Plans to cut jobs that would affect as many as 700 staff members at the University of Dundee will have a “catastrophic” impact, trade union representatives have said.

In a , Shane O’Neill, interim principal and vice-chancellor of the Scottish institution, confirmed the number of individuals affected by cuts may be higher than the 632 roles highlighted previously, because the latter figure relates to full-time-equivalent (FTE) posts.

O’Neill said it is not possible to confirm the “headcount impact” at this stage, but the university has estimated around 700 individuals will be affected.

The letter also outlined the subject areas that may face reductions in modules, including business, life sciences, humanities, geography, art and design, computing, mathematics and physics.

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“In these subject areas we are aiming to reduce module optionality by 15 per cent, with a 20 per cent stretch target, so that we can better manage staff workloads going forward,” he writes.

He added that the university will ensure the “coherence and quality of all programmes will be maintained” and will “seek to teach out” programmes that have already begun.

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The letter said degree programmes linked to accredited programmes, like medicine, dentistry and nursing, would be unaffected.

Figures shared by O’Neill showed that staff costs, excluding USS pensions and restructuring costs, have risen by 14 per cent at the university over the past four years, from £161 million in 2020-21 to £184 million in 2023-24. In the same period, FTE staff numbers rose by 8 per cent, from 3,025 to 3,259.

Dundee initially announced plans to cut jobs in March, following forecasts of a £35 million deficit for 2024-25.

The university has since been given £22 million by the Scottish Funding Council to prevent insolvency and the funding body has also launched an investigation into why the institution’s financial position deteriorated so suddenly.

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Mary Senior, Scotland official at the University and College Union (UCU), said the planned cuts were “tantamount to academic and economic vandalism”.

“This level of job cuts would be catastrophic for the city of Dundee and the surrounding area. We cannot let this destruction go ahead,” she continued. “The funding already announced by the Scottish government and Funding Council is a start to prevent these cuts.”

The university previously said that staffing reductions would be spread across every school, with 197 full-time-equivalent academic roles set to go, alongside 435 professional services roles.

It said it would seek to avoid compulsory redundancies but that “the scale of the required staff reductions” meant it was unlikely to be able to avoid these altogether.

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UCU general secretary Jo Grady said the cuts would have a “devastating impact” on the university, the city and the local economy. She called on university officials to “rule out compulsory redundancies and engage with the union to find a better way forward that avoids irreparable damage before it is too late”.

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com