Penn State implements hiring freeze as university attempts to balance budget

New employees at Penn State will be scarce until at least summer 2023 as the university has enacted a strategic hiring freeze to help defray a $191 million operating deficit.

The freeze, which went into effect Monday, comes as Penn State attempts to balance its budget by summer 2025.

Inflation rates, stagnant state funding, self-implemented tuition freezes, and enrollment and revenue pressures have hindered efforts to balance the budget, according to the university.

Penn State has also raised tuition by 5% for most Pennsylvania residents at University Park and instituted 3% in budget cuts for the 2022-23 fiscal year.

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The last time Penn State implemented a university-wide hiring freeze was in 1992, according to the archives of the university’s paper, the Daily Collegian .

Current searches to fill open positions will be paused unless positions are “critical roles,” including positions related to safety, student success and compliance, Penn State said.

Student workers, graduate assistantships, and positions that are fully funded by external grants or contracts will not be impacted by the freeze.