December Cuts Close Out Brutal Year for Sector

"The last month of 2025 brought more campus job cuts, capping off a tumultuous year for higher education. While December yielded roughly 300 reported job cuts across the sector, that total reflects only a fraction of the jobs lost in higher education in 2025. Inside Higher Ed tracked more than 9,000 job cuts and buyouts last year-which is undoubtedly an undercount due to unreported personnel actions."

"Rising operating costs and an uncertain federal policy environment drove cuts at even the wealthiest institutions last year as universities with multibillion-dollar endowments shed hundreds of jobs after President Donald Trump restricted federal research funds, sought to limit international student enrollment and clashed with multiple universities over alleged civil rights infractions. While many of December's job cuts were not attributable to Trump, others seemed directly connected, including the loss of hundreds of international students at DePaul University, which undercut tuition revenues, prompting layoffs."

""These decisions were extraordinarily difficult and leaders across the university did not make them lightly. Each person affected contributed to the life of this university in meaningful ways," officials wrote in a Dec. 15 message announcing the layoffs and assistance for employees, which included severance packages based on years of service, career counseling and more. Staffing reductions at DePaul are part of a broader effort to reduce spending by $27.4 million as the university grapples with a budget deficit."

December 2025 saw roughly 300 reported campus job cuts while more than 9,000 layoffs and buyouts occurred across higher education during 2025, likely an undercount because of unreported personnel actions. Rising operating costs and federal policy changes pressured universities, including wealthy institutions with multibillion-dollar endowments that shed hundreds of jobs after restrictions on federal research funding and limitations on international student enrollment. Several institutions tied cuts to declines in international students, which reduced tuition revenue. DePaul University cut 114 staff positions, offering severance and career counseling while pursuing $27.4 million in spending reductions to address a budget deficit and reach a 2.5 percent operating margin.

Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs