Struggling US Colleges Slash Programs Amid Enrollment Crisis

Christina Westman, aiming to become a music therapist, faced upheaval at St. Cloud State University when it announced plans to cut its music department and 42 other degree programs due to budget constraints exacerbated by the end of federal COVID relief funds and declining enrollments.

Christina Westman dreamed of working with Parkinson's disease and stroke patients as a music therapist when she started studying at St. Cloud State University.

Her academic path took a dramatic turn in May when the Minnesota institution announced plans to eliminate its music department alongside 42 other degree programs and 50 minors due to financial stressors. The move is part of an ongoing trend in U.S. higher education as schools grapple with rising operational costs and diminishing federal COVID relief funds.

Westman's journey reflects the broader anxieties faced by students amid these cuts. She transferred to Augsburg University in Minneapolis, struggling to find work and sublet her apartment promptly. Higher education saw slight gains in community college enrollments, but four-year institutions continue to face enrollment declines, a challenge further compounded by the federal government's chaotic overhaul of financial aid applications.