University Actions and Budget

No. The University will maintain its current faculty size, focusing on hiring in strategic areas and on assistant professors. Since the University has hired aggressively in the last decade—growing the faculty size by 20% in that period—the intention is to hold steady at this faculty size overall for the near term, which means reducing hiring from the growth rate of recent years by about 30%.

University-wide efforts to reduce faculty administrative responsibilities will help ensure that faculty can dedicate time to the core teaching and research functions that are the priority for all faculty at the University.

Yes. Science units are expected to reduce unrestricted funding dedicated to PhD students to contribute to the University-wide goal. Every science unit is implementing new policies, including reduced enrollment, placing PhD students on grants more quickly, and shortening time to degree to help the University meet its goal of reducing unrestricted funding dedicated to PhD students by 30%.

The list of PhD programs pausing admissions for one year includes: Anthropology, Art History, Cinema and Media Studies, Classics, Comparative Literature, Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, English Language and Literature, Germanic Studies, Linguistics, Middle Eastern Studies, Political Economy, Public Policy, Romance Languages and Literatures, Slavic Languages and Literatures, Social Thought, Social Work, South Asian Languages and Civilizations, Theater and Performance Studies.

Most other programs will be reducing the number of students admitted in AY26-27.

All existing commitments and support for current students (including those incoming for the new academic year), including funding, advising, and research support, will remain in place for them until they finish their programs. 

Yes, in the coming years. Year after year, demand for admissions to the College has grown, reflecting the excellence of offerings for the student who cherishes knowledge, welcomes rigor, and is deeply curious. Over the next four years, the University will continue to invest in the College to ensure that we continue to deliver an exceptional education for all of our students. We believe that there is an opportunity to provide access to that exceptional education for more students, and any growth in the student body would be predicated on having the faculty and resources to continue providing in-person instruction, offering a robust and diverse set of courses in a vast range of fields including computer science, languages, and beyond, and creating new, faculty-led programs of study.

Yes. Administrative units will continue the ongoing work to reduce costs and improve the University’s efficiency. Last year’s staff reductions were mostly concentrated in the University’s support services. These units will also make plans to discontinue some programs and reprioritize resources to ensure that they are focused on the University’s core mission and will continue to look for ways to steward the University’s resources effectively and efficiently.

Yes, over time, though much of this has been implemented already. The University implemented significant personnel actions in the last two years, including a voluntary retirement incentive, layoffs, and position control. These actions have reduced the total number of staff funded through unrestricted funds at the University by around 300 in the last year. There will be actions pursued this year that will result in an additional reduction of 100-150, which will bring the three-year staff reduction to more than 400. Rather than a uniform reduction of staff, positions will more likely be associated with programs that are discontinued or areas where activities will wind down. The aim is to do fewer things well, rather than doing the same things with fewer people.

No. Staff are a critical part of the University’s long-range objectives, and units will be able to hire staff as needed to support priority programming and growth efforts, consistent with their budgets. Additionally, in recognition of the hard work, talent, and dedication of its staff, the University is not contemplating any reduction in benefits. The aim of the actions is to make targeted choices to discontinue some activities even while others may grow according to priorities.

As the core teaching, research, and student life space on campus, the central quad embodies the University of Chicago’s efforts to deliver on its mission of providing a transformative education and advancing field-defining research. Renewing these spaces will ensure they continue to remain a vibrant core part of the University’s ability to deliver on high-quality education and research. The scale of this is quite large, so it will take time to do, but the payoff will be large for the entire University.

The revised design reduces the size and budget of NESB. The CQE (quantum) facility remains intact, with its scientific capabilities fully preserved. The building will also include space for PME growth in other core areas, as well as crucial teaching laboratories.

Though details are still being developed, these reviews will draw on input from a range of sources and stakeholders. Some important aspects include intellectual vibrancy and contributions, length of University unrestricted investment, prospects for financial sustainability, and ongoing impact. This type of review will ensure the University continues to dedicate seed resources to centers and institutes that provide distinctive intellectual value to the University.

The medical system is engaged in related but distinct planning efforts to strengthen the ability of UCMC to advance discovery, medical education, clinical innovation, and transformative health care. Leadership of UCMC will communicate more specifically on those plans over the coming months.