University of Copenhagen needs 75,000 m² cut to offset financing shortfall

When budget cuts had the Faculty of Science laying off more than 100 staff in November, one of the explanations was that the faculty faced increased operating costs for the two prestige construction projects — the Niels Bohr Building and the new Natural History Museum of Denmark.

But documents from the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) show that the layoffs at the Faculty of Science were just the first visible sign of a potentially much larger financial issue in the university’s property management.

According to the proposed UCPH budget for 2026, there is an »unmanaged deficit« in the university’s property financing from 2028 onwards — and no funding has yet been identified to close the gap. This has led to a so-called technical budget correction being included in the draft, amounting to DKK 22.5 million in 2026 and rising to DKK 130.2 million by 2034.

The 2026 correction can be covered by the university’s financial reserves. But beyond that, there will be no more reserves in the property budget to cover expected deficits.

Downsizing by 75,000 square metres

The University of Copenhagen takes up about one million square metres across its four major campuses and other locations.

UCPH leases the properties, which are owned by the Danish state.

Case files and meeting minutes show that the university’s governing Board has discussed the need to reduce its floor space in order to save on rent for several years.

In a campus and building master plan Helhedsplan 2030, UCPH outlines how the university can reduce its floor space usage going forward. One of the targets is to ensure that the cost of buildings does not exceed 20 per cent of the university’s overall income.

The target is intended to help prevent building expenses from spiralling into the multimillion-kroner deficits projected for the years ahead.

But just the two new buildings mentioned above account for more than 80,000 square metres in combination.

In connection with this article, University Post requested an interview with Chair of the Board Merete Eldrup, but she declined. University Director Søren Munk Skydsgaard submitted written responses to University Post’s questions instead.

In these, he acknowledges that UCPH still does not know how the potential multi-million kroner shortfall in the university’s property financing will be covered.

»We do not currently have a specific answer to how we will ensure financial balance in the property area for several years into the future, but this is something that we are continuously working on,« writes Søren Munk Skydsgaard.

According to the university director, the current plans assume that the university is to reduce space by 75,000 square metres — just below the total size of the two new prestige building projects.

»This number should be treated with caution, as there are several factors that still need to be examined,« he adds.

The university director defends the construction of the Niels Bohr Building and the new Natural History Museum of Denmark however, stating that it was necessitated by »the need for advanced research facilities« and »modern, combined settings«.

He also writes that growth in external research funding has meant that UCPH has expanded significantly in recent years. So even though the new buildings exceed the planned floor space reduction, the university director still describes UCPH’s plans as »a significant concentration of space«.

READ ALSO: Cutbacks begin: Layoffs hit the Faculty of Science

2030 target in jeopardy

The most controversial downsizing involves the vacation of the central CSS campus in the old municipal hospital buildings. This will require the Faculty of Social Sciences to relocate to South Campus.

According to a memo from a Board meeting in October 2024, the annual rent and operating costs for the site amount to DKK 105 million. Despite the master plan Helhedsplan 2030‘s target of reducing property costs by 2030, the memo states that the move from the municipal hospital is not expected to be completed by that year.

»The phasing out of the municipal hospital reflects the need for detailed planning of the lease’s termination, as other parts of the university besides the Faculty of Social Sciences are also based there, and there is uncertainty related to the (temporary) need for auditoriums after Social Sciences move to South Campus,« it states.

Based on the memo, it is recommended that »the Board acknowledges the likelihood that the university will not meet the 2030 target of building costs constituting no more than 20 per cent of UCPH’s total revenues as laid out in the master plan«.

In other words: The 2030 goal of reducing property costs to 20 per cent of total income is unlikely to be achieved by the deadline.

Søren Munk Skydsgaard writes that this will have consequences for the university’s overall finances.

»It means that we have higher property costs than we otherwise would have. This puts pressure on the budget and contributes to a tight financial outlook in the coming years,« he writes.

READ ALSO: The students are also affected by layoffs at the Faculty of Science

Vague plans up for approval

At a meeting on 11 December, the Board is to approve the budget that will set the relocation projects in motion.

An introductory slideshow prepared ahead of the meeting shows the planned timeline for relocations and reductions in floor space across UCPH campuses.

In addition to the municipal hospital, the material also mentions a planned move from Øster Voldgade 10, currently home to the departments of Geography and Geology. According to the plan, Geology is to move into the new building complex that will also house the new Natural History Museum. No plans have yet been made for where Geography will be relocated.

North Campus and Frederiksberg Campus, which together take up more than half of UCPH’s total floor space, are also included in the plans. Plans for these two campuses are still vague at present however. The presentation simply states »Exploring options?« for both locations.

The university director expects UCPH to be able to present more concrete plans for these two campus areas in the third quarter of 2026.

This article was first written in Danish and published on 10 December 2025. It has been translated into English and post-edited by Mike Young.