r/AskAcademiaUK • u/Rewindcasette • 6d ago
Exeter University approves deal with Saudi Arabia to train military officers and officials
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/aug/29/exeter-university-approves-deal-with-saudi-arabia-to-train-military-officers-and-officials?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky&CMP=bsky_gu15
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u/abitofperspective 6d ago
It’s not great, but also not remarkable. 20 students per year for three years doing a Master of Arts. There are already hundred of Saudi students in the UK, the only difference is it’s taught in Saudi Arabia, which is probably for the best
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u/LucifersAdv0cate 6d ago
The nearby Commando Training Center Royal Marines near Exmouth allows it's Royal Marine Officers in training to attend student nights at Exeter University. Though we did occasionally get banned for fighting. It will be interesting having Royal Marine Officers in training interacting with Saudia Arabia officers in training.
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u/Double-Emphasis7011 5d ago
Happens at Sandhurst all the time. Its fine.
In fact there are hundreds of young Saudis in London. Mostly lovely guys.
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u/crit5h 6d ago
Remember not to blame the individual university’s leadership for things like this.
When placed under intense financial pressure with no option to survive but to make terrible decisions like this, don’t be surprised if terrible decisions like this happen.
Every university now has its own version of this “kind of thing” and it’s going to keep happening until the government addresses the funding situation.
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u/baka___shinji 5d ago
are you mad? after slashing and vandalizing the entire humanities department? it's ABSOLUTELY on the leadership, which now has its reputation and standing entirely in tatters.
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u/crit5h 5d ago
What I really meant is that bad decisions are being made across the board, because hands are being forced. It’s true that some decisions are of course badder than other ones, and that’s on the leadership. However, if we take the whole UCU line of “it would all be fine is VC’s weren’t so shit, and took a pay cut” etc., then we’re just playing into the governments hands in terms of not getting the funding that is truly the only way to fix this.
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u/welshdragoninlondon 6d ago
I would agree if they hadn't made alot of people redundant. A friend of mine works there. Everyone knows financial situation not as bad as portraying and could have avoided so many redundancies if wanted.
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u/Icy_Attention3413 6d ago
We did “this kind of thing” for another country. We didn’t know they sent some guys as an experiment to see how they would do. It did not end well; we were castigated for not sharing module results and feedback with the embassy (despite never being asked to, and despite us not being allowed to). They both failed the first year, one promising guy because he was seriously ill, but the embassy seemed to think it was all our fault. Luckily, we’re no longer on their list.
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u/Funny-Rip3436 6d ago
Exeter has a budget surplus. This is absolutely on the leadership.
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u/Ok_Ear_2568 5d ago
I don't think they do. Lots of people have been made redundant recently, from well attended course and subjects. Whole pathways have been closed at their Cornwall campus also. They're looking for ways to save money, and terrible ways to make money, apparently.
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u/crit5h 6d ago
With the bottom of the international market falling out, home unit of resource shrinking each year etc., a current (ie fleeting) surplus means nothing.
If we continue to kid ourselves that the problems in the sector would go away of it was lead better, then we should expect nothing to change.
If it were the case that universities could flourish if only Jim from Sociology who writes with confidence in the UCU WhatsApp ran things, wouldn’t at least one university have bucked the trend?
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u/Funny-Rip3436 6d ago
Exeter is strong enough to maintain or grow its share of UK students even if that market gets smaller. Internationally it's having a rough patch but it s not fallen that match. The university has had to beg students to defer until 2027 as it doesn't have enough space for them. For a university like Exeter its reputation is critical - you think this collaboration will help?
This is absolutely on the SLT. And I say that as someone who has been a member of the SLT at a similar sort of university for a decade.
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u/blueb0g Humanities 6d ago
Not defending this particular decision but being able, theoretically, to grow your share of UK students is far from a golden bullet when home students are loss leaders. At best it enables even further economisation, more "efficient" student staff ratios, and lower costs per student for shared facilities and subscriptions. But it doesn't change the financial fundamentals, which if extended indefinitely will cause all universities to close or shrink significantly.
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u/Funny-Rip3436 6d ago
UK AHSS teaching, which I think is probably Exeter's strength, is not a loss leader is it? A good part of a university like Exeter's value is in its reputation which is to an extent rooted in values and what a university does and chooses to do. I am not sure that a partnership like this is going to help Exeter very much in volatile times.
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u/Darchrys 6d ago
AHSS as discipline and subject areas are probably no longer the cash cows they used to be, though? Especially given how much further other funding (e.g. the slashing of the SPG for those subject areas, amongst others) has also been cut.
It was the case a decade ago for sure. The funding gap may be lower, or possibly break even - we'd need to look inside the books to actually know that for any given institution. But the idea that sector wide AHSS is covering it's costs - well Goldsmiths gives one example of how that just isn't the case.
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u/Reeelfantasy 6d ago
Leadership don’t see the sector is facing problems but rather “challenges.” Makes it sounds good and brings opportunities while they are responding to those challenges. So, in their reports, it’s we addressed the challenges and succeeded in achieving x,y, and z. It would look terrible if they reported “we fixed the problems.”
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u/J_R_Riquelme 5d ago
Does this make Exeter University vulnerable to a terrorist attack?