Graduate student admissions paused and cut back as universities react to Trump orders on research

[mahatmakanejeeves]

In the Lab
Graduate student admissions paused and cut back as universities react to Trump orders on research
‘It just freezes everybody into inaction,’ says one scientist

By Megan Molteni, Usha Lee McFarling, and Angus Chen Feb. 19, 2025

Acceptances for biomedical graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are being cut back at some universities and medical centers across the country as many grapple with the potential impact of the Trump administration’s order to cut National Institutes of Health research funding.

The cuts come even as the proposed reductions to funding for overhead expenses, set to start Feb.10, were temporarily halted last week by a federal judge, at least until a court hearing this Friday. Universities appear to be exercising caution, with some freezing positions and not taking new applications, or accepting fewer students than normal, according to interviews, public announcements, and internal emails obtained by STAT. The abrupt narrowing of training opportunities is leaving many future researchers at the start of their scientific journey in limbo.

The academic calendar runs to the rhythm of its own seasons; right now is typically the time of year when offer letters for Ph.D. programs and postdoc positions in labs start hitting inboxes. Universities and academic medical centers were in the thick of that process when the NIH policy about overhead costs, known as indirect costs, landed.

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1. Geez. NC has been a goto state for research. This will hit hard.