Graduate Reductions Across Biomedical Sciences (2025)

	A	B	C	D	E	G	H	I
1	This list is meant to identify changes in graduate admissions following funding pauses and executive orders, particularly in regards to the NIH. If your institutions have pauses or reductions for other reasons, they don't need to be added
2	We are also working together to collect impacts here:	https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyFQdsjogbtTxrFDOQu5DI1UpLy1MrgSva5fe-mGl8-qZ1tQ/viewform
3	Those listed as verified have been verified either through articles or through personal communication with receipts. If you would like to verify a post, please DM me at cbibberson.bsky.social						@cbibberson.bsky.social
4	Note that we are doing our best to curate/make the information as accurate as possible, but information is moving fast and sources can be incomplete. If you see errors or have newer information, please, comment, or modify (with links/receipts if possible)	Note that we are doing our best to curate/make the information as accurate as possible, but information is moving fast and sources can be incomplete. If you see errors or have newer information, please, comment, or modify (with links/receipts if possible)
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6	Institution	Program	Reduction (%)	Supporting Information (links, email screenshots, etc)	Comments	Verification	State	Comments/Notes
7	VERIFIED
8	Baylor College of Medicine		~20% reduction; Outstanding offers rescinded	https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/health/article/baylor-medical-school-nih-funding-cuts-20194299.php ; Email verified
9	Boston College	Counseling Psychology	20% (Accepting only 4 students instead of usual 5 for 2025 cohort)	This was verified by the Director of Clinical Training during orientation for applicants on interview day			MA
10	Boston University	BME	15%	Word of mouth- Verified, direct communication with faculty member			MA
11	Cornell University	College of Agriculture and Life Sciences	Pause	Word of mouth - Verified email
12	Cornell University	Applied & Engineering Physics	"Reserves right to withdraw or rescind our offer of admission if we determine that we cannot provide adequate financial support"	Verified email communication
13	Dartmouth	Molecular and Cell Biology	20%	word of mouth; confirmed by admissions committee
14	Duke University	Biomedical PhD Programs	~23% (130 to 100)	https://apnews.com/article/trump-cuts-research-funding-nih-duke-7f24b33bbad54490583520536ab40e0c
15	Eintein College of Medicine	Division of Biomedical Sciences	Deferred acceptances (to Fall 2026)	Verified email communication
16	Harvard University	College of Arts and Sciences	waitlist denied admission	https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/3/12/gsas-waitlist-rejections/
17	Johns Hopkins University	School of Medicine (incl. BME and Neuroscience, among others)	25%	Personal communication- confirmed by faculty member
18	Johns Hopkins University	Biomedical Engineering	33	Personal communication- confirmed by faculty member			MD
19	MIT	Biology	20%	https://thetech.com/2025/03/06/biology-grad-admissions-reduced#:~:text=The%20MIT%20Department%20of%20Biology,PhD%20class%20size%20by%2020%25.			MA
20	North Carolina State University	Microbiology	~50%	Personal communication -- due primarily to conservative budgeting with expectation of less funding			NC
21	Northwestern University	Neuroscience (NUIN) & Political Science	Rescind outstanding offers	https://dailynorthwestern.com/2025/04/02/top-stories/northwestern-directs-some-graduate-programs-to-cap-class-sizes-defer-enrollments/
22	UCSC		~9%	https://lookout.co/ucsc-looks-to-cut-grad-student-admissions-alter-funding-guarantee/story
23	UCSD	Biological Sciences (rotation program)	30%	Program leadership; https://bsky.app/profile/ucsdcooperlab.bsky.social/post/3liuc4lhp4225			CA
24	University of Maine	System-wide	Pause	https://www.maine.edu/blog/2025/03/27/amid-funding-uncertainty-university-of-maine-pauses-new-financial-offers-to-graduate-students/
25	UMass Chan Medical School	Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences	No graduate admissions, offers rescinded	https://bsky.app/profile/klab.bsky.social/post/3lk7bch2osk2r
