IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The University of Iowa is eliminating academic scholarships expected by more than 2,400 resident students for the 2017-18 school year. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that a letter being sent by university President Bruce Harreld blames the Legislature’s decreasing university funding by $8 million. University officials estimate that cutting the scholarships will save the university about $4.3 million.

The university already has reduced its Summer Hawk Tuition program, tightened residency requirements for out-of-state students and raised the minimum number of credit hours required for students to live in the dorms.

Harreld told state lawmakers Wednesday that the cutbacks were necessary because of the $8 million reduction in state funding that the university is required to handle over the next four months.