Despite cuts: University of Kassel agrees to higher education pact

President Ute Clement addresses the university and the public in a video message [Video]. Thanks to the great support of the Senate, many employees and students, it was still possible to achieve certain improvements to the pact in the last 14 days of negotiations. “However, the overall situation has not changed fundamentally,” said the President. The budget from the state budget for the University of Kassel will be significantly smaller. In the long term, the university with 21,352 students and 336 professorships will have to make do with around 14 million euros less per year than in the current year 2025. That is 7.5 % of the personnel budget. Clement emphasizes: "I am convinced that the result of the negotiations is what could be achieved in the current political situation. The pact brings us reliability and a reduction in bureaucracy for the coming years, so that we are protected from economic and political uncertainties in the foreseeable future."

In a joint protocol note to the Hessian Higher Education Pact, the universities have therefore declared that they are signing up because reliable funding is essential. At the same time, they declare that they still consider it politically wrong to reduce the size of universities structurally now. Two days ago, the senates of the Hessian universities presented their criticism in Wiesbaden under the title “Innovation brake instead of future booster”, as did the Kassel University Council. [Statement]

The Presidential Board is currently holding talks with all departments and the School of Art as well as the administration and central facilities in order to offset the funding cuts with measures at the university. The Senate of the University of Kassel has been discussing strategic consolidation since April 2025. Together, criteria for research, teaching, infrastructure and campus were developed in order to compensate for the foreseeable deficits in the university budget. Dr. Oliver Fromm, Chancellor of the University of Kassel, says: "We took responsibility in the Executive Board at an early stage and planned a transparent and strategic approach. There will be no mechanistic execution of cutback decisions in the sense of a “lawnmower”. Rather, it is a joint design towards more compact structures in teaching, research, personnel and operations that will preserve the core of the University of Kassel."

In total, the measures currently planned add up to around two thirds of the necessary savings volume. At the present time, it is planned not to fill certain subject areas (professorships) or not to fill them again. However, all degree programs will be retained. The remaining third is to be gradually cut over the next few years. With this gradual approach, the University of Kassel wants to keep the option open to make adjustments and adapt the measures to the respective circumstances. "We support exciting research projects and rely on our innovative range of courses. For example, we are launching new courses on sustainability in the winter semester."