to alleviate financial pressure caused by a “fall in revenues and rising cost.”
91% of University of Nottingham University and College Union (UCU) members voted for industrial action to combat the “threat of compulsory redundancies and to accommodate these useless and unnecessary changes.” Students and staff have been outspoken against the proposals and have been organising to oppose them.
The suspensions mean that from the beginning of the 2026/27 academic year, new students wishing to study Music, MFL or any other listed courses at the University of Nottingham will no longer be able to do so. A spokesperson for the University said that any current students will be supported through the remainder of their course.
In April, the University announced plans to “restructure and resize” its workforce, involving the cutting of 258 non-academic staff positions. The Vice-Chancellor, Jane Norman, said the Russell Group University needed “to be realistic about the financial environment in which [it is operating]”, stating that the UK’s university sector was “grappling with significant financial challenges."
The statement made by the University on 6 November made it clear that the proposal to close suspended courses permanently is not yet a confirmed policy. But academic staff have voiced opposition against the proposals and the reasons that the University has given for them. Paul Smith, the head of the MFL department at Nottingham, has argued that the culling of language courses will not improve the University’s financial situation: “We can function on pencils and dictionaries; we don’t need expensive kit.”
He added that “the University will claim that modern languages bring in very little research income.”
But in testimonies posted by @saveuonmfl on instagram, many students expressed severe concern that the University’s attitude towards MFL is short-sighted. While Prof Cecilia Gloria, director of the University’s language centre, warned that the East Midlands would lose “an entire generation of aspiring linguists, translators and cultural mediators.”
Grace Baranowski, a student of Spanish and International Media Communications at the University said: “[Her] degree has opened up so many opportunities for [her], and allowed [her] to see culture and the arts with a completely different outlook, one that celebrates culture and difference, praises creativity and allows for open expression and interpretation.”
Baranowski goes on to praise the University staff that have taught her as “the most amazing and dedicated educators… whose futures are now uncertain.”
The UCU has expressed similar concerns, arguing that the proposals stand in contradiction to the University’s “global” identity and pose an unwarranted threat to employees. Andreas Bieler, the Vice President of the Union said:
"Our University prides itself as a global University, but by cutting all [modern] language programmes they're turning it into the University of Little England."
On Tuesday 25 November The University's Council approved plans to commence engagement with staff, students and unions about the proposed closures. On the same day, 100 students and members of staff gathered on campus in protest. No final decision will be reached until the end of the academic year.
Comments
Powered by DisqusComments are provided by Disqus.