Office of the President
Office of the President
Messages to the Georgetown Community

November 2025 Update on Georgetown’s FY 2026 Financial Status

November 24, 2025

Dear Georgetown University Faculty and Staff,

I have promised a monthly financial update; this is the November update.

  • We continue to have direct federal disruptions to our research funding.
  • New losses of FY 2026 graduate tuition revenue have been experienced since October.
  • The hiring and cost-saving actions have been effective in reducing costs.
  • We are scheduling December town halls to review the full-year budget.

More details below:

Continued Financial Impacts

  • Federal Funding of Georgetown Research: Federal actions and funding delays — including those resulting from the government shutdown — continue to disrupt our research enterprise. The future of Indirect Cost (IDC) rates remains unresolved by the courts, and the future federal funding of research remains uncertain. Our current projection of a $35 million annual loss is greater than we anticipated in our initial budget.

  • Graduate & International Student Enrollment: We have experienced new declines in graduate tuition revenue, although this outcome is not uniform across all graduate programs. This trend is driven by a combination of new visa and immigration policies and broader economic pressures facing prospective graduate and international students. Our current projection of a $17 million loss in international graduate tuition revenue is greater than we anticipated in the initial budget for this year.

  • Graduate Loans: We are starting to see early indicators that the constraints on GradPLUS loans are reducing applications to some of our graduate programs for fall 2026. We are actively investigating private sector student loans as a substitute for our students.

  • Additional Matters: We continue to face sharp increases in utility expenses (nearly 15% increase from the initial budget) and escalating legal costs required to address ongoing federal inquiries.

December 2025 Town Halls

I promised a review of the full-year budget in December. We will host two town halls for faculty and staff on Dec. 9 at our Hilltop and Capitol campuses.

You’re invited and encouraged to register for one of these sessions. You may attend in person or online.

During our time together, I will provide the latest updates on the federal landscape, the re-evaluation of our FY 2026 budget and our ongoing planning efforts going forward.

Thank you for your continued resilience, patience and partnership as we navigate this period together. I remain deeply grateful for the dedication you bring to your job every day.

I wish you and your loved ones a restorative and meaningful Thanksgiving.

Sincerely, 

Robert M. Groves
Interim President