October saw steep cuts at several universities struggling with budget deficits.

Other institutions have made smaller, more targeted reductions or frozen hiring and revised their programs. Some blamed declining state support and enrollment problems; several universities significantly missed their admissions targets, leading to budget cuts to reduce deficits.

Here’s a look at the cuts announced across the sector last month.

Portland State University

Reeling from an estimated $18 million budget shortfall, Portland State University sent layoff notices to nearly 100 non-tenured faculty members, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

“Portland State University’s structural deficit requires us to make difficult compromises this year in order to fulfill our mission,” a Portland State spokesperson told the news outlet. “The potential layoffs are part of an overall financial sustainability plan that includes a process of revitalizing academic programs, curriculum management, administrative operational adjustments, a focus on revenue growth opportunities and incentives to retirement.

The layoffs come during a turbulent year for Portland State, which faces enrollment problems and is plagued by pro-Palestinian protests in the spring, including the occupation of the University library. university for four days. the repair cost approximately $1.2 million.

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis University has cut 23 positions and frozen hiring for 130 vacant positions in an effort to cut $20 million in fiscal 2025 spending. The St. Louis-Post Dispatch reported. Although no current faculty members have been laid off, 30 faculty positions are among those frozen.

The university will also seek an additional $40 million in savings over the next two years.

Administrators previously told St. Louis Public Radio that SLU is facing a budget shortfall after trying to enroll 1,300 new international graduate students this fall but only graduated about 300. Officials blamed the gap on the U.S. government issuing fewer visas to international graduate candidates this year. Increased financial aid and investments in university research also played a role in swelling SLU’s budget deficit, STLPR reported.

Further reductions are likely on the horizon; in a October 11 Message to Campusofficials wrote: “Ultimately, we will become an organization with fewer faculty and staff. »

Western Washington University

In an effort to cut $18 million from its budget, Bellingham Public University has announced initial cuts, with more expected to come next year. My Bellingham now reported.

So far, the university has cut 25 jobs, 20 of which were vacant, according to WWU. Thirty additional positions are expected to be eliminated during the 2025-2026 academic year.

A restructuring effort is also underway.

“WWU’s budgetary challenges are due to persistent revenue shortfalls related to the (coronavirus) pandemic, as class sizes are smaller in the system, in addition to insufficient state funding, increasing cost of life and higher costs of goods and services. » officials wrote in a statement.

Elizabethtown College

The private Pennsylvania school plans to cut 13 full-time teaching positions and drop several majors as part of cost-cutting measures, LancasterOnline reported.

The fields concerned are fine arts, sociology and Spanish.

“Planning for the sustainable financial health and well-being of Elizabethtown College is the top priority,” wrote Keri Straub, vice president of enrollment management, marketing and communications, in a statement to the media about the cuts.

Officials highlighted the challenges brought on by changing student interests and changing demographics.

Brandeis University

After announcing budget and job cuts earlier this year, the private institution outside Boston is making other changes: Officials have chosen not to renew the contracts of the Lydian String Quartet, which has called Brandeis home since 1980, The Boston Globe reported.

The group was informed during a Zoom meeting on Oct. 1 that the university would not keep them beyond the 2024-2025 academic year. Housed within the music department, the quartet has released various albums over the years while its members have held faculty positions.

The move is expected to save $275,000 per year.

Earlier this year, Brandeis announced it would cut dozens of positions due to an estimated $2 million budget shortfall. This decision, among other things, sparked teacher vote of censure of President Ron Liebowitz, who resigned on November 1 after leading Brandeis since 2016.

University of Connecticut

A comprehensive program review is underway at the Storrs flagship center, where administrators are evaluating the future of nearly 250 underenrolled programs, according to local media reports.

Fox 61 reported that 70 honors programs, 72 master’s degrees, 76 graduate certificates and 27 doctoral programs were included in the program review announced in mid-October. Low-enrollment majors include philosophy, art, music, and social work, among other disciplines.

The revision of the program comes against a backdrop of a deficit estimated at $70 million for the 2025 financial year.

“Given the university’s budgetary situation, evaluation of low enrollment/completion programs is essential to ensure that we maintain the right balance of programs to support our institutional mission, our accreditation standards, and to meet the needs of our students, in addition to being a common-sense academic “household” that the university should regularly engage in,” University of Connecticut President Radenka Maric and Dean Anne D’Alleva. I wrote to the teachers last month. “Programs close and change over time. If we look at college catalogs from ten, twenty, thirty and more years ago, we will see many majors that we no longer offer.”

Officials are expected to present proposed cuts to the UConn Board of Trustees in December.

Sonoma State University

Sonoma State University implemented a hiring freeze and suspended non-essential travel and purchases amid an estimated $21 million budget shortfall, The Sonoma Index-Tribune reported.

The hiring freeze is expected to save the university about $5 million.