Baylor University is cutting $65 to $80 million from its budget for the fiscal year that starts June 1, anticipating a dip in enrollment due to the coronavirus.

Baylor President Linda Livingstone’s announcement Tuesday is one of the first disclosures from a major Texas university that it is slashing spending in response to the pandemic. In a statement, Livingstone said the virus has slowed the private universityโ€™s income and increased studentsโ€™ dependence on financial aid.

โ€œIn other words, most of our previously reliable sources of revenue, tuition, research grants and contracts, fundraising and income from our investments and endowment will almost certainly be significantly affected,โ€ Livingstone said in a statement.

Jason Cook, a spokesperson for the university, said it is too early to know what cuts will be made, but they will stretch across the entire university, including โ€œcolleges, schools, administrative units and athletics.โ€

Cook said the university will prioritize the well-being of its 17,000 students.

โ€œThat will be the next step in the process,โ€ Cook said.

He said the school is particularly dependent on enrollment to keep its budget balanced.

โ€œAs a private university, our top revenue source is tuition, and weโ€™re starting to see various surveys and studies that are projecting a decline in enrollment for universities across the country this fall,โ€ Cook said. โ€œAnd weโ€™ve also noticed some slowdowns in other revenue streams such as fundraising.โ€

Cook said the school hasnโ€™t seen any changes in enrollment so far but is expecting a drop in enrollment for the fall. But the dip wonโ€™t cripple the school, he said.

โ€œI would characterize the situation as the university is taking proactive measures to ensure not that Baylor survives, but rather the university is in a position to thrive once the pandemic has been resolved.โ€

Disclosure: Baylor University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

 Learn about The Texas Tribuneโ€™s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.

Carrington Tatum was a reporting fellow in 2019-20. A graduate of Texas State University, he was the editor-in-chief of The University Star, where he previously worked as a columnist, photographer and...