Documenting publicly reported changes to academic anthropology programmes across United Kingdom higher education institutions.
Anthropology programmes across the United Kingdom are facing unprecedented pressures. Financial deficits, declining enrolments in humanities and social sciences, institutional restructuring, and shifts in government higher education policy are combining to reshape the disciplinary landscape. Departments that have operated for decades are being merged, reduced, or closed entirely.
UK Anthropology Watch provides a centralised, transparent record of these institutional changes. Modelled on the American Anthropological Association's Anthropology Watch tracker, this project aims to support informed public discussion, enable comparative analysis across institutions, and preserve an accurate historical record of what is happening to anthropology in UK higher education.
In September 2025, the British Academy's Cold Spots report found that anthropology is among the SHAPE subjects showing significant decline in provision, with large geographic gaps emerging across Scotland, northern England, the East Midlands, and Wales. The discipline's future depends on clear-eyed documentation of these trends.
| Institution | Region | Programme | Level | Status | Action | Date | Driver | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Kent | South East England | Anthropology (all programmes) | UG PGT PGR | Closed | Programme discontinued | 2024 | Financial deficit | The School of Anthropology and Conservation was closed in 2024 as part of restructuring driven by a projected £31m deficit. The department had operated for 60 years, produced over 160 PhDs, and was rated world-leading in REF 2021. All UG/PG anthropology programmes phased out from 2024–25. | Times Higher Education |
| Bournemouth University | South West England | Anthropology-related programmes | UG | Closed | Programme closures; 200+ redundancies | 2025 | Financial deficit / restructuring | Bournemouth cut 200+ jobs and permanently closed 15 courses including undergraduate anthropology and politics degrees as part of efforts to save £20m. The cuts followed poor financial management, with the previous VC and finance director departing. UCU called four days of strikes over exam season. BSc Anthropology and BSc Archaeological/Anthropological/Forensic Sciences listings show some 2026 intake, but the institutional position is severely diminished. | Times Higher Education |
| Queen Mary University of London | London | Anthropology-related programmes | Multiple | Closed | Department dissolved | March 2024 | Financial deficit / restructuring | QMUL announced the cutting of anthropology alongside several other AHSS departments in late March 2024. The closure was part of broader institutional restructuring, following financial pressures from lower-than-expected recruitment. | QMUCU |
| Goldsmiths, University of London | London | Anthropology BA | UG PGT PGR | Staff reductions | Further cuts; indefinite strike (June 2026) | 2024–2026 | Financial deficit / low enrolment | The 2024 'Transformation Programme' targeted 132 FTE posts (17% of staff), with anthropology facing up to 50% reductions. A £22m savings round for 2026–27 put 269 staff in scope for redundancy (more than 1 in 5 of the workforce). Indefinite strike action began 8 June 2026 after management imposed 100% wage deductions on boycotting staff; by August the strike had entered its 10th week, threatening graduations. The VC has said the institution is 'relying on reserves to keep the lights on'. Further academic cuts slated from September 2026. | Times Higher Education |
| Oxford Brookes University | South East England | Anthropology (joint programmes) | UG | Staff reductions | Voluntary and compulsory redundancies | 2023–2025 | Financial deficit | Oxford Brookes announced cuts of up to 48 academic staff across AHSS in late 2023. The voluntary severance scheme failed to meet its £2m annual savings target, and some staff progressed to compulsory redundancy. Music was closed entirely; English, Film, Anthropology and Architecture were all cut. All six History professors were placed at risk. Anthropology continues with significantly reduced capacity. | Times Higher Education |
| University of Roehampton | London | Anthropology BSc | UG | Closed | Programme discontinued (fire & rehire) | 2022–2023 | Financial deficit / restructuring | Anthropology was discontinued as part of a mass fire-and-rehire process affecting 226 staff. The university closed anthropology alongside classics, creative writing, and other arts and humanities subjects, claiming the cuts would allow a shift to 'skills-led' learning. UCU opposed the closures as restricting access to arts and humanities. | UCU |
| University of East Anglia | East of England | Anthropology with International Development BA | UG | Monitoring | Limited provision | – | – | UEA offers anthropology through combined programmes rather than as a standalone single-honours degree. Provision is more limited than at other Russell Group institutions. | UEA |
| University of Cambridge | East of England | Archaeology & Anthropology; Social Anthropology | UG PGT PGR | Active | – | – | – | Ranked #1 in the Complete University Guide 2026. The Department of Social Anthropology is among the world's leading departments with a comprehensive curriculum. | Cambridge |
| University of Oxford | South East England | Archaeology & Anthropology; Social Anthropology | UG PGT PGR | Active | – | – | – | School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography offers the full range of programmes. Strong interdisciplinary emphasis and world-class research standing. | Oxford |
