Administrative layoffs are underway at colleges and universities across the United States, a shift that critics view as a necessary correction after years of growth. Louisiana State University announced in the summer that it would cut 25 administrators, including the chief financial officer and a vice president who handled discrimination complaints. The university president, Wade Rousse, framed the move as a way to streamline operations and redirect funds toward faculty hiring and research.
Nationwide staffing shifts are reshaping higher education institutions. Data from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, or CUPA-HR, shows that the number of noninstructional employees fell last year more than at any point in the last decade. While the figures cover only through the end of 2025, universities have continued to reduce these roles since then.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics now projects limited employment growth for postsecondary administrators, with growth rates slower than for other occupations. This data aligns with reports from several major universities. The University of Utah plans to eliminate as many as 855 noninstructional positions over the coming year. The University of Minnesota cut 230 such jobs through layoffs and attrition, and the University of Maryland laid off 84 staffers while eliminating vacant positions and freezing hiring.
Private institutions are also trimming their administrative ranks. Johns Hopkins University laid off 110 workers and imposed a hiring freeze. The New School in New York City shed 68 noninstructional employees, and Emerson College in Boston cut 12 administrators. Even Harvard University eliminated 165 noninstructional jobs, including the director of its writing center.
Robert Kelchen, a professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, noted that decades of growth in noninstructional staff have made administrative bloat a rare issue that unites critics of higher education with faculty members. A faculty committee at Yale University cited administrative bloat as a reason for the institution’s loss of public trust, finding it difficult to determine how many administrators actually work there.
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U.S. Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent has also criticized the trend, arguing that layers of bloated administration force students and taxpayers to pay for expenses that often have little to do with actual learning. The conservative National Association of Scholars has long pushed back against the expanding administrative workforce, which has grown in areas such as athletics, housing, dining, security, and sustainability.
A recent analysis by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni indicates that administrative costs per student at public universities have generally been falling since their peak before the Covid-19 pandemic, though the source does not fully explain the reasons behind the decline.
Impacts on Services and Staffing
The reduction of noninstructional roles often affects essential support services. The University of Southern California has laid off academic advisers. The University of California, Los Angeles, cut 27 information technology workers. Indiana University Bloomington laid off 13 IT staffers. These cuts mean fewer support staff available to assist students.
Peter Wood, president of the National Association of Scholars, sees these cuts as a positive step. He noted that the numbers represent small fractions of the noninstructional workforce. The workforce accounts for more than half of all employees on campuses. The cuts are encouraging because they signal a reversal of past trends.
The Future of Higher Education Staffing
U.S. Gallup surveys show that fewer than 4 in 10 Americans have confidence in higher education. Cost is a top reason for this loss of confidence. The correction in staffing patterns aims to address these concerns.
