Leading article: Hull's decision does add up

The decision by the University of Hull to close its mathematics department is sending shock waves around Academe, coming as it does after the decision to close the chemistry department at the University of Exeter.

The decision by the University of Hull to close its mathematics department is sending shock waves around Academe, coming as it does after the decision to close the chemistry department at the University of Exeter. The rationale in Hull's case is financial, though the details are very different from Exeter's. Hull does not have enough students. This year, there are 130 applications for the mathematics BSc course. Last year, the university managed to attract 109 home students and 60 from overseas. It says that its decision is based on the numbers applying to read mathematics over the past few years, not just this year. A statement issued by the university attributes its problems to a combination of factors: low student numbers, a high dependence on overseas students, and an expensive research commitment. For "expensive research commitment", read funding problems.

As a university that was awarded a grade 4 in the last research assessment exercise, Hull has a respectable reputation in the world of university mathematics. A grade 4 indicates national excellence. The problem is that departments scoring 4 have had their money halved by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce). To excel in today's competitive climate, departments have to score a 5 or, better still, a 5*, indicating international excellence. So Hull is simply not attracting enough income, either from students or from research. Hence the decision to close.

We would argue that universities in this position have little choice. They have to take difficult decisions to make ends meet. If students are not applying in enough numbers, they cannot keep open unviable departments in the hope that they will one day become viable. What matters is that there are enough places available in Yorkshire for people to study mathematics - both in the short and long term. In the short term, Hull is liaising with York University for the students who have applied this year. In the long term, Hefce has been asked by the Secretary of State for Education to devise a strategy on shortage subjects. There need to be enough maths departments to keep the subject alive.

In the longer term still, the Government needs to act on the report by Adrian Smith, which called for maths in schools to be sorted out and GCSE maths to be reformed. The real problem of recruiting enough mathematics students lies in the schools.