RUG to Cut 300 Jobs After Budget Day Cuts, While Hanze Trims via Re-Organisation
About 300 positions will go as a €25–30 million gap opens after Budget Day. RUG will minimise instead of laying off, delay investments & accept larger classes, while Hanze trims via reorganisation.
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The University of Groningen (RUG) says it must shrink by about 300 positions in the coming years after new cuts announced on Budget Day (Prinsjesdag), 16 September 2025. The university had already implemented parts of an €80 million savings plan; the latest budget leaves an extra €25–30 million hole because rising salaries and prices aren’t fully covered. The board aims to avoid forced redundancies by using retirements and natural turnover. Investments will be delayed, office space redesigned, and some buildings could be sold.
Universities learned on Budget Day that earlier cutbacks remain in place and additional cuts are being added. Sector groups estimate over €1.3 billion in structural reductions across education, with universities facing an extra €25 million on top of prior multi-year cuts. RUG publicly warned that the new budget offers no relief and will likely require an additional €25–30 million to save locally.
What it Means on Campus
RUG says teaching capacity will be reduced, which can mean larger class groups in some programmes. Support services will also be trimmed. Earlier in the year, the board said it hoped to get through cuts without layoffs, but asked staff to help absorb changes. The university has been running tight budgets since 2024 and exploring organisational options, including possible faculty mergers under external advice. Staff and students protested the cuts nationally this spring.
What about Hanze?
Hanze University of Applied Sciences is already reshaping its organisation: moving from 29 schools to 9 clusters (six education/research, three support), mainly affecting management layers. Current messaging suggests that the latest national cuts will have only a limited extra impact, and no forced layoffs are expected in this phase.
