UNIVERSITIES in York have had funding and research cut by more than £2 million pounds, new figures show.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has revealed its funding for the University of York for 2011-12 will be £55.1million, down from £56.6million, a drop of 2.6 per cent.

York St John University’s funding has fallen from £10.9million to £10.3million, a fall of 5.1 per cent – the biggest funding drop for a university in Yorkshire. The funding cuts form part of about £1 billion in cash cuts to universities nationwide.

A York St John University spokesman said: “This change fits with our planning for the year ahead and we are well prepared for the adjustment.

“We are in a strong financial position, particularly within a context of robust applicant demand for courses starting later this year. In addition, not all of our funding comes via HEFCE and we draw income from a number of different sources.”

A University of York spokesman said: “We have received a HEFCE grant settlement for 2011/12 that is in line with our budgetary expectations and is supportive of our plans. We welcome recognition by HEFCE of the continued need to provide funding for capital investment in the sector. The university’s research excellence has contributed to a grant settlement that is more favourable than the sector average.”