The University of Reading has opened a targeted voluntary redundancy scheme for academic staff, with applications closing at 4pm on Monday 16 November 2026. The scheme is aimed at academics in selected schools where staffing levels are below the university's minimum range.

Who can apply

The scheme is open to academic staff at Grade 7 and above — lecturers, associate professors and professors — in identified schools only. They include the School of Agriculture and Policy Development, parts of the School of Humanities covering Classics, English Literature, History, and Languages and Culture, and the Charlie Waller Institute within the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences. It is not open to all schools, and the university says the scheme targets areas where realigning academic resource will benefit the financial operation of the school.

What the package offers

The voluntary redundancy payment is calculated as the statutory redundancy payment based on uncapped weekly salary, plus two months' gross pay. The total payment is subject to a cap of 20 years' service and a maximum payment of £75,000. The university believes that payments up to £30,000 can be paid free of tax.

Deadlines and notice

The opportunity to apply opened on 26 October 2026 and closes at 4pm on Monday 16 November 2026. Staff must submit an expression-of-interest form by noon on Thursday 12 November 2026. The payment does not include payment in lieu of notice, and a notice period to 31 July 2027 will be expected to be worked in full.

No headcount figure given

The university has not said how many academics it expects to leave under the scheme. The schools were identified from the latest modelling of staff-student ratio data from June 2026, all of which show a ratio for 2026-27 below the minimum range.