Finance

  • ECU sign on campus
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    East Carolina University eyes $25M in cuts

    The three-year savings goal would be met through permanent cuts, academic program changes and operational restructuring, the public institution said.

    By • Sept. 5, 2025
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    Kevork Djansezian via Getty Images
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    University of California would need $5B if it lost federal funding, leader says

    The public university system’s president warned of a “distinct possibility” that the Trump administration would take further action against it.

    By • Sept. 5, 2025
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    urbsinhorto1837 via Getty Images
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    University of Chicago braces for job cuts amid effort to shed $100M in costs

    The private institution is taking dramatic steps like pausing doctoral enrollment for several programs as it faces rising expenses and federal policy shifts. 

    By • Sept. 2, 2025
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    Permission granted by Catholic University of America
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    Q&A

    Catholic University’s president on balancing budget cuts with growth

    The institution laid off 7% of its staff this year, but leaders first raised money for separation packages and a plan for future growth.

    By • Sept. 2, 2025
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    Retrieved from Albright College on January 22, 2025
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    Albright College declares ‘remarkable’ turnaround as it borrows $15M from endowment

    The private institution said it’s on track for a $10 million budget surplus after recent cuts and cash concerns.

    By • Aug. 27, 2025
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    peterspiro via Getty Images
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    Cornell University plans to restructure later this year amid federal funding declines

    The Ivy League institution's leaders said efforts to save costs and centralize operations will “inevitably” lead to workforce reductions.

    By • Aug. 25, 2025
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    ‘Wrong and deeply disappointing’: Supreme Court halts order restoring NIH grants

    The high court's decision potentially made it much more difficult for researchers to have their grants reinstated.

    By • Aug. 22, 2025
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    UCLA consolidates IT, pauses faculty hiring as Trump administration seeks $1B payment

    The public institution is one of several facing cuts to federal research funding over allegations related to antisemitism.

    By • Aug. 21, 2025
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    Robert_Ford/iStock via Getty Images
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    Utah State University to face state audit amid concerns about former leader’s spending

    An initial review raised concerns about the public institution’s “governance, leadership, and culture of policy noncompliance.”

    By • Aug. 20, 2025
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    dosecreative via Getty Images
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    University of Iowa launches ‘proactive’ committee to hunt for revenue and boost efficiency

    Officials said they're launching the initiative, dubbed Resparc, “from a position of financial health” as the higher ed sector faces choppy waters.

    By • Aug. 19, 2025
  • A student walks through UCLA.
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    Kevork Djansezian via Getty Images
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    Judge orders NSF to restore cut funding to UCLA

    A federal court found that the agency violated a previous order to reinstate research grants terminated by the Trump administration.

    By • Aug. 13, 2025
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    sshepard via Getty Images
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    University of Nebraska System offers buyouts to tenured faculty amid budget woes

    The offer comes after leaders of the four-campus network said they were looking to trim $20 million from its budget. 

    By • Aug. 12, 2025
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    Courtesy of Suffolk
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    As higher ed ramps up modular construction, easier maintenance could follow

    Standardization and factory-like quality control processes could lead to fewer problems once buildings are in service, a general contractor executive says.

    By Robert Freedman • Aug. 11, 2025
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    Eric Thayer via Getty Images
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    $584M on the line as University of California agrees to negotiate with Trump administration

    James Milliken, president of the university system, pushed back on the federal funding cuts at UCLA, saying they do “nothing to address antisemitism.”

    By • Aug. 8, 2025
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    Kevork Djansezian via Getty Images
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    Week in review: Trump administration policies hit colleges’ pocketbooks

    We’re rounding up last week’s stories, from the federal government’s new probes and deals to the impact of policy shifts on the higher education sector.

    By • Aug. 4, 2025
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    sanjeri via Getty Images
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    150K fewer international students this fall? That’s what one analysis predicts.

    A sharp drop in foreign enrollment could cost colleges $7 billion in revenue and 60,000 jobs, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

    By • Aug. 1, 2025
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    Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    NACUBO '25

    ‘Everything, everywhere, all at once’: How Trump has upended higher ed finance in 2025

    Experts at the National Association of College and University Business Officers’ annual conference broke down the wave of policy changes the sector is facing.

    By • July 31, 2025
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    Joe Hendrickson via Getty Images
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    Northwestern University cuts 425 jobs in face of federal funding pressure

    The private institution is laying off staff and axing vacant roles in a time that is “among most difficult in our institution’s 174-year history,” senior leaders said.

    By • July 30, 2025
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    Permission granted by The California State University system
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    NACUBO '25

    How Cal State is betting on shared services amid funding cuts

    Campuses are increasingly collaborating on backend services to save costs and become nimbler in a tough financial environment.

    By • July 28, 2025
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    JHVEPhoto via Getty Images
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    Temple University to lay off 50 employees

    The public institution is cutting 190 positions in an effort to slash its $60 million deficit in half.

    By • July 21, 2025
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    The image by Wally Gobetz is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Trump 2.0 brings layoffs and budget cuts at 8 major colleges

    With uncertainty around research funding, international students and financial aid, institutions are shrinking budgets as they try to weather financial turmoil.

    By • July 17, 2025
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    Mario Tama / Staff via Getty Images
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    University of Southern California signals layoffs amid $200M budget gap

    A transformed operating model is needed to address lower federal research support and a growing shortfall, USC's interim president said.

    By • July 16, 2025
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    The image by TulGuy is licensed under CC BY 1.0
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    Column // College Closure Files

    Bacone College shut down after 145 years. What went wrong?

    The Oklahoma institution had shaky finances for years. And some insiders have accused it of straying from its mission of serving Native American students. 

    By • July 14, 2025
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    Boogich via Getty Images
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    Moody’s: Trump’s tough international student policies could hit some colleges hard

    Visa processing slowdowns and travel bans could mean lost revenue, tighter margins and financial stress.

    By • July 11, 2025
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    Jeremy Bauer-Wolf/Higher Ed Dive
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    George Washington University hints at layoffs amid federal policy upheaval

    The private nonprofit is facing an “unsustainable compounding deficit” and uncertainty about research funding, top officials said in a community message.

    By • July 9, 2025