WKU could lose $1.5 million in state funding next fiscal year if House Bill 500, the Kentucky legislature’s budget bill for the next two years, becomes law.
Kentucky’s legislature agreed on a budget bill last Wednesday, April 1, that is now awaiting Gov. Andy Beshear’s approval. In HB 500, the budget bill for the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years, WKU is slated to receive a 2.18% cut to just over $69 million from $70.6 million the year prior. This number is “unrestricted” funds in the 2026-27 fiscal year, which will also decrease the following year.
WKU’s revenue detail for the 2025-26 year lists an unrestricted state appropriation of $70,693,900. In HB 500, the total general appropriation, funds not outlined for a specific purpose, is $80,142,600. Excluding mandated funding such as for the Gatton Academy and the Kentucky Mesonet, the unrestricted funding total is $69,153,900, which the university is free to spend.
Unrestricted funds are not the only funding the state provides to WKU, but they are the only funding WKU can use to support general university expenses. Some funds are restricted by the state in HB 500, and other funding WKU receives is typically restricted for certain scholarships or projects by donors.
Budget numbers in legislation do not always reflect the exact amount a university will receive; these numbers are the closest approximation based on last year’s budget and the text of HB 500.
The general fund for higher education at the state level was cut by 1.9%, which comes on the heels of many universities receiving increases in the last two-year period. All other public universities in the state will see decreases next year, except for Kentucky State University and Murray State University, which have been excluded from the general fund decrease, according to reporting by the Lexington Herald-Leader.
University Spokesperson Jace Lux said that university leaders have begun and will continue to analyze the legislation. Lux said that following the veto and override periods, “administrators will have a clearer understanding of its effects on university operations and will communicate any resulting changes with the campus community.”
Provost Bud Fischer, Executive VP of strategy Susan Howarth and assistant VP for Budget, Finance and Strategy Renaldo Domoney did not reply to requests for comment.
