Overview

• The university eliminated roughly 425 positions, with about half already vacant, to reduce personnel expenses by approximately 5%.
• Northwestern has yet to receive guidance on restoring paused federal funds following 98 stop-work orders and 51 grant terminations tied to antisemitism investigations.
• Personnel costs make up 56% of the university’s budget and have been targeted after earlier measures cut nonpersonnel spending by 10%.
• Faculty members reported spending about $10 million each week from other resources to keep research projects afloat under the funding suspension.
• University leaders warn that even with these layoffs the budget gap may persist unless federal research funding is reinstated and broader economic pressures ease.