New Indiana law could eliminate college programs with low enrollment

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) — A new Indiana law could force public colleges and universities to eliminate or alter hundreds of degree programs — a move that’s drawing concern from students and praise from state leaders focused on cutting costs.

It's part of House Bill 1001, Indiana's budget bill that took effect Tuesday, which sets "statutory average graduate thresholds for all degree programs." The law targets underutilized degree programs that state officials say are not aligned with Indiana’s job market.

According to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, six institutions—including Indiana University and Ivy Tech—voluntarily submitted more than 400 programs for review after identifying those with "zero-to-low enrollments and completions" by the time the state's budget bill became law.

Each program could be continued, consolidated, suspended, or eliminated based on student enrollment and workforce demand.

“It made me really angry — especially for the people who are already in the programs,” said Charlie Bott, a senior at New Albany High School who’s taking college-level classes and plans to study computer programming and interpersonal communications. “Even though they get to finish, it still feels like they are almost cut off.”

An overview of impacted programs by institutions include:

Ball State: 51
Indiana State University: 11
Indiana University (All campuses): 249
Ivy Tech Community College: 10
Purdue University (all campuses): 83
University of Southern Indiana: 4

Bott’s intended major is considered high-demand and likely won’t be affected, but she’s concerned for students in lower-enrollment fields.

“We want the students of Indiana to get the education they want and they need,” she said. “But we're limiting the degrees that they're offered. It feels contradictory.”

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun defended the legislation Tuesday during a visit to New Albany, calling it a practical move to reduce costs in one of the state’s most expensive budget areas — education.

“You can't afford to have degrees for everything out there, especially if there aren't any markets for it in our state,” Braun said. “Line up where the good jobs are that have the highest wages. Those are the degrees that are going to be the most important.”

IU Southeast in New Albany is among the campuses impacted. Three of its programs — art education, physics and mathematics — could be suspended.

State education leaders said students currently enrolled in a degree program that is at risk of being eliminated, suspended or consolidated will be able to complete their studies through an "orderly teach-out."

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education is expected to issue final recommendations for impacted institutions by July 24.

The commission said Monday there are 3,400 academic programs across state institutions, including certificates and degree programs. Of those programs, 2,200 are degree programs, awarding associate degrees or higher.

Leaders said that means "roughly 19% of all degree programs statewide were voluntarily eliminated, suspended, or merged/consolidated by institutions either immediately or as a future commitment."

Ahead of Indiana's budget bill taking effect Tuesday, the ICHE said institutions voluntarily eliminated 75 programs—both at main and regional campuses. Of those, 68 had zero enrollments. An additional 101 programs were suspended, and 232 programs were merged/consolidated "by immediate actions and future commitments."

To look at a breakdown of those programs, click here.

"Indiana's institutions have set a national example," Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Chris Lowery said in a news release Monday. "The thoughtful, voluntary review and reduction conducted by Indiana's public institutions demonstrates their commitment to improving quality, cost and delivery while strategically allocating resources. Our institutions want to ensure the programs they're offering are responsive to student demand and fit the needs of Indiana's evolving ecconomy. The primrary beneficiaries of this work will be students, who face an overwhelming number of degree programs as they make their educational and career decisions."

Indiana's budget bill also requires state educational institutions to seek approval from the ICHE to "continue under-threshold degree programs."

To learn more about how the state's budget bill bill impact's higher education in the state, click here.

To read more about the state's budget bill, click here.

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