| London School of Economics (LSE) | London | Social Anthropology BA; Anthropology & Law | UG PGT PGR | Active | – | – | – | One of the leading social anthropology departments globally with strong multidisciplinary focus and international research perspectives. | LSE |
| UCL (University College London) | London | Anthropology BSc/BA | UG PGT PGR | Active | – | – | – | One of the largest anthropology departments in the UK, offering both social and biological anthropology. Part of the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences. | UCL |
| SOAS University of London | London | Social Anthropology BA; Anthropology & Sociology | UG PGT PGR | Active | – | – | – | Department of Anthropology and Sociology within the School of Anthropology, Media and Gender. Known for regional specialisms in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. | SOAS |
| University of Edinburgh | Scotland | Social Anthropology MA (Hons) | UG PGT PGR | Under pressure | Budget cuts; strikes; 90 programmes axed | 2025–2026 | £140m budget cuts | Edinburgh is pushing through £140m in cuts (c.10% of annual turnover), including £90m in salary savings. 90 programmes have been axed. UCU warned up to 1,800 jobs are at risk. Staff conducted a five-week strike; action was suspended after the university ruled out compulsory redundancies for the current academic year. Impacts on anthropology include 'hidden redundancies': fewer tutors, larger tutorial groups, and early-career researchers losing teaching work. VC Peter Mathieson has announced he will step down in 2028. | Scotsman |
| University of St Andrews | Scotland | Social Anthropology MA (Hons) | UG PGT PGR | Active | – | – | – | Ranked #1 in Scotland and #1 in the UK (Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026). 92% of research rated world-leading or internationally excellent in REF 2021. | St Andrews |
| University of Aberdeen | Scotland | Anthropology MA (Hons); Anthropology & Archaeology | UG PGT PGR | Under pressure | Up to 111 academic posts at risk; strikes | 2026 | £10m savings plan | A £10m savings plan approved by university court in May 2026 could see 111 FTE academic posts lost, including in anthropology. Compulsory redundancies 'cannot be ruled out'. As of August 2026, 41 staff had left under a voluntary redundancy scheme. UCU members voted for strike action, with walkouts in March and August 2026 over potential compulsory redundancies and course cuts. Target student-staff ratios of 25:1 for SHAPE subjects would significantly reduce staffing. | Times Higher Education |
| University of Glasgow | Scotland | Social Anthropology (within Sociology) | PGT PGR | Under pressure | Voluntary redundancy scheme; strike ballot | 2026 | International enrolment decline | A voluntary redundancy scheme launched in August 2026 prompted UCU to open a strike ballot (6 October – 10 November). Over 80 staff in the Social and Public Health Sciences Unit are at risk. Social sciences face the sharpest predicted drop in overseas students. The university has ruled out compulsory redundancies and UCU suspended action, but the institutional pressure on social sciences remains. Anthropology is taught within the School of Social and Political Sciences. | Times Higher Education |
| Durham University | North East England | Anthropology BSc/BA; joint programmes | UG PGT PGR | Monitoring | Institution-wide voluntary severance | 2025–2026 | £20m staff cost savings | Durham cut £20m in staff costs over two years, with 200+ staff taking voluntary severance (a 5% reduction). UCU opened a strike ballot in January 2026 over workloads and job cuts, warning that losses have led to 'extreme increases in demands on staff'. No anthropology-specific cuts confirmed, but the department sits within an institution under significant financial pressure. One of the largest UK anthropology departments, combining social, biological and medical anthropology. | Times Higher Education |
| University of Manchester | North West England | Social Anthropology BA | UG PGT PGR | Monitoring | 140 compulsory redundancies threatened | 2026 | Restructuring (despite financial strength) | Up to 140 staff face compulsory redundancy by September 2026, despite the university being in a strong financial position. UCU has balloted members for industrial action. No anthropology-specific cuts confirmed, but the scale of institutional restructuring warrants monitoring. Strong tradition in social sciences with the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology. | Manchester |
| University of Sussex | South East England | Anthropology BA; joint programmes | UG PGT PGR | Under pressure | 200 jobs at risk; compulsory redundancies threatened | 2026 | £35m savings / enrolment decline | Sussex plans to cut 200 FTE posts to save £35m annually, following a loss of 4,000 students and over 500 voluntary departures in the previous 12 months. Anthropology and international development are among departments affected, with tighter operational budgets and restrictions on fieldwork and programme support. UCU has condemned the threat of compulsory redundancies if insufficient staff come forward voluntarily. The Institute of Development Studies is separately cutting 12 posts, and 17 jobs are at risk at the students' union. | UCU |
| University of Bristol | South West England | Anthropology BA; Archaeology & Anthropology | UG PGT PGR | Active | – | – | – | Department of Anthropology and Archaeology takes a global, four-field approach combining archaeology with evolutionary, social, and linguistic anthropology. | Bristol |
