UMD College Park freezes hiring, may cut up to 150 jobs amid budget strain

The University of Maryland, College Park has frozen hiring and warned that up to 150 positions could disappear as the flagship campus absorbs a sharp drop in state support, a move that could ripple through Prince George’s County households, vendors and student services.

The freeze took effect immediately and will run at least through June 30, with exceptions for jobs funded by external grants or other outside money and some offers already in the final stage. In an email to campus employees, University of Maryland President Darryll Pines, Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice and Vice President and CFO Greg Oler said the university could eliminate positions through a mix of vacancies, retirements and layoffs. The exact number of layoffs has not been decided.

University officials said the cuts are intended to absorb a more than 10% reduction in state support. The campus said total state support will fall by $104 million between fiscal years 2025 and 2027. It also said the state’s fiscal 2026 budget includes about $872 million for the university and a 1.5% cost-of-living increase for regular faculty and staff.

The university has already ordered tighter spending elsewhere. University-funded staff and faculty travel is now limited to essential job-related trips, and capital spending is restricted to projects tied to continuity of operations, health and safety, legal compliance and critical mechanical systems. Officials had previously asked units to find non-personnel savings in travel, contracts and supplies, but said that was not enough.

The announcement landed quickly with faculty, staff and graduate leaders. Karin Rosemblatt, president of the United Academics of Maryland chapter, said she worried the cuts would weaken professors’ and other employees’ ability to teach needed courses and support students. Graduate Student Government president Keegan Clements-Housser said he was disappointed, while also acknowledging the administration’s financial constraints. Todd Holden, president of AFSCME Local 1072 and a university employee, criticized the approach of relying on position cuts and possible layoffs, saying it showed too little respect for members’ work. University System of Maryland communications vice chancellor Michael Sandler said the system understands these are challenging times and is there to support campuses.

The pressure at College Park reflects a broader squeeze across the system. In June 2025, the University System of Maryland Board of Regents approved a fiscal 2026 budget that was 7% smaller than the year before, alongside tuition increases of up to 5% and fee hikes up to 10%. A legislative budget analysis says College Park’s fiscal 2026 operating budget is about $3.0 billion and that state funds, excluding salary adjustments, are down 4.9%, or $39.5 million. The campus, which grew undergraduate enrollment 1.8% in fall 2024 to 31,133 students, remains Maryland’s flagship and land-grant university, and its decisions carry outsized weight in Prince George’s County, where officials approved a $5.8 billion fiscal 2026 budget amid their own difficult cycle.