Edinburgh’s £140m deficit forecast over 18 months outstrips the £30m deficit recorded by Cardiff University, meaning it would be the largest deficit by a British university during the funding crisis engulfing the sector.
Jo Grady, the general secretary of the University and College Union, said the cuts being suggested were “off the scale” and urged the Russell Group university to dip into its estimated £3bn worth of assets.
“Prof Mathieson needs to use the billions of pounds the university boasts in wealth to protect jobs, protect provision and protect the university’s global reputation.
Edinburgh’s announcement came as the Scottish government unveiled a £15m bailout fund for troubled institutions including the University of Dundee, which is using job cuts and course closures to meet a £30m deficit.
Grady said: “The University of Edinburgh is one of the oldest and richest institutions in Scotland with endowments stretching back through the centuries, so management’s threat to make cuts of this size is shocking.
