ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Student immigration decline causing budget deficits: UNT
UNT President Harrison Keller notified students that their budget deficit projections have reached a whopping $45 million.
-
Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Thu, 19, Feb 2026
- 04:36 EST
- 23
Representative image / Pexels
The University of North Texas President, Harrison Keller, has attributed the University's growing budget deficit to a drop in international student enrollments in the university.
In a letter dated Feb. 17, Keller wrote to students about the university budget and acknowledged that the projected annual budget deficit has reached a whopping $45 million, surpassing an earlier $31.2 million deficit estimate, which was approved by the university's Board of Regents, last August.
Keller noted that the deficit is not temporary but is structural and the reasons for it are dynamic and complex. Describing the two key issues, Keller said, "The two major drivers are that we received $32 million less from the state for instruction and operations during the last legislative session, and last year and this year we have experienced sharper declines in international master’s student enrollments than projected."
The Government of India had recently revealed that the number of Indian students going abroad for higher education has significantly declined over the past three years, with the United States being one of the key countries contributing to India's student immigration numbers.
ALSO READ: India witnessing decline in international academic migrations
According to the information provided by the Union Home Ministry's Bureau of Immigration (BoI), over 9.08 lakh Indians travelled overseas for study in 2023, a number that fell to 7.7 lakh in 2024 and further to 6.26 lakh in 2025.
Assuring the students that the university authorities are attempting to remedy the situation, he added, "The University Budget Council has been working diligently to identify potential solutions to our current budget situation. While we have not determined all our next steps, we know they will inevitably require hard choices, and the impact will be felt across our university."
The University president also assured students that UNT students shall remain its number one priority, calling it the university's "most fundamental responsibility."
Discover more at New India Abroad.
Related
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login