Resource Library

Here, you will find historical data, graphs, and other budget information.

Spring 2026

Throughout spring term 2026, members of the University Leadership Team prepared campus-wide communications and survey reports in alignment with the Healthy Campus Initiative.
The Faculty Assembly Budget Committee (FACB) Reports summarize FACB’s review of UCCS’ ongoing budget challenges and proposed solutions for achieving a balanced budget in Fiscal Year 2026–27.
These Town Halls were designed to share information, explore ideas, and create space for open dialogue around important topics shaping our campus. Chancellor Sobanet and the Senior Leadership Team addressed questions from the campus community. 
The University Budget Advisory Committee (UBAC) and the University Leadership Team hosted meetings throughout the spring 2026 term to discuss budget updates and answer questions from the campus community. 

FAQ

Frequenty Asked Questions (FAQs)

Current State and Historical Data

Our campus is in a place of challenge. We have real and ongoing budget issues that require our immediate attention and sustained work. The signs of financial distress outlined by the National Association of College and University Budget Officers (NACUBO) mirror issues on our own campus.

  • Declining or unstable enrollment relative to expense base
  • Repeated use of reserves to cover structural deficits
  • Deferred maintenance or capital reinvestment delays that hurt the institution’s ability to deliver a quality experience for students and a supportive environment for academics
  • Diminishing auxiliary margins that keep the institution locked in the status quo or worse
  • Unclear financial practices at college and division level creating an unclear financial picture

Specifically, our campus has experienced eight consecutive years of budget reductions and reallocations. Even with that work, we continue to experience revenue growth at only 2.62 percent which outpaces our expense growth at 3.34 percent.

We aren’t alone. Many institutions of higher education have experienced the same issues related to shrinking state support, growing competition, declining student enrollment, expanding expectations for enhanced student experiences and growing regulatory expenses.   

Historic context

Historical Context: Revenue growth is outpaced by expense growth from 2018 through the present. Inflation continues to rise and state support continues to decline. 

budget historical context

growth campus

At UCCS, we add to these challenges, the assumptions we made that we would continue to be the “Growth Campus.”  When enrollment started to decline after our peak in FY 2017-18 at 12,500, we continued to fund new positions with one-time funds because we continued to believe we would grow our way into funding them with ongoing funds. This was a natural reaction to our past but did not correspond with our present and what became our future. 

historical context

Historical Context: Historic student headcount trends from 2017 to 2025 showing a more than 12 percent decrease in both student enrollment as well as student credit hours during that timeframe. 

budget historical context 2

Our Path Forward

screenshot of budget

Right now, our gap is $27.7 million, which we will tackle over a five-year period. It is important to note that this number could change over the next few years as we implement our revenue and reallocation strategies. In the coming year, we will begin our budget initiative and reduce spending by $11.7 million while we continue to focus on raising revenue. The size and scope of expense reductions in additional years will depend on the success of our strategies to increase revenue and ability to follow disciplined financial guideposts. Addressing our structural budget deficit and closing the gap means we must simultaneously raise revenue, reduce our spending, and reallocate resources in ways that will support our mission.

More details on our path forward will be coming soon.