Deferred campus maintenance has reached its highest level on record, reflecting years of underinvestment in facilities and a growing mismatch between space and enrollment, according to the latest “State of Facilities in Higher Education” edition by Gordian.
Separate from routine upkeep, deferred maintenance costs reveal needed repairs to roofs and mechanical systems, and other significant renovation projects.
The average backlog now stands at $156 per gross square foot, nearly double the $80 reported in 2007.
The trend will accelerate as campus growth slows dramatically. New construction has typically stifled deferred maintenance expenses.
However, construction has fallen to a 40-year low, as campus leaders contend with declining enrollment ahead of the demographic cliff.
Some institutions are replacing the most dilapidated buildings with smaller, more flexible facilities. This approach removes the costliest liabilities and targets limited funds on 21st-century learning spaces.
Endowment returns improved, but withdrawals skyrocket as budgetary pressures surge
“This ‘right-sizing’ is bold and courageous in the face of a history which has asserted strongly that not growing is dying,” the report reads.
Routine maintenance budgets face a similar strain, dropping 18.5% below what is considered necessary. That’s a slight improvement from 2024, thanks to more moderate inflation, even though labor, benefits and utility costs continue to increase following the pandemic.
Facilities staff are also stretched thin. Custodians now maintain 27% more gross square footage than in 2007.
Energy use remains a relative bright spot. Energy consumption per square foot has declined 13% since 2007, despite more energy-intensive research activity and expanded cooling demands. The reduction is largely due to improved lighting and heating and cooling systems.
“Having excess space to maintain on campuses occupied by progressively fewer students will make appropriate stewardship even harder,” the report reads.
