Ahead of the start of a new fiscal year on July 1, multiple colleges made job and program cuts.
Institutions enacting cuts range from large research universities battered by federal funding challenges to medium-size and small colleges working to address stubborn budget deficits.
Here’s a look at job and program cuts announced last month.
University of Minnesota
Regents at the state flagship approved an operating budget last month that includes a plan to eliminate 230 jobs through a mix of layoffs and attrition, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
At the same time, the university is raising tuition for undergraduates by 3.8 percent.
The regents ultimately cut about $44 million from the budget. Officials have said the cuts were necessary to balance the budget amid state funding challenges and rising operational costs.
Johns Hopkins University
One of the top research universities in the nation is laying off roughly 110 employees, due to ongoing issues with federal funding, The Baltimore Banner reported.
Employees laid off late last month were concentrated in JHU’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, in the Carey Business School and in central administration, the news outlet reported. Officials said in a statement that as Johns Hopkins’s “federal research portfolio shrinks, the infrastructure around it must change in parallel” and called the action “a last resort.” The Banner reported that the university has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding since President Trump took office in January 2025.
Last year JHU laid off more than 2,000 employees amid steep federal funding losses.
The New School
The private university in New York City laid off 87 employees—19 professors and 68 staff members—last month as it grapples with a multimillion-dollar budget deficit, Hyperallergic reported.
In a public statement, President Joel Towers wrote that enrollment fell from its peak in 2021 to 8,300 students, an almost 21 percent decline. Federal data shows that New School had about 10,493 students in 2021.
Towers noted previous buyouts have helped the New School address the budget gap.
“While the number of layoffs is not as large as it might have been without voluntary programs and other cost-savings measures, that does not minimize the impact of job eliminations on the individuals who are affected, their families, and those who will remain and feel their absence,” Towers wrote.
The New School is aiming to balance its budget by fiscal year 2028.
Southern Oregon University
Facing a projected $12.5 million budget deficit and a mandate from the State Legislature to balance its books, the regional public university unveiled a plan last month to cut 66 jobs.
SOU will also shutter three academic programs, Oregon Public Media reported.
The plan reportedly cuts 23 faculty and 43 staff positions and—coupled with cost-saving efforts already underway—is expected to eliminate the deficit and stabilize the university for the future.
Ursinus College
The private college cut 36 staff jobs last month in an effort to shave $10 million from its budget and address a deficit, a move that follows faculty cuts in April, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The staff cuts are expected to save the college about $3.5 million. Officials told the newspaper that Ursinus still needs to trim $2 million in operating expenses, but no further layoffs are anticipated.
Life University
The private university in Marietta, Ga., is laying off more than 30 employees, including 14 faculty members, and suspending 401(k) match contributions amid a $5 million budget deficit, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported.
The cuts will reportedly save the university about $4.4 million.
Life University, which has a large chiropractic school, has struggled with enrollment recently after it was placed on probation by its programmatic accreditor due to substandard licensure exam passage rates. That probation was lifted in January as passage rates improved.
University of Arizona
A shake-up at the public university will reportedly see more than two dozen jobs eliminated as Arizona integrates its Health Sciences research centers into other parts of the university.
University officials did not specify how many positions would be eliminated, but anonymous sources told The Arizona Daily Star that 28 employees will be laid off, effective Aug. 7. Planned layoffs will reportedly affect employees working in finance, administration and communications.
Colorado School of Mines
The public university cut 1 percent of its workforce last month, a move that affects an estimated 16 employees, The Denver Post reported.
Officials told the newspaper that while the university “remains financially strong,” the cuts were driven by “changing enrollment patterns, evolving administrative needs and increasing complexity across higher education.” They added that “Mines has reallocated some resources to support functions more closely aligned with the university’s future operations and strategy.”
Doane University
The small private university in Nebraska offered buyouts to 15 employees and announced plans to cut nine academic programs as it struggles to return enrollment to pre-pandemic levels, The Lincoln Journal Star reported.
Officials told the newspaper that the university is trying to “realign our resources to make sure we’re providing the best possible product” amid increased competition for undergraduate students.
University of Denver
A restructuring effort is underway at the private university, The Denver Post reported.
University of Denver officials announced plans last month to shutter multiple academic departments and merge some schools as part of the restructuring plan. Officials declined to tell the newspaper how many employees would lose their jobs amid the overhaul or the projected cost savings. While the university is projecting a budget deficit of $20 to $30 million, officials said the changes are “not really part of” an effort to address that gap but rather about making the institution more “agile and nimble to match the size we are and match student demand.”
South Puget Sound Community College
A small number of jobs and programs are being cut at the Washington State community college, The Olympian reported.
The college’s Board of Trustees voted last month to eliminate three programs and cut three faculty jobs. Another professor in a program targeted for reduction chose to retire. The move is part of a plan to address a projected $4 million budget shortfall.
Pennsylvania Western University
PennWest officials are moving forward with a proposal to eliminate 43 academic programs, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
Under the plan, which has been discussed for months, the public university shed six undergraduate majors, three graduate programs and 34 minors. However, PennWest also plans to add new programs and restructure some of the eliminated minors as certificates. Officials told the newspaper that student demand, employer needs and workforce trends drove the academic redesign.
Eastern Washington University
The regional public university is shedding nine undergraduate programs.
The Board of Trustees voted last month to drop a range of undergraduate and graduate programs—including a bachelor’s degree in gender, women’s and sexuality studies—based on recommendations from college officials, The Spokesman-Review reported. Last month’s vote, reportedly driven by low program enrollment, passed despite opposition from local officials including Spokane’s mayor, who voiced support for the gender, women’s and sexuality studies program.
Marshall University
Seven academic programs will be discontinued at the public university in West Virginia.
Marshall’s Board of Trustees voted last month to ax two master’s degrees, one undergraduate major and four graduate-level certificate programs, West Virginia Public Broadcasting reported. Some programs were already being wound down. While the news outlet reported that cuts followed a scheduled program review, Marshall is also facing a $10 million budget deficit.