| University of Birmingham | West Midlands | Social Anthropology BA | UG PGT PGR | Monitoring | Multiple redundancy rounds | 2025–2026 | Restructuring | Six rounds of redundancies since July 2025, with 100+ academics placed at risk across the institution. Compulsory redundancies enacted in Modern Languages. No anthropology-specific cuts confirmed, but the sustained pace of restructuring warrants monitoring. Offers BA Social Anthropology within the Department of African Studies and Anthropology (DASA). | Birmingham |
| University of Exeter | South West England | Anthropology BA | UG PGT PGR | Under pressure | 50% anthropology staff reduction; strike ballot | June 2026 | Financial deficit / enrolment decline | 500 staff placed at risk of redundancy, with 150 FTE posts expected to go. 115 of these are in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, which accounts for 85% of all staff at risk. Anthropology faces a 50% staff reduction; Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology also badly affected. UCU strike ballot opened 27 July 2026. A petition against the cuts has received 30,000 signatures, backed by Stephen Fry, Rory Stewart, Alice Roberts and others. The university says no departments will close but hopes to achieve changes through voluntary measures. | Times Higher Education |
| Brunel University London | London | Anthropology BSc (multiple pathways) | UG PGT PGR | Under pressure | 350+ jobs cut; UCU boycott | 2025–2026 | £32.9m deficit / visa policy changes | Over 350 jobs cut (20% of targeted workforce), with 465 staff departing by mid-2025. Compulsory redundancies not ruled out. A further round of academic and professional services redundancies announced May 2025. The financial position shifted from a £57m surplus (2023–24) to a £32.9m deficit (2024–25), driven by government visa policy changes. UCU declared an academic boycott. Anthropology programmes are still recruiting for 2026 but the institutional picture is severe. | UCU Brunel |
| King's College London | London | Anthropology (within Global Affairs) | UG PGT | Active | – | – | – | Department of Anthropology dedicated to comprehensive exploration of human societies covering cultural, social, and political aspects. | King's |
| University of Plymouth | South West England | Anthropology BA | UG | Active | – | – | – | Offers BA (Hons) Anthropology as a standalone undergraduate degree within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business. | Plymouth |
| Queen's University Belfast | Northern Ireland | Social Anthropology (within Social Sciences) | UG PGT PGR | Active | – | – | – | Offers anthropology within the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics. The only Northern Ireland institution with anthropology provision. | QUB |
| University of Dundee | Scotland | Forensic Anthropology MSc | PGT | Active | – | – | – | Offers specialist postgraduate provision in forensic anthropology through the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification (CAHID). | Dundee |
| University of Bradford | Yorkshire & the Humber | Archaeological & Forensic Sciences; Osteology | UG PGT | Active | – | – | – | Offers physical/forensic anthropology through archaeology and forensic science programmes. Particular strengths in biological anthropology and human osteology. | Bradford |
| University of Southampton | South East England | Anthropology (within Archaeology) | UG PGT | Active | – | – | – | Anthropology taught within the Department of Archaeology, with a particular focus on biological and evolutionary anthropology. | Southampton |
| University of Reading | South East England | Archaeology & related programmes | UG PGT | Active | – | – | – | Anthropological content delivered through archaeology and related programmes within the Department of Archaeology. | Reading |
| Liverpool John Moores University | North West England | Forensic Anthropology BSc | UG | Active | – | – | – | Offers specialist forensic anthropology provision as part of the School of Biological and Environmental Sciences. | LJMU |
| University of Central Lancashire | North West England | Forensic Science & Anthropology | UG | Active | – | – | – | Offers anthropology through combined forensic science and anthropology programmes. | UCLan |
| University of Winchester | South East England | Anthropology BA | UG | Active | – | – | – | Offers Anthropology as an undergraduate single-honours degree with a focus on cultural and social anthropology. | Winchester |
| University of Wales Trinity Saint David | Wales | Anthropology (related programmes) | UG | Active | – | – | – | Offers anthropology content within broader humanities and social science programmes. One of the few Welsh institutions with anthropological provision. | UWTSD |
Last updated: October 2026. Data compiled from institutional websites, UCAS, Times Higher Education, UCU, the British Academy, and the ASA. This tracker records publicly reported changes only. If you have information about a programme change not listed here, please submit an update.
This tracker documents publicly reported changes to anthropology programmes at UK higher education institutions. Status categories are defined as follows:
Data sources include institutional announcements, Times Higher Education, UCU reports, UCAS listings, the Complete University Guide, the British Academy SHAPE Observatory, and the ASA's Condition of UK Anthropology (2023) report.