Property services director Barry MacKay said the Canterbury earthquakes showed chimneys were ''very susceptible to damage'' and could be a ''serious safety risk''.
''Therefore, we decided that all our chimneys should be analysed for seismic strength, and recommendations made for removal or retention,'' Mr MacKay said.
The project was approved in the closed section of this month's university council meeting, with work to start ''soon''.
''At the moment, five chimneys are recommended to be removed. The remainder are to be retained and strengthened,'' he said.
It was anticipated original chimneys on heritage buildings would be strengthened rather than removed, in order to maintain their historic integrity.
''The university acknowledges its responsibilities as heritage building owner to its historic building stock, and to that end, we will not be removing the chimneys of any historic buildings where they were an integral part of the original design.''
Examples of buildings with potentially quake-prone chimneys included Marama Hall, union court, and the clocktower, geology, and archway buildings.
At the moment, $150,000 had been earmarked for the removal and strengthening project, which would come out of the larger funding pool set aside for strengthening of all university buildings.