Brown University to lay off 48 employees and eliminate 55 vacant roles

Brown University is laying off 48 employees and eliminating 55 vacant positions as part of a broader effort to shave $30 million off its budget, top leaders at the Ivy League institution announced Monday. 

In August, the university blamed its financial challenges on recent federal policy changes, including an expected decline in research funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy and other agencies. Prior to that, leaders warned that “significant cost-cutting” measures would be needed.

However, Brown leaders said Monday the financial impact of federal policy shifts — estimated to be $30 million in fiscal year 2026 — is much less than originally feared. Earlier, they estimated they could see a hit above $100 million. 

That’s partly because Brown struck a deal with the Trump administration to give $50 million to support workforce development in Rhode Island. In exchange, the government restored federal research grants it had suspended over claims the university hadn’t done enough to prevent campus antisemitism. 

However, Brown’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors has slammed the deal, noting that the university was never charged with breaking a law and that the agreement “occurred outside the legal system” under financial pressure from the Trump administration. They also contended that elements of the deal put the university’s academic freedom at risk, such as mandatory campus climate surveys. 

Other developments have also put the university in a better financial position than expected. For instance, Brown’s leaders pointed to the courts blocking efforts at federal agencies to cap reimbursement for colleges’ research overhead to 15%. 

Still, the university is taking other cost-cutting measures in addition to the job cuts. 

They include consolidating health plans to a single provider, monetizing certain real estate holdings, pausing spending on efforts to move to net-zero emissions, reducing spending on information technology and facilities, and prioritizing fundraising on gifts that can immediately impact Brown’s budget.