The head of the University of Edinburgh has defended sweeping programme closures in a sharply worded email to a student who had called on him to resign – a reply that was also received by several MSPs and members of staff.

“I am puzzled to know what part of the concept of affordability you don’t understand,” Sir Peter Mathieson, the university’s principal and vice-chancellor, wrote. “Maybe you live in a world where the cost doesn’t matter or where there is no need to be concerned about the future.”

The email was revealed by The Herald. The newspaper understands the student had copied regional MSPs and university staff into their original message, all of whom then received Sir Peter’s reply. It is unclear whether the principal intended them to see it.

‘Grounded in a real-world analysis’

In the email, Sir Peter wrote: “Whilst I very much agree with you that ‘staff and student voices matter’, it is important that those voices are well-informed by the facts and grounded in a real-world analysis.”

He continued: “Maybe you live in a world where the cost doesn’t matter or where there is no need to be concerned about the future, about sustainability or resilience, or about whether there is enough income to justify and support expenditure. The University of Edinburgh does not live in such a world.”

He said he and the provost, Kim Graham, along with “huge numbers of subject experts and committed colleagues”, were “leading the tough decisions that responsible leaders need to take”, adding: “We are ensuring the future of this great university so that future generations of people like you can benefit in the way that you and your contemporaries have.”

The principal said information about the finances of the sector and of the university was all in the public domain. “Where there is dispute, it is about how we should respond to those circumstances which are largely beyond our control,” he wrote. “You are entitled to your opinion about our responses but you need to suggest alternative genuine evidence-based approaches rather than just object for the sake of objecting.”

‘Good luck with that’

According to a source, the student’s email also supported electing, rather than appointing, the university’s chief executive, as happens at institutions such as Trinity College Dublin.

Sir Peter responded: “As for changing the constitution of the University (and of all Scottish universities) about the ways in which future Principals and Provosts are appointed, good luck with that. I hope you find success and happiness in the future.”

A university spokesperson said it had nothing to add.

Cuts and strikes

Sir Peter has faced mounting criticism over the past two years since plans were announced to cut £140m from the university’s annual budget. Last month The Herald reported that the university would “teach out” 90 programmes in its College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences – meaning they will close to new students while existing students complete their studies.

The University and College Union says the savings plan could put as many as 1,800 jobs at risk. Its members have launched five weeks of strike action, causing significant disruption to the first term of the academic year.

Calls for the principal to step down have grown since the programme closures were agreed. Sir Peter, 67, recently announced that he will leave the university when his current term of office ends in 2028, but told members of its governing court that he would give the institution his “full attention” until his final day.

“At Edinburgh, we are making the tough decisions necessary to restore our University to financial sustainability and resilience for the years ahead,” he said last week. “Every decision that I have made, and those of the executive teams I have led, have always kept the university’s best interests uppermost. We have always acted in good faith, believing we were doing the right things, which are very rarely the easiest things.”

A sector under strain

Edinburgh is not alone. Universities across Scotland have warned of serious financial pressure, citing the cost of teaching Scottish students, whose tuition is funded by the Scottish government, and a fall in income from international students. Several have announced voluntary redundancy schemes or course reviews.

Sir Peter, a kidney specialist by training, previously led the University of Hong Kong before joining Edinburgh in 2018. His email is likely to be seized on by unions and student groups who argue that the university’s leadership has failed to listen to those affected by the cuts, while supporters say it reflects the scale of the financial challenge facing one of the UK’s oldest universities.