UCLA’s political science department cut teaching assistant and reader positions in response to a budget deficit, faculty said.
Each teaching assistant position cut by the department reduces enrollment capacity in political science courses by roughly 60 students, said Margaret Peters, political science professor and vice chair for graduate studies.
For example, Political Science 20: “World Politics” is set to have 240 seats in fall 2026 – roughly 200 fewer seats than what was offered in fall 2025, she added.
“We don’t get information about the budget in a timely manner,” Peters said.
UCLA is projected to run a $220 million budget deficit for the 2025-26 academic year, Interim Chief Financial Officer Reem Hanna-Harwell announced in a March 26 campuswide email. Hanna-Harwell’s estimate came more than a month after former CFO Stephen Agostini alleged to the Daily Bruin that the university had a $425 million budget deficit for the 2025-26 academic year.
[Related: Financial mismanagement contributed to $425 million annual deficit, UCLA CFO says]
Chancellor Julio Frenk announced Agostini was no longer CFO days after the Daily Bruin published his allegations. Hanna-Harwell said higher deficit estimates previously reported were inaccurate, as they included spending requests that had not yet been approved.
[Related: Interim CFO says UCLA’s budget deficit is markedly lower than previous estimates]
The political science department said in an emailed statement that it does not plan to reduce undergraduate seminars for the 2026-27 academic year but did not answer specific questions about whether or not it cut teaching assistant and reader positions.
The UCLA Department of Mathematics also limited hours for teaching assistants and eliminated paid graders – who read and grade students’ exams – in response to university-wide budget cuts.
[Related: UCLA math department TA, grader cuts spark concern over student learning, support]
Instructors are having to rethink how classes are taught because of the limited resources, said John Branstetter, a continuing lecturer in the department.
Brady Mullan, a third-year political science and public affairs student, said he’s noticed that several political science courses have shifted toward using online quizzes administered through LockDown Browser, which prevents students from accessing other websites and has an optional function that records students while they test.
“It’s almost to the point where I can’t do writing assignments because I can’t grade them,” Branstetter said.
Michael Mirer, a political science doctoral candidate, said the availability of teaching assistant appointments has become more limited, though his teaching responsibilities have not changed much.
The department has attempted to minimize the effects of the cuts by modifying major requirements and increasing flexibility within major requirements, as well as using external funding sources from alumni donations and endowment funds, Peters said.
Peters said the university has not communicated the department’s final TA budget for the 2026-27 academic year, even as the department is already planning fall course offerings and enrollment.
“We didn’t really find out how many TAs we would have until June last year – and, by that point, after classes were done, most of the graduate students have scattered for the summer,” Peters said.
Mullan said he often has to get on the waitlist for classes because of competitive enrollment. He added that enrolling in political science courses has become increasingly difficult compared to other departments like public affairs.
“Any poli sci student could tell you, especially for upper division classes, that those classes fill up on the first day,” Branstetter said.
The Political Science Undergraduate Council – a student group that connects undergraduates with department faculty and staff to advocate for their needs – published an enrollment advocacy letter Dec. 7, 2025, to call for expanded course access and more instructional support. Limited course availability has delayed students’ progress toward graduation and diminished the quality of education students receive, the council alleged in the letter.
“Political Science students are paying tuition not just for classes on our transcript, but to enrich themselves in topics they can carry with them even beyond their years in an academic setting,” the letter said.
USAC External Vice President Cecilia Choy said students regularly seek guidance at council office hours after failing to enroll in the classes they need. Choy, the 2025-26 scholarly engagement director for the PSUC, added that reduced graduate support could impact how quickly students get grades back.
Lecturers often learn about staffing allocations shortly before a quarter begins, Branstetter said. He added that he believes the university has not been transparent enough about its finances.
“The University makes choices that it could make otherwise,” Branstetter said. “There’s no reason it can’t fund our department – and others like it – well.”
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