The University of Tasmania's Vice Chancellor has foreshadowed jobs will have to go as part of a $23 million budget cut.

The four-year funding wind-back is part of a national change to higher education proposed under the previous Labor government.

The university's Vice Chancellor Peter Rathjen says Labor is now vowing to oppose the changes, but doubts it will halt the cuts.

He says the university has budgeted for the shortfall, but it will come at a cost.

"There's no doubt our major bill is salaries, so part of this has to come, the efficiencies the Government is seeking, finish up in jobs loss somewhere along the way," he said.

"But we have to do that in a way that balances, or has respect, for the entire mission of the university."

Detail of the cut was provided in response to a request by Senator Lee Rhiannon for a breakdown of the predicted impact of proposed cuts on higher education funding announced by the previous Labor government.

Tasmanian Greens leader Nick McKim has seized on the Senate budget estimates documentation.

"In the national context, the University of Tasmania isn't one of our largest universities and also we are a single university state and the uni is part of driving the new economy in Tasmania," he said.

"These cuts will make it harder than it needs to be and will put at risk exactly the kind of jobs we should be focused on creating in Tasmania."

"Particularly in the new economy around jobs like science and the knowledge economy and this sort of cut will make it very difficult, more difficult than it needs to be for UTas to fulfil the outstanding role that it plays," he added.

The Federal Member for Bass, Andrew Nikolic, says the previous Labor Government's budget mess is to blame for the cuts going ahead.

"I know that any sort of cut to university funding is challenging and causes them to review those priorities, but what we have to remember is that these are Labor cuts," he said.