Iowa State University plans to cut or merge 23 academic programs after a state-mandated review of low-enrollment offerings, placing 10 degrees on track for closure and another 13 for consolidation. The move flows from an Iowa Board of Regents directive that set thresholds of 25 or fewer bachelor’s students and 10 or fewer graduate students for “low-enrollment” designation. Provost Jason Keith will bring Iowa State’s recommendations to the Iowa Board of Regents later this month. University officials said the affected programs would stop enrolling new students, while existing students would be allowed to complete their degrees. Iowa State identified a specific list for proposed discontinuation—including undergraduate concentrations such as Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Environmental Studies, Interdisciplinary Design, Religious Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies, alongside graduate programs like Accounting Analytics, Biophysics, Energy Systems Engineering, Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies, and Toxicology. In parallel, the plan includes combining multiple program lines, such as four graduate physics programs into a single degree and merging earth science and geology. The institutional stated rationale emphasizes workforce alignment, administrative efficiencies, and improved opportunities for workforce preparation.