When the University of California, Berkeley, announced it was eliminating five varsity teams last fall, the decision was sold as a necessary sacrifice by a university reeling from severe cuts in state aid.

Four months later, the university finds itself in a dilemma caused by a consequence of that decision that has been largely overlooked in the debate over the cuts. The elimination of two women’s teams — lacrosse and gymnastics — threw the Cal athletic department out of compliance with the federal gender-equity law known as Title IX. Without the five teams, the university, based on numbers it provided, will have to add 50 spots for women and eliminate 80 spots for men to meet Title IX requirements. That is in addition to the more than 100 male athletes already cut when men’s rugby, baseball and gymnastics were dropped as varsity sports, or about the equivalent of two football squads.

But there is a chance it will never come to that because the university is considering reversing course. After originally saying it would take at least $80 million in private donations to reinstate the five teams, officials recently said they would accept $25 million to guarantee the return of the teams for a shorter time if supporters could demonstrate a long-term plan for financing the teams. The Cal athletic director, Sandy Barbour, said she had received a proposal from supporters of the affected teams that includes about $12 million in pledged donations. Officials are said to be considering a range of options, from reinstating none to some or all of the teams, and an announcement is expected Thursday.

Barbour said the university’s decision to consider reinstating the teams was in reaction to the outcry by supporters of the cut teams, not to a dawning unease about how Cal would comply with Title IX. She said officials considered the implications of meeting Title IX throughout the decision-making process.