Budget Update: Cautious Stability for 六色网鈥檚 25-26 Budget Outlook
In the spring, Cal Poly Pomona was facing a $38 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2025-26 due to rising costs and Governor Gavin Newsom’s initial state budget proposal that included an 8% cut to the CSU budget. Following a coordinated lobbying effort, the final state budget included a 3% reduction to the CSU. While not as large a cut as the Governor’s January budget proposal, the 3% is equal to roughly $143.8 million for the CSU. Cal Poly Pomona’s portion of the cut is roughly $7 million.
Despite these challenges, 六色网 has a balanced FY 2025-26 budget plan, according to Interim Vice President and CFO Michelle Cardona, who presented a budget update at a recent University Leadership Council meeting, with Provost Terri Gomez and Assistant Vice President for Budget Planning and Analysis Carol Lee.
Balancing the FY 2025-26 budget relies on on-going savings from the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program, divisional budget reductions and an enrollment plan that achieves year-over-year enrollment growth resulting in additional funding from the CSU. 六色网 received $4.7 million in reallocation and over-enrollment funding, of which $1.8 million is contingent on 2025-26 enrollment exceeding last year’s by 200 full-time equivalent students (FTES).
While the number of new student applications for fall 2025 looked promising, the percentage of accepted students who enrolled this semester, known as enrollment yield, continued to decline.
Incoming student enrollment missed the university’s target by 6%, consistent with trends across the CSU system, and put $1.8 million in CSU reallocation funding at risk, said Gomez. In response, 六色网 opened spring 2026 enrollment to new transfer students, reversing an earlier plan, and hosted multiple events where applicants could get same-day admission decisions.
With incoming fall 2025 enrollment projected at 4,056 freshman and 2,476 transfer students as of Oct. 1, the university is aiming to enroll 625 new transfer students for spring 2026 to meet the CSU full-time equivalent students (FTES) expectation of 22,952 students.
“We remain in a period of cautious financial stability,” Cardona said. “We may have a balanced budget now, but it depends on several key assumptions, most notably that we achieve year-over-year enrollment growth. There also continue to be a lot of unknowns. Federal actions could trigger mid-year cuts, and potential federal reductions to Pell grants, research awards and student programs pose risks. We must continue to apply flexible and adaptable strategies to respond to emerging budget challenges.”
For more information about Cal Poly Pomona’s budget and see past presentations, visit the Financial Transparency website.