Iowa State University is preparing to cut or merge 23 degree programs after a state-mandated review of low-enrollment offerings, with proposed actions expected to go before the Iowa Board of Regents later this month. The plan identifies 10 degree programs for closure—five undergraduate and five graduate—and recommends consolidating or merging 13 additional programs. The review is tied to Board of Regents thresholds for low-enrollment designation: 25 or fewer students in bachelor’s programs and 10 or fewer in graduate offerings. Deans and department chairs delivered recommendations to Provost Jason Keith earlier this year. If approved, affected students will be allowed to finish degrees, but programs would stop admitting new students. Iowa State also plans multi-program combinations—for example, merging multiple graduate physics programs into a single degree. The decision signals intensifying pressure on public universities to align program portfolios with workforce demand and enrollment sustainability, reshaping academic planning across departments, advising, and long-term faculty workforce models.