Strategy to Recovery: A sustainable future

In late 2024, it emerged that the University was facing an institutional crisis, caused by poor leadership and ineffective governance, with sector-wide financial pressures as a contributing factor.  

We know this has had an impact on our staff, students, and all who have an interest in the University.  

While many universities are currently facing financial issues, the Gillies Report, commissioned by the Scottish Funding Council, outlined the mistakes of leadership, financial management, and governance which led our University to this point. We recognise and regret these mistakes and their effect on the institution as well as our University community.  

We are now determined to move forward and transform the institution to ensure a stronger, sustainable future.   

We have substantially strengthened our leadership, our governance, and our processes, and are now restructuring the University to ensure we deliver on our mission and vision in a robust and sustainable manner.  

We are grateful for the financial support of the  Scottish Government, provided through the Scottish Funding Council, which has been vital in helping us stabilise the institution and allowing us to work towards a financially sustainable future.   

A roadmap for recovery 

In the short term, the University needs to take further, urgent action to become financially sustainable.   

We need to:  

• reduce the cost of running the University  
• review our activities, including education, research, and recruitment to align with  the resources available  
• restructure our institution to ensure a fair, effective and sustainable workplace for our staff  

Our focus is on bridging between our initial crisis response and our long-term future:  

• restoring financial sustainability and building the foundations for future success  
• providing clarity on our priorities  
• strengthening governance  
• rebuilding organisational confidence and capability  
• building a foundation for a longer-term Strategic Plan, to be developed under the new Principal, as well as achieving short-term financial goals  

The Strategy to Recovery will underpin this activity. It will stabilise the University’s finances and create the financial, cultural, and structural conditions necessary to make the co-creation and delivery of a full strategy possible in the future.  

If you are a member of University staff, you can read the Strategy to Recovery (staff login required).  

Information for current and future students

We are committed to ensuring continuity and a high-quality education for all our students. We are delivering our courses as normal and will continue throughout this year, and beyond.  

We are actively recruiting new students to start in September 2026 and January 2027, with a full prospectus, indicating our determination to achieve a more sustainable future and continue to be a great place to live, work, and study. Any student starting a degree programme in September 2026 will be able to complete that degree programme at Dundee. 

Our University is recognised as a great place to study; most recently, we ranked 3rd university in Scotland and 25th in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2027, which takes a range of metrics including student satisfaction and graduate prospects into account.  We are committed to maintaining our focus on the quality of the student experience. 

Joining us from September 2026 or thinking of applying to Dundee? Read more about what our current situation means for you.