Indiana, Ohio, and Utah are among the states reducing non-occupational degree programs in 2025 through legislation targeting degrees with low enrollment. Texas has also focused on low-enrollment minors and certificates.
States
reducing low-demand degree programs
· Indiana: The state
budget passed in 2025 sets minimum graduate thresholds for degree programs at
public universities. As a result, Indiana public colleges are cutting or
consolidating over 400 programs, including those in liberal arts and other non-vocational
areas.
· Ohio: A new law
requires public universities to eliminate undergraduate programs that produce
fewer than five graduates a year over a three-year period.
· Utah: Lawmakers
have pushed colleges to cut degree programs that are in low demand.
· Texas: A 2025 law aims to give university governing boards more power to eliminate degree programs based on an economic "return-on-investment" for students.
States
targeting specific curricula
Some
states are not just limiting low-enrollment programs but are also curtailing
academic offerings related to certain topics, which can affect non-occupational
areas of study.
· West Virginia and
Wyoming: Have enacted legislation in 2025 that bars public colleges from
requiring instruction on certain concepts related to race, gender, and
sexuality.
· Texas: Senate Bill
17, passed in 2023, bans Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices and
programs, which impacts courses in some social sciences and humanities.
· Arkansas, Kentucky, Ohio, and Wyoming: Have passed laws limiting DEI initiatives in public universities during 2025.
The
rationale and pushback
The push to cut these programs is often presented as a way to boost the workforce and ensure a return on investment for students and taxpayers.
However,
these actions have drawn criticism from faculty and academic groups who argue
that:
· Enrollment figures
alone do not determine a program's value.
· The measures represent
political overreach into academic decision-making.
· They lead to a "reduced version of what a degree should be," especially for public university students.
In 2025, several states are reducing non-occupational degree programs, primarily by eliminating academic offerings with low enrollment numbers. Critics fear these measures will harm liberal arts education and diminish the quality of public higher education.
States
reducing low-enrollment programs
States
that have implemented or considered legislation to eliminate degree programs
with low graduation numbers include:
· Indiana: In
mid-2025, Indiana public universities cut or consolidated over 400 degree
programs to comply with a new state law. The law targets programs that do not
meet minimum graduate thresholds over a three-year period. Programs in fields
such as foreign languages, social sciences, and some engineering and education
disciplines have been affected.
· Ohio: Lawmakers
passed legislation in 2025 requiring public universities to eliminate
undergraduate degree programs with fewer than five graduates a year over a
three-year period.
· Texas: Texas
passed a law targeting academic minors and certificate programs with low
enrollments. A 2023 law, Senate Bill 17, also banned Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which can indirectly affect related academic
programs.
· Utah: Lawmakers pushed colleges and universities to cut degrees that graduate few students, similar to the measures in Indiana and Ohio.
Wider
context
These
legislative efforts are part of a broader national trend in 2024 and 2025 that
links higher education programs to workforce development needs and targets
areas perceived as politically liberal. Additional measures in other states
include:
· Florida: In 2023,
Florida passed laws restricting DEI initiatives and prohibiting state and
federal funds from being used for certain programs related to DEI or social
activism.
· Multiple states with DEI restrictions: Over a dozen states have passed legislation limiting or banning diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in higher education since 2023, which affects related programs of study. These states include Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, and Wyoming, among others.
https://www.google.com/search?q=what+states+are+reducing+nonoccupational+degree+programs+2025
Multiple states, including Indiana, Ohio, and Utah, have passed laws or taken other actions to pressure public universities into eliminating degree programs with low enrollment, which often correlate with lower-paying jobs. In addition to targeting specific programs, a broader trend in many states is reducing or removing degree requirements for public sector jobs in favor of skills-based hiring.
States cutting specific
low-enrollment programs
These states have implemented
legislation to compel universities to cut programs that have few graduates, a
policy that often affects humanities and other fields that may not lead
directly to high-wage occupations.
- Indiana: In 2025, public universities
announced they would voluntarily cut or merge over 400 degree programs
after the state passed a law establishing a minimum number of graduates
for academic programs.
