Introduction
Hessian Higher Education Pact 2026–2031 signed: JLU faces major challenges
After tough negotiations, the Hessian universities signed the State's Higher Education Pact 2026–2031 in the summer of 2025. The agreement regulates the financing of Hessian state universities for the next five years.
The JLU executive board, along with other Hessian university presidents, ultimately decided in favour of the pact—primarily because budgets that had to be renegotiated annually would have made strategic future planning impossible. This security does come at a cost because in the new Higher Education Pact, rising costs—particularly due to inflation and wage developments—are met with a budget that is shrinking in real terms.
JLU is facing an annual deficit of around 25 million euros and a reduction of ten percent in its staff. These are cuts on a unprecedented scale, and carrying on as before will not address the challenges ahead.
In her opening lecture of the President's lecture series, JLU President Prof. Dr. Katharina Lorenz presented three potential scenarios for the university’s future. The recording of the lecture and subsequent discussion (German only) is available on YouTube and offers further insights into current planning efforts.
This page is intended primarily to address questions from JLU employees and students regarding the Higher Education Pact. Updates will be added continuously.