‘Not a cost-cutting exercise’: SU to cut nearly 100 programs

Syracuse University announced in a campus-wide email Wednesday it will phase out nearly 100 programs.

According to the email, results from an Academic Portfolio Review found that 66% of campus programs serve only 20% of enrolled students. As a result, 93 programs will be “sunset,” meaning current students can finish their degrees, but new students cannot enroll.

On March 25, it was reported only 9 majors would be affected by cuts. They included Classical Civilization, Classics, Digital Humanities, Fine Arts, German, Latino-Latin American Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Modern Jewish Studies and Russian programs.

Of the 93 majors that will be closed or paused, 55 had no students enrolled, and 28 are advanced certificate programs. These are programs designed for specialized knowledge, but not considered a full degree. 

Some of the eliminated programs include duplicates, according to the New York Times. 

SU offers 460 degree programs and certificates for 21,500 enrolled students, nearly twice the average number of programs as other academic institutions of similar size. According to the email, program cuts will affect 258 enrolled students, or just over 1%.

“The outcomes position us to strengthen the University’s ability to attract talented students, support exceptional faculty and fulfill our mission as a leading research university,” Provost Lois Agnew wrote.

The email states the decision is not to cut costs, but instead to develop a distinctive program portfolio aligned with student demand. Agnew directed all specific questions about program cancellations to the deans of their respective colleges. 

“I want to emphasize this was not a cost-cutting exercise, and it was not aimed at eliminating departments or people,” Agnew wrote. “Based on portfolio review reports from each school and college, no positions have been identified for elimination.” 

The decision comes after a school-wide Academic Portfolio Review, which began at the beginning of the academic year. In the review, Agnew asked each school’s dean to review their respective colleges “​​with the goal of advancing our university’s strategic priorities,” according to a Aug. 2025 message. Academic deans delivered their findings to Agnew last December.

Earlier this school year, The Newshouse reported on the review program, in which Agnew initially announced programs that would be paused for the 2025-26 school year. At that time, Crystal Bartolovich, president of the American Association of University Professors’ executive committee, shared a list of 15 programs, including some of the official nine that were sunsetted officially without faculty review. 

Last September, admission to 18 programs was paused. 

Sunsetted programs include those with low enrollment, those that require redesign, or those that have merged with other programs to consolidate resources, the email reads. Some of those programs are set to be revisited for official closure or restructuring at a later date. 

A full list of affected programs has not been released.