The University of North Texas is facing a roughly $45 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2025-26 after a drop in international graduate student enrollment and changes to the state funding formula, UNT president Harrison Keller said at a Feb. 19 board of regents meeting.
The gist
Changes to the funding formula in the last legislative session and a drop in international graduate student enrollment caused a state funding loss of about $32 million in instruction and operations funding for UNT. The board of regents previously approved a $32 million deficit for FY 2025-26, but the international graduate student enrollment drop was higher than UNT officials expected, causing the funding loss to exceed the $32 million deficit the board approved, Keller said.
A budget report from Greg Anderson, the deputy chancellor for finance, shows international student enrollment has dropped from 6,200 students in fall 2024 to 3,400 students in fall 2025, giving the university a total deficit of about $45 million.
Keller said international student enrollment has dropped because of federal policy changes.
“In the last legislative session, we lost substantial state funding to support our instruction and operations,” Keller said. “We’ve experienced declines in our international master’s student enrollment, and we failed to project how sharply those international enrollments would decline due to visa challenges and federal policy changes.”
By the numbers
Data from the university shows that international graduate student enrollment more than doubled between fall 2020 and fall 2021. Enrollment peaked in 2023 with 7,483 international grad students. It dropped to about 6,200 in 2024, then plummeted to about 3,400 in 2025, Anderson said.
Looking ahead
A message to UNT staff from Keller said university officials are considering eliminating low-enrollment courses, freezing hiring for some vacant positions and increasing teaching loads.
UNT officials will also work to increase enrollment to make up for the lost revenue.
“We will continue to advance our work to bolster student success, while also expanding UNT’s reach through expanded online and professional programs aligned with high-demand workforce needs. We are also deepening our partnerships with community colleges across our region to improve student transfer,” the message states.
