More than 100 students and alumni have taken their fight to save Wales’ oldest university to the Senedd, rallying against plans to relocate undergraduate courses from Lampeter to Carmarthen.
Former students of Lampeter University—including TV presenter Jules Hudson—travelled from across the UK to Cardiff for a four-hour demonstration outside the Welsh Parliament on Tuesday, 21 January. They were joined by local townspeople, councillors, and current students, who arrived by coach from the historic St David’s University College.
The protest comes in response to controversial plans by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) to relocate all humanities courses to Carmarthen in September, effectively ending nearly 200 years of undergraduate education in the Ceredigion town.
Several Members of the Senedd (MSs), including Jane Dodds, Cefin Campbell, and Adam Price, delivered speeches in support of the campaign. Town councillor and former student Rhys Bebb Jones, along with TV presenter and ex-archaeology student Jules Hudson, also voiced their concerns. Ceredigion MS Elin Jones called for a more reasonable timeframe for the decision, urging that current students be allowed to complete their studies in Lampeter. She also appealed to the Welsh Government to intervene.

Anne Ponisch, daughter of former Lampeter principal John Lloyd Thomas—who previously saved the college from closure—spoke passionately about the institution’s historical significance. Meanwhile, former student Jane Nicholas read poetry, and protesters sang Dafydd Iwan’s iconic song Yma O Hyd.
The demonstration was organised by Esther Weller of the Lampeter Society, a group representing thousands of alumni. She stated: “We are receiving great support from Senedd members who are sharing our call for the Welsh Government to intervene. We believe the closure of the oldest higher education institution in Wales is very much a matter for Welsh Government. We are calling on the Welsh Government to work with UWTSD to explore all other potential options to give Lampeter a future as exciting and significant as its past.”
A petition urging the university and the Welsh Government to develop a ‘viable, sustainable plan’ for Lampeter’s long-term future has amassed nearly 6,000 signatures both online and on paper.
UWTSD, defending its decision to move courses to Carmarthen, cited declining student numbers and financial pressures. A spokesperson for the university said: “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, and 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 whom 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.
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 (subject to inflation).”
The university also provided further clarification on its decision-making process, stating: “On 11 November 2024, it was proposed that, given the diminishing numbers of students studying full-time at the Lampeter campus, the University should relocate current and future Humanities teaching and learning to its Carmarthen campus from September 2025.
This would provide students with improved access to services that would support their university experience and allow the Humanities discipline the opportunity to flourish in a more inter-disciplinary environment.

Since then, the University has engaged in regular conversations with students and staff to listen to their responses to the proposal and undertaken a formal consultation with trades unions and affected staff. Discussions have also been held with external stakeholders representing local, regional, and national interests.
The engagement from students and staff has made an essential contribution to challenging and helping to further develop the original proposal.
The University has now concluded its decision-making process and approved the proposal to relocate its Humanities provision from Lampeter to Carmarthen.
We have worked to reduce uncertainties for staff and students by making a decision in good time to enable the transition.
The University will now commence preparations and practical considerations, to enable a smooth transition for Humanities to begin the academic year at its new Carmarthen home in September 2025.
The Lampeter campus is of great importance to the University. A mechanism will be established through which stakeholders can be involved in proposals for a range of economically viable, education-related activities that would bring a new, sustainable lease of life to the campus.”
As the campaign to save Lampeter University gains momentum, protesters hope that their calls for intervention will be heard, and that alternative solutions will be explored to preserve its legacy.