BU lays off 120 amid federal spending cuts

State of play: BU reduced its budget 5% for fiscal 2026, which includes layoffs, Boston.com reported Monday.

• The layoffs represent 1% of total employees.
• In addition to the 240 job cuts, 20 positions will undergo a change in schedule. BU didn't say how that relates to the spending cuts.

What they're saying: BU President Melissa Gilliam wrote in a letter to students that amid the federal funding cuts, "uncertainty remains about the full extent of potential challenges to our core mission of teaching, learning, and research."

• Gilliam also cited factors such as rising inflation, declining graduate enrollment and the need to adapt to new technologies.

The layoffs come shortly after the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard recently laid off 75 workers, the Boston Business Journal reported.

• The institute cited federal research funding cuts.
• About 200 employees were laid off or furloughed at the UMass Chan Medical School in the spring.