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UNH System warns of budget cuts, enrollment decline and federal grant risks
Summary
The University System of New Hampshire told the House Finance Committee Division II that a governor-recommended reduction of roughly $16.5 million (about 8.3%) would force $20 million in cost reductions in fiscal 2026, and described rising research funding, stable endowment payouts and ongoing compliance work around DEI and federal grants.
Catherine Provencher, chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire, told the House Finance Committee Division II on Feb. 19 that the system faces a roughly $16.5 million reduction in the governor's proposed budget — about an 8.3% cut — and that the campuses are already planning roughly $20 million in savings for fiscal 2026.
“This is our mission and we take it very seriously,” Provencher said, reading language from RSA 1:87-a that defines the system’s public purpose. She said the system has reduced headcount, cut retirement contributions, raised employee premiums for medical benefits and sold property to respond to lower enrollment.
Provencher told lawmakers that total enrollment in fall 2024 was about 23,000 students across the system, with UNH comprising about 69% of that total. She said research and federal grants have grown substantially in recent years and that “a…
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