Several institutions announced deep cuts last month, including two colleges that axed employees ahead of closures and others that eliminated jobs due to state funding reductions and other concerns.
Between layoffs and buyouts, nearly 1,000 college and university employees across the country will lose their jobs.
Collectively, universities also eliminated hundreds of programs, some driven by state curriculum reviews.
Here’s a look at major job and program cuts announced in April.
Hampshire College
Following a closure announcement last month, the private liberal arts college in western Massachusetts sent layoffs notices to 203 faculty and staff members who will be released in June, MassLive reported.
Hampshire’s shutdown at the end of the fall 2026 semester follows years of financial struggles and significant enrollment losses over the last decade. While the experimental college fended off a near closure in 2019, it could not keep up with its debt obligations and struggled to refinance bonds as well as hit enrollment targets.
Anna Maria College
Down the road from Hampshire, the fellow private liberal arts college in Massachusetts filed a notice to lay off 150 employees by the end of June after its own recent closure announcement, Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported.
Anna Maria College had struggled with flagging enrollment and upholding its debt obligations; both its accreditor and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education expressed concerns about its stability before college officials announced plans to shut down by the end of 2026.
“After an exhaustive review of the college’s current financial situation and the industrywide trends in higher education, the Board of Trustees determined that the College can no longer project sufficient financial resources to sustain its academic operations and meet the needs of enrolled and admitted students for a period that is consistent with the College’s regulatory obligations,” administrators wrote in an announcement published by the newspaper.
University of Wisconsin at Madison
Officials at the public flagship said in a recent court filing that the university may have to lay off up to 160 employees if it doesn’t get clarity on federal funding in the near future, The Cap Times reported.
At issue is an effort by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to impose conditions on financial disbursements. USDA has asked states to agree to conditions to continue receiving funding, including ensuring federal money won’t be used to “promote gender ideology” or diversity, equity and inclusion practices. In March, 21 states sued the USDA over the preconditions; though UW Madison is not a plaintiff, the state of Wisconsin is.
University officials told The Cap Times that UW Madison isn’t accepting new USDA funding until it is “satisfied that it has a reasonable understanding of the meaning of the civil rights–related certification requirements.” But without that funding, 100 to 160 employees in the Madison Division of Extension who work in a variety of roles, including agriculture and community service, could be laid off beginning later this summer, according to the court filing.
University of Maryland, College Park
The state flagship plans to cut up to 150 jobs and enact a hiring freeze due to state funding reductions and uncertainty around federal research funding, officials announced last week.
“We expect to eliminate as many as 150 positions through vacancies, retirements and layoffs. The exact number of layoffs will depend on vacant positions that can be eliminated and forthcoming retirements,” university officials wrote in a message detailing their plans.
Officials said the cuts are a result of a more than 10 percent reduction in state support. They also noted “reductions and delays in federal research funding and the impact on indirect cost recoveries,” as well as “downward pressure on investment earnings” and rising operating costs.
Syracuse University
After cutting 84 programs and pausing enrollment in nine others last month, the private university is now extending buyouts to eligible faculty members, Syracuse.com reported.
Syracuse is offering voluntary retirement incentives to 175 professors in programs that are set to close, as well as those with low enrollment. Eligible faculty members had until May 1 to opt in and will receive a payout equal to their 2026 base salary, plus a payment of up to $15,000.
The university has not announced job cuts as part of the program reductions.
Harrisburg Area Community College
The Pennsylvania college announced last month that it is eliminating more than 120 positions, a decision that officials attributed to the need to address a projected $5 million budget deficit.
According to HACC’s announcement, 87 filled positions will be eliminated, another 41 vacant jobs will be closed and “two faculty positions will be retrenched” as part of a “rightsizing” effort.
“HACC is saddened about these difficult, yet necessary, decisions,” college administrators wrote in the announcement detailing plans for looming layoffs. “The College will ensure that any such actions are handled with care, respect and appropriate support for impacted employees.”
North Texas University
After announcing plans to close or consolidate more than 70 programs in March, the public university followed up by offering voluntary buyouts last month, The Dallas Morning News reported.
UNT has approved voluntary buyouts for 40 faculty members, which university officials expect could save up to $4.7 million. Despite recent cuts, universitywide layoffs are not expected.
Indiana’s Public Universities
The Commission for Higher Education approved sweeping changes at public universities across the Hoosier State to comply with a law that aims to eliminate low-enrollment programs, WYFI reported.
Officials reviewed more than 1,000 of the 2,300 degrees offered across Indiana’s public universities and voted to eliminate or suspend 210 programs altogether. However, nearly 375 other academic programs will be merged or consolidated following the review process.
More cuts are anticipated in the future as the state also takes aim at low-earning programs.
East Carolina University
The public university in North Carolina is eliminating 44 academic programs amid budget cuts, Triangle Business Journal reported.
Though enrollment has been up the last two years, officials have indicated they need to cut $25 million over three years to better position the university. Those efforts will include restructuring some units and dropping dozens of programs with low enrollment. Approved cuts include graduate and undergraduate degree programs, minors, and certificates. Undergraduate programs slated for discontinuation include sociology and multidisciplinary studies, while Hispanic studies, rehabilitation counseling and other graduate degrees will also be sunsetted.
