History, On Its Way to Becoming History? Leicester's 'Strategic' Changes.

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In January, I wrote my first blog post on the value of studying history. With proposed cuts now formally suggested at the University of Leicester, here I am again in November, arguing for a course I hold dear.

History matters, perhaps now more than ever. With the rise of the far-right, increasing threats to communities, and hostility at an all-time high, it can guide us in recognising patterns before it is too late. In July of this year, I was at home when I read a tweet from the Department of History, Politics and International Relations at the University of Leicester. It read, rather depressingly, on the graduation day of its students, that History was being “considered as part of the University’s strategic review.” [1]

The 2023-2024 Annual Reports and Financial Statements suggested that the university was facing unsustainable costs. Increased costs to staffing and a shortage of international students led to gaps in finances which were greater than planned. [2] As such, the university intended to look to areas which drive income - STEM, international partnerships and research growth. [3] However, just because STEM attracts more students and higher fees doesn’t mean it should be the sole focus of the university.

Leicester’s History Department was one of the most impressive I visited back in 2023 when applying to university - how can it be right that enthusiastic lecturers face the chop because university bosses prioritise profits over curiosity? Professor Krista Cowman, Head of School, whom I met about a year ago when she spoke at an event I ran in Oxford, was frankly one of the best historians I have ever met. She was so incredibly insightful, and the whole room was hooked on the panel discussion on women’s suffrage and political involvement. While I may not have ended up studying at the university, I knew it was a welcoming environment with tutors who seemed to deeply care about their subjects, and it made me feel like I actually belonged.

History remains one of the most popular undergraduate degrees outside STEM. In 2024, the Royal Historical Society wrote a report titled ‘The Value of History in UK Higher Education and Society’ in which they claimed that it remains with ‘strong student enrolment’, with 40,000 students studying it each year. [4] This doesn’t sound like a dying subject? If anything, even if there is a temporary dip in university admissions, the number of students enrolling for A-Level History saw a 5% increase between 2020 to 2024. [5] Therefore, there is a clear appetite for the past, and with this, the potential for future historians to emerge.

But, how can we expect young people to want to study history if they are bombarded with headlines of a culture of cuts?

The BBC posted a story on the 6th of November 2025 about the financial decisions being taken at the University of Leicester. They stated:

The academic team within the history department will also be reduced to align with "sustainable levels of student demand", and the university is also proposing to merge chemistry, geography, geology and the environment departments in order to create a new faculty. [6]

Re-shuffling of departments is nothing new. Cutting courses, whether through staffing or space itself, can have consequences. In my post earlier this year, I argued that History could well be on the verge of becoming an elitist subject. If we don’t have a variety of universities that offer the course at ABB or BBB, or continue to offer it, then how can students who do not achieve A*AA or AAA for Cambridge and Oxford continue to study a subject they love?

Now, I am just a student, I don’t even attend the University of Leicester, but I sure as hell do care about people having the chance to study what they want. I care about people keeping their jobs, and in a world where the cost-of-living crisis continues and wages are not increasing to adequately support people, more must be done to support staff and students alike. Universities of the past were communities of learning and discovery; that’s what they should aim to be again today, not profit-focused, but learning-led.

Nobody should face job insecurity like academics do. It’s not right. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester was paid £328,000 in the year 2022-2023.[7] This was an increase of 14% following a year of record applications and research awards to the university. [8] Indeed, Leicester remains a thriving academic environment, with grants and numerous research opportunities. But if it cannot pay its staff and wishes to increase their workload by downsizing departments, perhaps this is not the best approach for student and staff satisfaction.

Universities must continue to be, first and foremost, centres of learning. History is a fundamental part of learning. Understanding the past is crucial for acknowledging the factors influencing the world today, giving us a chance to identify patterns. History must not be sacrificed for the sake of profit or course-packing; it must be saved because it offers a critical evaluation invaluable in today's world.


Want to stop the cuts? If you're a student at Leicester you can register no confidence here: No Confidence in this Leadership: Stop Leicester University’s Job Cuts https://share.google/X50znnUFNhjQtMEn0 

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