- Ohio: Lawmakers passed laws in 2025
that push universities to cut programs with low student enrollment.
- Texas: A 2025 law targets academic
minors and certificate programs with low enrollment.
- Utah: In response to a new state law,
the University of Utah approved plans to discontinue 81 courses and degree
programs. The law requires colleges to cut funding for certain academic
offerings and invest in high-demand fields.
- Georgia: As far back as 2022, Georgia cut more than 200 low-enrollment degree programs.
States removing degree
requirements for jobs
This broader trend focuses on
skills and experience rather than academic credentials for public sector
employment. This move is intended to reduce "degree inflation" and
expand the talent pool.
- California: The state has removed
degree requirements for thousands of state government jobs and is rolling
out "Career Passports" to showcase a candidate's skills and
abilities.
- Florida: A 2023 law allows work
experience to be substituted for degree requirements for public employers.
- Maryland: In 2022, Maryland pioneered
this approach by removing degree requirements for thousands of state jobs.
- Minnesota: The state eliminated
degree requirements for many state jobs in 2023 to emphasize skills and
experience.
- Numerous other states: According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, many other states—including Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, and New Jersey—have taken executive or legislative action to reduce or eliminate unnecessary degree requirements for public jobs.
Recent reports indicate that states such as Indiana, Ohio, and Utah are implementing policies that pressure public universities to reduce or eliminate degree programs with low enrollment, particularly in the humanities and liberal arts. These actions are part of a broader trend focusing on "workforce development" by favoring programs that lead to higher-paying jobs.
States cutting lower-wage
degree programs
- Indiana: In 2025, lawmakers passed
legislation pressuring colleges to eliminate degrees with few graduates.
In 2024, the state also began aligning high school programs with in-demand
industries.
- Ohio: Lawmakers passed similar
legislation in 2025 to compel public universities to cut degrees with low
enrollment. In 2023, Miami University was reassessing 18 undergraduate
majors, most in the humanities, with fewer than 35 students.
- Utah: In 2025, the University of
Utah's trustee board approved cutting 81 courses and degree programs in
response to a new state law. The law orders public colleges to invest in
high-demand fields and cut programs with low enrollment.
- Texas: A 2025 law targets academic
minors and certificate programs with low enrollment. Additionally,
Governor Greg Abbott declared career training a legislative emergency in
2025, pledging to expand training programs to meet workforce demands.
- West Virginia: Citing financial
concerns, West Virginia University eliminated 28 academic programs in
2023, including several in languages and the arts.
- Missouri: In late 2023, Missouri
Western State University eliminated dozens of majors and minors, including
history, philosophy, and economics.
- Other states: Several other states, such as Wisconsin and Kentucky, have also seen public universities cut liberal arts and humanities programs in recent years due to budget shortfalls and enrollment declines.
Related actions favoring
career-focused education
Some states are not directly
eliminating degree programs but are advancing policies that favor skills-based
training and weaken the emphasis on four-year degrees.
- Skills-based hiring: At least 22
states have taken executive or legislative action to eliminate unnecessary
four-year degree requirements for public sector jobs. This includes states
like Maryland, Utah, and Pennsylvania.
- Career and Technical Education
(CTE): Many states are prioritizing workforce development by
expanding CTE. Examples include:
- Alabama: Lawmakers are aligning K-12
career pathways with in-demand industries.
- South Carolina: An apprenticeship
model for students connects a high school diploma with college and
certification.
- Louisiana: A 2022 law requires the state workforce commission to share high school graduate employment data to show what kinds of career training are most effective.
Comments
When I graduated from St. Louis University in 1965, there were no Nonoccupational Degree Programs offered. Only 10% of the US population had BS degrees and all of them were occupational degrees. My tuition was $1000 per year. My classes were held in well-maintained 100-year old buildings. I was an Inner-Directed student and used my own judgment to determine the validity and usefulness of the information I heard as a student. I aimed for Long-Term memory retention and a personal World-View. I worked to develop good judgment.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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