Standing in the heart of its campus, Amelia’s expression mirrored the awe of a thousand students at De Montfort University’s (DMU) open day. With one of the most renowned art buildings in the country staring down at her, the possibilities at DMU seemed endless; she imagined the people she’d meet, the art she would create, and the teachers whose wisdom would inspire her. What she didn’t expect was to be sitting with me three years later, discussing all the ways DMU has let her down.
“In the first year, it felt like we were being policed in the best way possible,” says fine art student, Amelia*. “I was genuinely impressed by the facilities available, and the new art building showed a serious investment in creative education.”
But since Amelia first enrolled at the university, life on campus has changed drastically for students: “The course has shifted more towards independent learning.” Amelia said that for students in certain pathways, the course is almost entirely self-taught: “When it comes to actual teaching-teaching, it’s not really something that exists.”
Since 2021, DMU’s art and design course ranking has dropped from 27th to 43rd in the UK. Currently, the university’s student-staff ratio is 18.3, meaning that for every teacher, there are more than eighteen students. In 2022, the DMU branch of the University and College Union (UCU) told the BBC that their student-staff ratio was “one of the worst in the sector.”
Since 2022, DMU has introduced multiple voluntary severance schemes and made substantial job cuts to reduce the impact of budget cuts. Responding to a freedom of information request, DMU stated that 34 staff members teaching in Art, Design and Humanities have left since 2022.
Amelia said that several of her “most impactful” tutors have left in the past three years: ‘They were central to creating a motivating and enriching learning environment.’
Likewise, second-year fine art student, Renne*, said, “so many teachers have left since I started studying at DMU”, noting that while students are told when a teacher leaves, the university doesn’t always give them a valid explanation.
Renne also claims that she has never been allocated a personal tutor, despite the university promising that “all DMU undergraduate and postgraduate students have a designated personal tutor… from the moment they join the university.”
“I’ve mentioned it so many times to our head of year, but they’ve always ignored it and just given me someone verbally. When I enter my name on the system, it’s nowhere to be found.”
While the art technicians, who Amelia describes as the “absolute heroes of the university,” appear to be a saving grace, it still isn’t enough to give the students the support they need: “In the workshops, there will be one to two technicians. However, the whole university has access to these workshops. So, when you’re going to a technician, it’s you versus hundreds or even thousands of other students going to the same person. They’re great, but they’re overwhelmed.”
One DMU UCU member claims that if the proposed cuts go ahead, they will not be able to deliver their degree: “Students will be losing out on ‘research-led’ teaching, which the university boasts about in all its publicity.”
Another spokesperson for the UCU said, “DMU should stand for DeMoralising University”, having seen colleagues “literally break down into tears in their offices.”
Staff members in DMU’s art programme were unable to comment, with the UCU claiming that “management has a reputation for punishing those who speak out,” and that any statements from art teachers would be too easily identifiable.
These staff redundancies reflect the broader issue of hurtful budget cuts to the UK’s art sector. In 2021, the Department for Education cut funding for art and design courses by 50 per cent and recently froze top-up funding for creative courses in 2024-25.
When asked whether they would choose DMU again, Renne said she would have picked a different art school if she didn’t live in Leicester. In contrast, Amelia said she would still choose DMU, given that underfunding is a consistent issue across many universities. She notes, “Compared to friends studying art abroad, DMU’s teaching models feel less intensive and less demanding.
“Leicester is convenient and affordable. I’m grateful for the facilities, but I wish more emphasis was placed on artistic development, critique and ambition.
“Art is essential to culture and history, but it feels like higher education is losing sight of that. We need more investment in the arts education, not less.”
In response to the students’ claims, DMU said: “Higher education is currently facing unprecedented financial pressure, and like almost all universities, DMU has had to make savings and reductions to continue to play its vital role as an educator and innovator within Leicester.
“While we are currently consulting on some proposed changes, unlike some other universities, we have made no course closures across our arts portfolio. And just this week, the Complete University Guide rankings showed that our art and design courses had risen 15 places, showing real growth in student satisfaction.
“That said, we always welcome views from our students and are happy to engage with those who feel we can improve our offer.”
*Names have been changed
