OXFORD (AP) — Job cuts, retirements and scaled-back programs are some of the steps Mississippi’s eight public universities are taking to deal with tight finances this school year and the next.

It’s unclear how such measures might affect what’s being offered to students in the classroom.

Mattie Tomes, a 19-year-old from Pascagoula, worries the budget situation could impact the dietetics and nutrition program in which she’s enrolled at the University of Mississippi.

‘‘We have to have food labs. In order to do that, we have to buy food. I hope no cuts will affect that,’’ Tomes said between classes Wednesday on the Oxford campus.

Earlier this week, faculty and staff at the University of Southern Mississippi received a letter about of plans to lay off 29 faculty members next academic year, among other reductions.

At Mississippi State University, 280 faculty and staff have signed up for a retirement incentive program that was implemented July 1.

The action comes after months of planning by university leaders who are bracing for the loss of millions in stimulus funding in the budget year that begins next July 1.

Larry Sparks, vice chancellor for administration and finance at the University of Mississippi, said the institution started a comprehensive project years ago designed to streamline operations.

‘‘It’s served as a foundational piece to help us do some of this’’ and helped offset some job losses, Sparks said.

Over the past two years, there have only been 30 jobs permanently eliminated at Ole Miss, but as other positions come open they’re not automatically filled, Sparks said.

The budget crunch comes during a time of growth at Ole Miss. In 1999, the university enrolled 11,700 students, a figure that didn’t include the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. The enrollment rose to 15,932 in 2009, and is up significantly this year, Sparks said.

Sparks said no programs or positions are targeted now.

‘‘We have predicted the upcoming fiscal year will be tough. Part of the operations are funded with $9.5 million in stimulus funds and those don’t come back next year, and it’s unclear how the state will deal with that,’’ Sparks said. ‘‘We have to be aware of all possible scenarios.’’

Tomes, a sophomore at Ole Miss, has her own guess about how the university might be trying to recoup some of the lost funds.

‘‘They’ve raised the prices of food in the student union,’’ she said.

MSU has planned for $11 million in budget savings next year on the Starkville campus, said associate provost Jerry Gilbert. MSU received $11.4 million in stimulus money this year, Gilbert said.

About 30 percent of next year’s savings will come from the retirement plan. Though 280 employees accepted the retirement incentive plan, accounting for $15 million in salaries, about half of those workers are expected to be hired back, Gilbert said.

He said the rest of the savings at MSU will come from various efficiencies, including cutting courses that were infrequently taught.

‘‘We’ve decided not to cut programs unless we can reap a financial benefit from cutting those programs,’’ Gilbert said. ‘‘I would also hasten to say this is not an exact science and things could change slightly as we go forward in the next eight to nine months.’’

Jackson State University is still mulling how it will deal with the budget crunch, said Anthony Dean, director of university communications.

‘‘We’re not in a position right now to announce any layoffs. We’re looking at options to right-size our budgets,’’ Dean said.

In addition to the faculty and staff cuts, degree programs were being eliminated in five academic colleges at USM, Martha Saunders, president of the Hattiesburg-based school, said in her letter this week.

The faculty members were notified their contracts would not be renewed after the current academic year.

While Delta State University is reviewing its academic offerings on the Cleveland campus, President John Hilpert has said no tenured or tenure-track faculty will be let go during the next academic year. Contracts require the faculty receive a year’s notice.

‘‘This is an important milestone for institutional stability and academic quality,’’ Hilpert said in a recent news release.