Several of the nation’s leading research universities are admitting fewer PhD students this fall, according to data compiled from more than 50 institutions. The reported decline is about 15% compared with the previous year and involves 55 universities that are members of the Association of American Universities (AAU). AAU says its member universities grant about half of the nation’s research doctorates. The data are collected through the AAU Data Exchange. University officials and research advocates link the admissions drop to unreliable changes in federal research funding. They cite proposed federal research cuts that Congress restores at times, creating uncertainty for budgeting and long-term commitments. Advocates also point to reductions in grants from major agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. In addition, they mention a new federal tax on wealthy institutions’ endowments. The sources also describe past disruptions to research awards during the Trump administration, including grant terminations later restored after court rulings. The potential impact described across reports includes fewer doctoral students to teach and mentor undergraduates and a smaller pipeline of future researchers.
Top U.S. research universities cut PhD admissions amid uncertain federal funding
Several of the nation’s leading research universities are admitting fewer PhD students this fall, according to data compiled from more than 50 institutions. The reported decline is about 15% compared...
- About 55 AAU member research universities report roughly a 15% drop in PhD admissions this fall compared with the prior year.
- The admissions data are compiled through the AAU Data Exchange and include more than 50 institutions.
- Universities and advocates attribute the decline largely to uncertainty and fluctuations in federal research funding.
- Federal agencies cited include the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, which have funded fewer grants.
- Sources also cite other pressures, including a proposed or new federal endowment tax and past grant disruptions later reversed by courts.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: The number of students admitted to Ph.D. programs this fall dropped 15 percent from the previous year, according to data from over 50 top research universities, raising fears that the nation's capacity to produce new science could be diminished. The decline is driven, in part, by a chaotic and unpredictable federal funding environment under the Trump administration, as federal cuts are promised and then reversed, and budgets remain unclear. A reduction in doctoral students could mean fewer scholars at universities to teach and mentor undergraduates. Higher education leaders also worry that, if the declines continue, there will be fewer researchers to power a rapidly evolving scientific work force. The data showing the decrease comes from 55 universities, all of them members of the Association of American Universities, an invitation-only organization that includes 69 of the most prestigious research institutions in the United States. The data collection was conducted by another group, the Association of American Universities Data Exchange. Schools in A.A.U. confer half of the nation's research doctorates, according to the association. "We are at risk of losing a whole generation of new talent because of the reduction in the capacity to support those students," said Toby Smith, a senior vice president at the A.A.U. University leaders and research advocates cite many reasons for the declines in new doctoral students. Key federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, have been funding fewer research grants. The wealthiest institutions also face a new federal tax on their endowments. But the most cited reason in interviews was the unreliable nature of federal funding under the Trump administration. The administration proposed major cuts to federal research agencies last year, but Congress restored the funding. It is again proposing big cuts. While Congress may again reverse the administration's proposed reductions, the uncertainty makes it hard for schools to make multiyear commitments to doctoral students. The administration also abruptly ended thousands of research grants last year, arguing that they did not align with the government's priorities. The administration restored many of the grants after judges deemed the eliminations illegal and arbitrary, but research advocates say the whiplash was damaging. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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