This Year’s Ph.D. Admissions Cycle Is Leaving Students in the Lurch
One budding academic was told an offer from a Ph.D. program was coming, and then suddenly, it wasn’t. Another said their acceptance remains in limbo after a university paused, then unpaused, all doctoral admissions. Meanwhile, some faculty have been instructed to cut the number of graduate students they admit — in some cases by more than a third.
As colleges brace for potential hits to federal research funding, many presidents have warned their campuses that cuts are coming. Others have already begun belt-tightening as a federal judge in Massachusetts weighs whether to block a Trump-proposed 15-percent cap on indirect costs by the National Institutes of Health, which cover facilities, staff, and equipment for scientific research. The policy could cost some institutions more than $100 million.
One emerging casualty of the budget cuts is Ph.D. spots, as some colleges have paused or reduced admissions in anticipation of funding losses. The timing is unfortunate, researchers told The Chronicle: Some applicants had already received informal offers to begin their programs this fall, only to learn that pauses or reductions may derail those plans.
“Universities want to make sure that they can keep their promises to the students they admit,” Ortega said.
While some pauses to Ph.D. admissions have been brief, the uncertainty threatens the United States’ position as a leader in research and innovation, Ortega said.
“As other nations continue to make significant investments in graduate education,” Ortega said, “the U.S. simply can’t afford to drive away talent, which is what these cuts to federal funding and grants will do.”