TU took a $15M budget cut, here’s how it was distributed across the university
By Sarah Sternhagen, Editor-in-Chief
Towson University took a $15.2 million budget cut for 2026. In order to absorb the reduction, university divisions received cuts ranging from nothing to 6% of their budgets.
The reduction is a result of the University System of Maryland, which operates 11 member institutions including Towson, receiving a 7% budget reduction as the state grapples with a $3 billion projected budget shortfall.
Towson has 13 main divisions that oversee every office, department and unit within the university. The Towerlight filed a request with Towson University under the Freedom of Information Act about the reductions each division received. Reductions ranged from zero to 6%, according to the report.
The four divisions that received no budget cuts are finance aid, athletics, legal affairs and the Division of the President. Finance aid’s budget sits just above $40 million, athletics at $11 million, the Division of the President at $3.4 million, and legal affairs just under $3 million.
Academic Affairs has the largest budget at over $225 million. It’s overseen by the provost and includes all academic programs, Towson’s six colleges, Albert S. Cook Library and more. Its budget was reduced by 2.5%, or $5.6 million.
The Division of Business and Public Engagement had the highest cut at 6% to its $3.5 million budget.
Student Affairs saw the next steepest budget decrease of 5% to a $14.4 million budget. It oversees housing, campus life, career services and the Health and Wellbeing Center among other units.
The Division of Administration and Finance had a $38 million budget and the Division of Operations which oversees human resources, parking and transportation, and the Office of Sustainability had nearly a $51 million budget. Both division’s budgets were reduced by 3%.
Towson’s Central Division, which handles facility operations, utilities and retirement among others, had its $26 million budget reduced by 3.3%
The Division of Inclusion and Institutional Equity received a 1.8% budget decrease to its $4 million budget.
University Advancement and the Division of Marketing and Communications each saw less than a 1% decrease to their $7 million and $8 million budgets respectively.