The University of North Texas is staring at a projected $45 million budget gap, and the Denton campus is bracing for targeted cuts. President Harrison Keller told faculty the shortfall stems largely from a steep drop in international master's enrollment and a hit to state formula funding. He is expected to brief the UNT System Board of Regents on the situation at its Feb. 19 quarterly meeting.
Numbers Behind the Shortfall
In a letter to faculty, Keller said steeper-than-expected losses in international graduate students, combined with a roughly $32 million cut in state funding for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, are driving the crunch. The projected $45 million deficit is about $14 million larger than the $31.2 million gap UNT outlined in August and follows an earlier UNT System estimate that international enrollment declines could match a $47.3 million drop in tuition revenue. Keller has called the deficit “structural, not just temporary” and warned that “hard choices” will be necessary, as reported by The Dallas Morning News.
A Regional Enrollment Shock
UNT is not alone in feeling the pain. Universities across North Texas have been squeezed as international graduate enrollment dropped following federal visa and policy changes, pushing some schools to consider buyouts and tap reserves to plug their own holes. UNT’s heavy reliance on nonresident master’s tuition left it especially exposed when visas and enrollments fell, analysts say. The trend and its impact on area campuses have been documented in regional coverage, according to Higher Ed Dive.
How the University Plans to Respond
Keller wrote that university leaders will try to shore up revenue by doubling down on student recruiting and student success while also finding targeted reductions. His five-year strategic plan, released in November, centers on student-success efforts such as bolstering advising, expanding mental health services and improving the first-year experience. The administration says those moves are aimed at pushing re-enrollment toward 90%. Those priorities are laid out in UNT’s public planning documents, including materials from UNT, and have been highlighted in coverage by The Dallas Morning News.
What Comes Next
Keller is scheduled to brief the UNT System Board of Regents at its Feb. 19–20 meeting in Denton, where trustees are expected to review the numbers and discuss options. The Board’s public schedule lists that session at UNT, and materials are expected as university leaders finalize their budget response, per the UNT System calendar.
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