UK universities cut geography degrees

According to Times Higher Education, geography programmes across the UK are facing mounting pressure as part of wider cuts in the higher education sector. In a joint statement, five professors argue that weakening the discipline at a time of intensifying climate change, geopolitical tensions and social inequality would be a strategic error.

The authors note that geography, like many other fields, has been affected by budget reductions, staff cuts and restructuring processes. However, they stress that the risks are particularly acute for geography because it offers a rare, systemic approach that integrates natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities. This breadth, they warn, leaves the discipline vulnerable to fragmentation within university structures.

For example, at the University of Leicester, plans to reorganise the subject would allow physical geography to continue without human geographers. The professors describe this as a fundamental misunderstanding of the discipline, arguing that geography’s strength lies precisely in the integration of physical and human geography.

According to a survey of 56 UK universities offering geography degrees, 38 per cent experienced a decline in undergraduate enrolment for the 2024–25 recruitment cycle. The sharpest losses were recorded in smaller departments with fewer than 20 academic staff. By contrast, departments with more than 40 geographers were less likely to report falling numbers.

More than three-quarters of universities in the Russell Group have maintained or increased undergraduate recruitment in geography over the past year. However, smaller and non-Russell Group institutions have been more likely to reduce optional modules and field classes.

Regional inequality is also a growing concern. A report by the British Academy highlights limited access to social sciences, humanities and arts provision in certain parts of the country, disproportionately affecting students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those relying on lower-tariff institutions.

At the same time, fieldwork — a distinctive feature of geography and a requirement of the Quality Assurance Agency — has been curtailed in some institutions due to financial constraints. The impact has been particularly visible in Wales and the north of England, while Russell Group universities have generally remained more insulated from reductions.

The professors emphasise that geography is not alone in facing financial pressures, as the entire UK higher education sector grapples with funding challenges. Nevertheless, they argue that at a time when public interest in mapping, environmental change, urban life, new imperialisms and global inequality is growing, diminishing geography provision would represent a significant loss for society.

In their view, geography equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to understand and address interconnected global crises — and student interest in the subject remains strong.