This is not the behavior of a school that is confident about its finances.
Campus Reform reports:
Temple University raises tuition and lays off employees for second year in a rowTemple University recently announced a slew of layoffs and increases in tuition costs, following a nationwide trend of declining enrollment and rising education costs.The school announced in a press release that the recently approved operating budget for the next fiscal year will include increased costs across the board for students attending the university.Tuition rose 3.4 percent, bringing the in-state annual rate to $20,376, and the cost for out-of-state students to $36,600. Mandatory fees are also set to rise nearly 4 percent, from $1,056 to $1,098 per year.University President John Fry blamed the increases on declining enrollment numbers in a July 8 letter, saying that the number of enrolled students has fallen 25 percent between 2017 and 2025.“As you may be aware, nearly 80% of our operating budget is supported by tuition and fees, and our decline in enrollment and investment in financial support for students has been the most significant factor impacting our budget,” Fry wrote.Fry also announced that the university will lay off 40 employees, saying that the school “worked to limit the impact on student-facing roles in support of our first priority of student success.”In total, 236 positions will be eliminated, with the remaining employees resigning or opting into voluntary retirement plans.Fry says that the changes will serve to reduce the school’s deficit by $60 million, though it still currently stands at $25.5 million.
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