Cuts linked to international cap
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The University of Wollongong (UOW) has announced job cuts due to a revenue shortfall attributed to declining international student enrolments.
The university confirmed that up to 137 academic staff across 25 disciplines, including history, mathematics, geography, and humanities, may face redundancies in a move aimed at recurrent savings of $15-20 million.
It comes in a response to a $35 million drop in revenue from international student enrolments, the uni says.
Interim Vice-Chancellor John Dewar says some disciplines would be downsized, merged, or in certain cases, disestablished altogether.
“There are some areas of the University with low student enrolment where we can no longer justify maintaining our current levels of staffing,” he said.
UOW’s approach has targeted subjects with persistently low enrolments, which university leaders believe are no longer sustainable.
However, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has expressed deep concerns about the cuts, warning they could lead to the loss of entire departments in key fields such as history and public health.
The university’s restructuring efforts come amid plans to open a new campus in Gujarat, India, which some have criticised given the institution’s financial difficulties.
Some have pointed to these offshore enrolment initiatives, questioning the decision to cut Australian jobs as a primary response to the current revenue shortfall.
The NTEU says the cuts could have lasting repercussions on the university’s offerings and reputation. It also notes gendered impacts within engineering departments, where job losses may disproportionately affect female academics.
Additionally, concerns over governance have also surfaced regarding Vice-Chancellor Dewar's dual role.
Dewar’s interim appointment followed UOW’s decision to engage KordaMentha, a consultancy where Dewar is a partner, to oversee the restructure.
An NTEU representative has described the situation as “an untenable conflict of interest,” but Dewar says he was not involved in KordaMentha’s selection nor in supervising its work on campus restructuring.
The university expects further financial strain in 2025, saying its cap of 3,700 students means even lower international student numbers than in previous years, reducing revenue even further.
