The New School Plans to Lay Off 15% of Staff By June
1March 28, 2026
Per a faculty-wide email,the New Schoolin New York City plans to lay off 15 percent of its university’s full time faculty and staff,Hyperallergicreports. The cuts are set to take place by June. This is the latest installment in a months-long showdown between the university and its faculty. Last December, amidst a deficit of $48 million, the American Association of University Professors said that40 percentof The New School Staffers had received voluntary separation or early retirement offers, making it the “largest attempted firing of faculty currently taking place in the nation.”
Attributing the budget-slashing move to an overall decrease in enrollment caused by fluctuating demographics, restrictions on international students and skyrocketing tuition costs, the New School is becoming part of a trend across higher education.
Last year, the School of Visual Arts in New York City laid off around thirty employees,citing fiscal woes. Leading up to the SVA layoffs, around 1,200 teachers joined the United Auto Workers Union, which also represents faculty at Columbia University, New York University, and the Parsons School of Design.
Just this week, Princeton’s president announced that the Ivy League university—despite pulling a $36 billion endowment last year—will have to freeze salaries for its senior professors andcut jobsacross the board.
“Over the last year we developed a plan, working with many faculty and staff, to bring the university to a balanced budget by the 2027-28 academic year,” a spokesperson for the New School said in a statement toHyperallergic.
“Reductions among our faculty and staff are, unfortunately, a necessary part of this vital work, as 60 percent of our budget is allocated to personnel costs. We are aware of the heavy impact this will have on our colleagues and their families, and we are doing all we can to support our community through this time.”