This year, Indiana University Kokomo joined all state-funded public universities in confronting a transformation few saw coming.

New legislation has rewritten how our campus delivers education and created immediate challenges for IUK Cougars across campus. Students, faculty, and staff are asking hard questions: What does this mean for our futures? For Indiana’s education system? For the very identity of our university?

Lawmakers finalized budget decisions for Indiana’s public universities in a matter of days, with minimal public input and no time for debate. The legislation affects all state-funded schools across Indiana: Indiana University, Ball State, Purdue, Indiana State, University of Southern Indiana, and Ivy Tech Community College. But what exactly do these changes mean?

The law mandates three fates for struggling academic programs: elimination, consolidation, or suspension with “teach-out.” Teach-out allows current students to complete their degree before the program closes; new students cannot enroll.

In total, 408 academic programs across Indiana’s state-funded universities will be eliminated, suspended, or merged under new legislation, affecting students, faculty, and the state’s higher education landscape. The restructuring includes 75 complete eliminations, 101 suspensions with teach-out periods, and 232 program mergers. This represents a net loss of 222 programs after mergers and consolidations are completed.

Programs graduating fewer than 15 students on average annually now face elimination. Because IUK is a smaller institution, it will be more heavily affected. IU Kokomo offers over 60 degree programs in total, in comparison with IU Bloomington, which offers more than 550 degree programs and majors.

Under new Indiana legislation, Indiana University Kokomo could lose up to 19 degree programs that failed to graduate at least 15 students last year—among them critical fields like nursing’s radiologic technician track, computer science, and mathematics.

Indiana University Kokomo faces the potential elimination of 19 degree programs that failed to meet Indiana’s new minimum enrollment threshold of 15 graduates annually. The most vulnerable IUK programs include Spanish (1 graduate), public administration (2), mathematics (2), biochemistry (3), and healthcare management (3) (Indiana University Kokomo, 2025).

Other at-risk disciplines include biology (4), digital communication and media (4), English (7), communications (9), computer science (9), history (10), sociology (10), and a cluster of specialized programs including radiologic technician (10), sport and fitness management (10), computer and information sciences (10), hospitality and tourism management (12), radiation therapy (13), studio arts (13), and high school education (14).

Data reveals a larger impact across STEM fields, teacher education programs, and specialized health professions; All are critical to meeting Indiana’s workforce needs. However, current student completion rates are insufficient to meet state legislative requirements.

Chris Darr, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at IUK and a central figure in the inner workings of degree and department changes, offers clarity on what we know for certain.

“We are currently unsure what will happen to many of our degree programs,” he said. “We have proposed several solutions, such as merging current degrees into larger ones. Indiana University has submitted information to ICHE (Indiana Commission for Higher Education) and is awaiting clarification. This is a long process. One thing we do know is that students who are currently enrolled will be able to finish their degree, regardless of what happens next.”

The rumors about what this legislation could mean for IUK can be laid to rest, as we are certain that current students’ academic paths will not be disrupted. While the university reviews its programs, it will remain committed to students’ success, and regardless of any potential changes, Cougars will continue to thrive.