Around 584 degree programs at Indiana’s public colleges and universities will now be merged, consolidated, suspended or eliminated as part of a state effort to root out academic programs with low enrollment.
The action is part of a 2026 law that requires the state’s seven public institutions to submit degrees with low enrollment averages over a three-year period to be reviewed for potential elimination.
The cutoff is 10 graduates for an associate degree, 15 for a bachelor’s degree, seven for a master’s and three for a doctorate.
Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said Wednesday her office reviewed over 1,000 degrees out of the currently 2,300 degrees.
“This is a really important action that the state of Indiana took to really streamline and to be better stewards of taxpayer dollars and also keep our focus on parents and families and students’ affordability of higher education,” Jenner said.
It’s not exactly clear though, what this latest round of changes will save the state in funding or if any cost-savings will reach students.
“I think it will depend on university to university, on what they decide to do, but that will absolutely be a focus for our university teams and make sure we're as efficient as possible and have the greatest value proposition in Indiana,” Jenner said.
Before the law took effect last July, the universities voluntarily agreed to streamline or change around 400 degrees. Those voluntary changes did not require a vote from the commission.
Combined with this latest round of changes, approximately 1,280 degree programs have now been impacted by the state’s move to streamline degrees.
The degrees being impacted or changed, however, also include programs that were found to be above the enrollment threshold, but now are being merged or consolidated with the low enrollment degrees.
The latest degree changes made by the state
Wednesday’s vote was to consider actions around what to do with the 1,160 degrees found to be under the enrollment threshold after the latest round of reviews.
A majority of those 1,160 degrees will either be on an improvement plan or ramp-up process to allow them more time to increase their enrollment. Around 374 degrees will be merged or consolidated together under a new degree program name.
Only 210 degrees were approved to be suspended or eliminated entirely, with the additional caveat that any student in these degrees currently will be allowed to finish it.
These changes in degree programs are expected to be in effect by the end of the 2026-27 academic year.
The commission says that the degrees being affected amount to about 4% of graduates who were in these programs during fiscal year 2024.
Here is how each public university was affected by the total amounts from last year and this year’s degree program changes:
- Ball State University – 127
- Indiana State University – 83
- Indiana University (all campuses) – 605
- Ivy Tech Community College – 47
- Purdue University (all campuses) – 274
- University of Southern Indiana – 64
- Vincennes University – 79
All of the public institutions sent the commission letters of support for Wedneday’s action, with many thanking the commission for how they conducted this review process.
The Indiana University faculty representative for the board, Edward Castronova said Bloomington campus faculty he spoke to about these actions were split in their support, with some saying that they believe this move is about turning the university into a “business.”
Castronova said he supports the changes because this move is also in reaction to what parents and students have said and shown by not enrolling in these degrees.
“Low enrollment is a sign that something about the teaching is not working,” Castronova said.
Purdue University’s provost, Patrick Wolfe, said in his letter of support that these decisions need to weigh how an institution's degree programming will best support taxpayers, employers, educators and citizens.
“Although accountability can sometimes cause discomfort, when employed appropriately, there is no better tool to drive good outcomes,” Wolfe said in the letter.
What degree programs now remain?
Once the changes officially take effect in 2027, the state’s public institutions will have over 1,700 degree programs.
Here is a breakdown of what kinds of degrees will still exist, according to the commission:
- 292 programs in Arts and Humanities
- 218 programs in Business and Communication
- 173 programs in Education
- 291 programs in Health
- 198 programs in Social and Behavioral Sciences and Human Services
- 471 programs in STEM
- 104 programs in Trades
More degree cuts to come
In the coming years, students can expect to see potentially even further cuts to degree programs after a new law was passed this year that requires review of programs that are deemed “low-earners.”
Jenner said that the state is waiting for a list from the federal government that will provide a list of the degrees whose average earnings are not above the average earnings of someone with just a high school diploma.
Staff from Jenner’s office said they anticipate that list being delivered sometime early next year.
Contact Government Reporter Caroline Beck at cbeck@wfyi.org.
