Colorado State University System’s board approved a fiscal 2027 budget that cuts tens of millions of dollars across its two physical campuses, including strategic cuts and layoffs at CSU Fort Collins and additional staff reductions at CSU Pueblo. The system cited a state budget environment with flat higher-education funding and a cap on in-state tuition increases at 3.5%. At CSU Fort Collins, the board-released plan calls for $35.8 million in strategic cuts, including staff layoffs equivalent to 0.5% of the workforce, plus savings from eliminating vacant positions. CSU Pueblo is addressing a $2.4 million structural deficit with layoffs equivalent to nearly nine full-time staff roles, closing vacant positions, and reducing athletics spending. The outcome is a direct pressure on student services and institutional capacity even as enrollment has been relatively stable in recent years—setting up downstream effects for persistence, advising, and workforce planning.