Quarter of UK physics departments ‘at risk of closure’

More than a quarter of UK university physics departments could shut within two years, according to an Institute of Physics (IOP) report that is warning of severe pressures on higher education.

According to the institute, 26% of departments surveyed were at risk of closure, while 58% expected degree courses to shut down. Some 83% anticipated job losses in the next two years, and 84% already faced financial difficulties.

The report, Physics Matters: Funding the Foundations of Growth, linked the threat to rising costs, declining international student numbers and changes to visa rules. It warned that the combination of inflation and funding shortfalls left smaller departments particularly exposed.

The IOP cautioned that any closures could be “sudden, uncoordinated and chaotic”, affecting more than 17,000 undergraduates and 6,000 staff across the country.

Physics research in the UK is widely recognised as among the best in the world, with 95% of outputs rated “internationally excellent” or “world leading”. Physics-based businesses generate around 11% of UK GDP, while university spinout companies in the discipline have been valued at more than £18bn over the past 20 years.

The report said there were “worrying signs” that this global standing was beginning to erode, with grant funding and student enrolment both in decline.

Professor Sir Keith Burnett, president of the IOP, said: “The future of the UK as a leading scientific nation depends crucially on the training of physicists. Our success in what is a global race depends on physics innovation – from our energy security to AI, physics underpins the technology we use now and in the decades to come.

“Our universities are rightly admired across the world, with globally renowned research and innovations that drive economic growth. And yet, just when we most need physics graduates, researchers and innovators, the foundations of this ecosystem are under the most severe threat.”

The IOP also pointed to difficulties in schools, noting that more than a quarter of secondary schools in England lack a specialist physics teacher.

It urged the government to take short-term measures including emergency funding for science and engineering departments, an “early warning system” for at-risk faculties, and visa reforms to retain international students. It also called for a 10-year physical sciences strategy and wider reform of university funding.