Indiana Senate Bill 199, introduced in January, would put “low earning” degree programs at Indiana University and across the state in jeopardy.
The bill is authored by Republican Senators Jeff Raatz and Linda Rogers, who did not respond to a request for comment.
“This is actually modeled after language from the Big Beautiful Bill, which says at a federal level, no longer will we be funding or providing any federal loan dollars for programs that don't yield more than a high school graduate income for two out of three years,” bill sponsor Rep. Robert Behning said Feb. 17 in a hearing in the House chambers.
In July 2025, more than 400 low enrollment degree programs at higher education institutions in Indiana were set to be eliminated or consolidated as a response to House Enrolled Act 1001.
The threshold for "low earning" under SB 199 could range from about $24,000 to $35,000 per year, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle, with the actual threshold not yet confirmed.
The final list of degree programs that fail to meet the earning threshold will be released in 2027, but an early list puts music degrees, among others, at risk.
Thomas Koehnline is a senior in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology as well as the Linguistics Department. They said the folklore and ethnomusicology degree program has always had limited enrollment, and that they could see it being removed by the state.
“Which does not, of course, reflect the actual value of the program, but of course we’re dealing with a government that is actively trying to define education in terms of economic benefits, which is completely antithetical to education,” Koehnline said.
According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, a degree from IU in the music category earns a median wage of $42,250, which is on the lower end of college degree earnings, potentially putting it on the state government’s chopping block.
The undergraduate folklore and ethnomusicology program was already affected by decisions at the state level in July. While the original coursework will still be available, the program will be merged with the anthropology program when the HEA 1001 changes go into effect. However, Koehnline said, the language in SB 199 gives the state government a pathway to dismantle the entire anthropology department, including folklore and ethnomusicology studies.
“What we’re dealing with right now is a state government that’s way overstepping and is trying to essentially cut any programs that they don’t see as supporting their specific political ends,” Koehnline said.
When Koehnline applied for college, one of the main draws to IU was the range of language and regional studies programs, which was exceptional compared to other universities in the country. But now, it seems to Koehnline that the range of degree programs that made IU so appealing is rapidly shrinking.
“Any government, regardless of political leanings, believes that freedom of information and free access to knowledge in higher education is a threat to it under democratic rule, and the humanities are always going to be the primary target of that,” Koehnline said.
Koehnline said they are worried there is not enough resistance in the state legislature.
“It’s very clear that Jeff Raatz, the senator who is pushing it, is just trying to get by with making as many changes to higher ed in Indiana as possible and hoping that people won’t notice this particular provision,” Koehnline said.
The low earning degree program provision comes as a package deal with social media restrictions for adolescents.
Koehnline said at this rate, they are concerned for almost any degree program outside of the Kelley School of Business.
Brian Forist is a senior lecturer for IU’s Parks, Recreation, and the Outdoors program, which has about 60 students, according to Forist.
According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, a degree from IU in the parks, recreation and leisure studies category earns a median wage of $50,444, which is on the lower end of degree earnings.
Forist said most, if not all, graduates of the program earn more than the bill’s potential threshold of $35,000, at least in permanent positions. However, Indiana pays “notoriously bad” for seasonal natural resources department workers.
“Interestingly, this is a state law we’re talking about; the state has the capacity to bring those salaries into a competitive range; they don’t have the political will to do so,” Forist said. “What it says, more than anything, is the way the state devalues natural resources work.”
He said the current political leaders in the state emphasize individual and family choice in other areas of legislature, but SB 199 negates student choice.
“Students should have a choice of what they want to study and then how they want to apply that in their lives,” Forist said. “The university system should not be seen as an employment conveyor belt.”
Forist said his department requires students to participate in internships in order to graduate, which generally helps them find full-time employment in the future. But Forist said degree programs offer more just professional training. They’re also an opportunity to solve problems and realize that learning can be fun.
For Parks, Recreation, and the Outdoors students, Forist said working in some of the nation’s most exceptional landscapes is fulfilling.
“There is a special quality that one receives from that that you cannot put a dollar amount on,” Forist said. “This is a law about greed, and students in a program like ours, I think are taught by example, as well as experience, that there is more in this world than just financial remuneration.”
SB 199 passed the Senate with a 67-28 vote Feb. 17 and is on its way to the House.
