Hesse's universities in the crisis: savings of 30 million euros!

Hesse's universities in the crisis: savings of 30 million euros!

Hessen, Deutschland - The universities in Hessen face a challenging time. In 2026 you will be forced to save around 30 million euros. This consolidation contribution corresponds to about 1.3 percent of the budget of the previous year. The new university pact, which is to regulate the financial resources of the 14 Hessian universities from 2026 to 2031, will come into force from January 1, 2026. It ensures planning security, but leaves many questions open.

The message is not easy to digest for the universities. From 2028 the budgets are to grow again, but the immediate savings are referred to as the “effort” by CDU finance minister Alexander Lorz. Minister of Science Timon Gremmels from the SPD emphasizes planning security, but admits that the financial scope should have been greater in his view. Many university representatives warn that the funds provided will not be enough to cover the increasing personnel and material costs.

challenges in implementation

The implementation responsibility for the consolidation measures lies entirely at the universities themselves. The Hessian Ministry of Science and Art (HMWK) does not give any specific requirements, but concludes individual agreements with the institutions. This regulation leads to a tense mood. Thomas Nauss, President of the University of Marburg, comments particularly critically, who fears a deficit of 800 million euros or more. The universities of art also raise concerns because the savings could make the acquisition of skilled workers considerably more difficult and question the innovation potential of the universities.

The special features of the university package were already discussed in several rounds of negotiations that started in May 2024. Talks between HMWK, universities as well as unions and representatives: inside the students took place for over a year. Two working groups were involved in this process: one dealt with the university policy goals, the other with the financial design of the pact. A total of ten sessions were set for this.

criticism from all sides

The university pact not only encounters resistance at the universities, but is also critically viewed by politics. The state conference of the general student committees (Asten) sees the planned savings extremely negative and describes the measures as the "innovation brake". The opposition is also not exactly squeamish: the FDP speaks of the “oath of revelation” of the state government, while the Greens and the AfD register significant concerns. Verdi, on the other hand, warns of personnel loss and possible closures of institutes.

The result is that universities are already reacting to cuts. For example, the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences has already deleted two courses. The explosive in the situation: by 2031, a three-digit million minus for the universities in Hesse threatens. This worrying development throws a shadow on the quality of academic training and research in the state.

The university pact is currently being negotiated every five years. The last settlement was in 2020 when a four percent annual increase in the funds was set. It remains to be seen how things will go after the state elections in 2023. However, it is clear that the success depends on the new state government and the commitment of everyone involved. In the current situation, the universities in Hessen remain under pressure to deal with the prevailing financial conditions.

For detailed information on the developments in the university system in Hessen, a look at the following pages is worthwhile: science.hessen.de hessenschau.de and gew-hessen.de .