A petition has been launched in a bid to save Lampeter’s university campus after bosses said the site was too expensive to run.

University of Wales Trinity Saint David bosses met with staff and students on Wednesday to outline its plans to move undergraduate courses away from Wales’ oldest university and to Carmarthen from the start of the next academic year.

UWTSD points to falling student numbers and the cost of running the Lampeter campus as its reasons for the proposal to move humanities courses away from the birthplace of higher education in Wales.

Critics however claim the Lampeter campus has been mis-managed ever since the merger with Carmarthen’s Trinity University in 2010, with Ceredigion county councillor, Elizabeth Evans, saying: “Strangely enough, to attract students, university’s need to offer courses which are successfully competing with other universities, and not competing within its own university structure.”

Following meetings, a spokesperson for UWTSD said: “The university has held a series of meetings with its staff and students this week to discuss the proposal to transfer our current and future taught Humanities provision from Lampeter to our Carmarthen campus with effect from the new academic year starting in September 2025.

“We believe this will enable our Humanities programmes to have the support and the location that they need to develop further and flourish as an academic discipline.

“Our proposal will aim to ensure a continuity of education for all current Lampeter students and we will work hard to mitigate any concerns they have over this proposed change of location.

“The proposal would also provide a better student experience for our full-time students including better access to the Students’ Union, its clubs and societies.

“The context to the proposal is that in its 2022-23 Financial Accounts the university posted a deficit of £11m.

“Prompted by this and the prevailing challenges across the higher education sector across the UK, the University’s senior leadership team undertook a thorough review of the University’s activities in the first half of 2024.

“A clear outcome was that, although UWTSD’s student numbers are growing, they are not distributed proportionately across the campuses.

“Despite a range of innovative ideas to develop new courses to attract a larger number of students to our Lampeter campus these have not delivered, there has been a steady decline in the number of students being taught in-person.

“We now have a total cohort of 197 full-time students, 92 of which are undergraduates, being taught on campus in Lampeter, with 112 core staff and a number of casual staff associated with the Lampeter campus. This is not a sustainable situation, and the University must take action.

“In addition, there is also a large number of buildings that are not fully utilised which means that a significant amount of money is being spent on an underutilised estate, which the university cannot afford to cross-subsidise.

“Operationally, the Lampeter campus costs us about £2.7M per year to run and the backlog maintenance and compliance costs for the campus are estimated at £33.5M (which is subject to inflation).

“The university is, however, committed to retaining the main Lampeter campus estate and finding alternative ways of delivering education-related activities that would give this campus a new lease of life and a more secure future.

“We have begun our dialogue with our staff and recognised trades unions to outline the vision and proposed direction of travel. We will offer an opportunity for affected staff to apply for voluntary severance should they wish to reappraise their own personal situation.”

A petition in response to the plans has gained more than 1,500 signatures in under 24 hours.

It says the plan would ‘severe nearly 200 years of Lampeter’s role as a centre of higher education and devastate the local community.

It adds: “As alumni, students, and supporters, we call upon UWTSD and the Welsh Government to protect Lampeter’s legacy and commit to a sustainable future for this historic campus.”

The petition calls for a deep and transparent consultation, a commitment to sustainable solutions, and an adherence to UWTSD’s charter and mission, adding: “the university has a constitutional responsibility to maintain “a significant physical University presence” at Lampeter. Closing undergraduate provision would effectively hollow out the campus, eroding its educational mission and violating the university’s own mandate to uphold Lampeter’s historic role within Welsh higher education.

The petition author, John Jennings, adds: “Lampeter is not only Wales’s oldest university institution but a pillar of its educational and cultural history.

“By allowing undergraduate teaching to end, UWTSD would undermine the very essence of Lampeter’s mission, weaken the local economy, and sever its historic role as a centre of learning.

“The town of Lampeter, the alumni community, and the people of Wales deserve better.

“We urge UWTSD and the Welsh Government to halt the planned end of undergraduate teaching at Lampeter and instead work with all stakeholders to create a viable, sustainable plan for the campus.

“This must include a serious investment in new courses, marketing, and student recruitment efforts to ensure Lampeter’s relevance and appeal for future generations.”

These sentiments have been echoed by the region’s politicians.

Ceredigion MS Elin Jones has described the news as ‘dreadful’.

She said: ““The university’s proposal to move undergraduate education from its Lampeter campus is a real blow for the town.

“Lampeter has been a university town for 200 years and for this to come to an abrupt end is dreadful news.

“The number of students in latter years has been in serious decline and is now very low.

“It’s a shame that the university was not able to reverse this decline over the last 10 years.

“This is difficult news for the students and staff, but also for the town.

“The campus has important assets used by both town and gown – the Quad building, the Arts Centre, the extensive grounds and the Library.

“There will need to be a clear plan for the use of the campus by the University and full consultation with the wider community, if these proposals are agreed.”

Ceredigion Preseli MP, Ben Lake, said in response: "Lampeter is the birthplace of higher education in Wales, and for over two centuries the University has been a cornerstone of the town.

“Relocating humanities undergraduate teaching to Carmarthen would be a severe blow to both the academic and local community.

“While higher education institutions across the UK are under severe financial pressure, it is incumbent on UWTSD to clarify their plans to retain higher education at Lampeter.

"I urge the university to consider the impact of these proposals, and I shall be seeking an urgent meeting with local and university leaders to ensure a future for higher education in Lampeter."

The Welsh Government said it was a matter for the university, adding: "We recognise that Welsh universities are under significant financial pressure.”

The union, UCU, declined to comment, but did say the local branch is ‘working with the institution to reach a solution’.

On future projects such as the proposed food village and Aldi store at Pontfaen, the Mid Wales Growth Deal said it was ‘actively liaising with UWTSD and working to confirm the position as soon as possible’.

You can find the petition here.