Over the last few months, higher education has had major hits both on the state and national levels. With cuts to state funding, financial aid and programs offered, higher education has become less attainable than ever for Hoosiers.
Indiana schools are cutting hundreds of programs across the state in order to “streamline” degree offerings, according to Gov. Mike Braun. In fact, almost 20% of current degree programs are being cut across the state with Indiana University having the most programs cut.
If all cuts, consolidations and mergers of programs are approved, this would result in the loss of 222 programs across all IU campuses, as reported by WFYI. A closer look at the programs being cut in the IU Indianapolis campus shows that 55 degrees will be seeing eliminations or suspensions.
This is in addition to the passing of HR-1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which was signed into law on July 4. HR-1 will result in massive cuts to publicly funded education programs, disproportionately impacting low income and minority communities. This bill is not only cutting institutional funding but also access to financial aid. Under HR-1, part-time students will no longer be eligible for Pell Grants, subsidized loans for undergraduate students will be eliminated, federal loans for graduate and professional students will be eliminated and there will be a cap on how much money parents and guardians can take out on behalf of their student.
This is not something to expect in the future, but these cuts are happening right now. We saw the cutting of support programs earlier this year due to the use of DEI language. Now with the cutting of degree programs and funding, students will struggle more than ever to obtain higher education degrees.
It isn’t surprising that many of these programs that are being cut involve liberal arts, humanities and other more niche specialty fields. Braun has even been quoted by WHAS11 as saying that, “‘We don't produce enough STEM degrees, for instance, in the state.’”
Educators have spoken out about these cuts to Indiana degree programs, citing that students are being “cheated” out of diverse educational opportunities and even that the new budget bill will shrink worldviews and lower development of critical thinking skills.
We live in a world where higher education is, in large part, a necessity to get a job that pays enough to make ends meet, but higher education supports are being cut. DEI programs and national funding have been pillars that created equitable opportunities for minority students to reach their fullest potential. Now with those programs stripped and many smaller degree programs eliminated, Hoosier students are left with less and less options when it comes to higher education.
Not only are they not able to financially pursue education, but creating a well rounded education for college students is becoming even harder with the elimination of many liberal arts and humanities programs. Students are being given less opportunities to develop critical thinking skills, diverse points of view and many other soft skills that push students to be well rounded individuals.
Higher education cannot be the expectation without support programs in place to ensure students are able to pursue it successfully.
Abigail Godsen (she/her) is a senior majoring in Applied Information Sciences with a minor in Classics. She is Editor-in-Chief for The Campus Citizen. When she isn’t writing, Abby likes to cook, do crossword puzzles and drink a lot of tea. She can be summoned using anything shiny or books.