This story was originally produced by the Portsmouth Herald. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
The University of New Hampshire has been considering layoffs and a major budget cut for 2025-26. Now the state’s university system is potentially facing even steeper cuts in New Hampshire's biennial budget.
State lawmakers have advanced plans to slash funding for the University System of New Hampshire (USNH), which includes the three UNH campuses, Keene State College and Plymouth State University. This is a reduction of funding from Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s budget proposal, which includes a proposed 4% cut to the university system.
USNH receives $95 million in state aid per year under the current state budget, according to USNH spokesperson Lisa Thorne. Ayotte’s plan would bring USNH funding down to $91.2 million per year in fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives support shrinking state aid to USNH even further. The House Finance Division II committee has approved $66.2 million in state aid per year to USNH, a decision that was affirmed by the House Finance committee.
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