26	University of Maryland	School of Medicine Graduate Program in Life Sciences	Substantially reduce slots.	Program leadership; Accepted students notified if guaranteed funding or placed on funding waitlist
27	University of Miami	PiBS Umbrella program in School of Medicine	at least 25% reduction, rescinding some outstanding offers	verified by PiBS director
28	University of Michigan	PIBS program in School of Medicine	rescinding outstanding unaccepted offers	Verified email communication
29	University of Pennsylvania	All (SAS & Med, not SEAS so far) (at Penn now, and SEAS has been told to extend 90 offers)	Up to 60	Penn to reduce graduate admissions, rescind acceptances amid federal research funding cuts \| The Daily Pennsylvanian	No offers being rescinded from BGS.		PA
30	University of Pennsylvania	Biomedical Graduate Studies programs	up to 45%	Emails to faculty; https://www.thedp.com/article/2025/02/penn-graduate-student-class-size-cut-trump-funding			PA
31	University of Pittsburgh		Admissions have resumed	https://www.forbes.com/sites/annaesakismith/2025/02/26/university-of-pittsburgh-resumes-phd-admissions-after-pause-on-nih-funding-cut/			PA
32	UT-Southwestern		Rescinded unaccepted offers 3/21	Personal communication; Email verified
33	University of Southern California		Pause, Some not all departments; rescinding outstanding offers	Graduate student admissions paused and cut back as universities react to Trump orders on research ; https://morningtrojan.com/p/usc-phd-doctoral-admissions-revoked-rescinded
34	University of Texas Health San Antonio	IBMS (Integrated Biomedical Sciences)	25%....for now	dept email --> Email verified			TX
35	University of Washington	School of Public Health	Pause/Reduction (up to 50%)	Graduate student admissions paused and cut back as universities react to Trump orders on research			WA
36	University of Wisconsin-Madision	All	Reduction/Pause	https://www.wkow.com/news/education/uw-madison-graduate-program-to-decrease-admissions-offers-amid-federal-funding-uncertainty/article_ea190992-f3a3-11ef-8a4f-eb8373e1aa14.html	Note: This is a decentralized process and decisions and modifications in graduate admissions are being made on an individual college or department basis. "In a memo to deans obtained by 27 News, Provost Charles Isbell Jr. and graduate school dean William Karpus said other peer institutions have decided to "slow or pause their graduate student admission process."
37	Vanderbilt University	All		UPDATED: Graduate program capacity to be determined by school deans following temporary pause in admissions - The Vanderbilt Hustler	IGP PhD Admissions - 50%		TN	its still unclear if it'll be a 25% or 50% reduction in offers sent
38	Washington University in St. Louis	Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences	Admitting up to target class size, then offering automatic deferral.	Email verified
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41	UNVERIFIED (Please add links or send verification)
42	Cornell University		Rescind outstanding offers citing programs have already filled	word of mouth
43	Drexel University	All programs	paused admissions	word of mouth
44	Emory University	BME	direct admit	email to applicants
45	Iowa State University		some offers rescinded	https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2025/03/07/iowa-state-university-rescinds-some-admission-offers-for-graduate-students/
46	MIT	Biological Engineering	50%	word of mouth; discussion with program leadership
47	MIT	Mechanical Engineering	30%	Word of mouth
48	Michigan State University	Computer Science	Only accepting PhD students who have funding (either fellowship or advisor has an RA for them and also is supporting all of their current students as RAs)	Personal communication (note: this isn't entirely due to the political situation, but that's not helping)			MI
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50	NYU	MD/PhD	Pause	Rescinding of this year's MD/PhD acceptances (only MD admissions offered for now) (this happened before Trump came into office - I believe first week of Jan) told by multiple sources this is unrelated to the current chaos			NY
51	Oregon State University	University wide	"be intentional" re graduate employee positions	Research Office email - Departmental programs likely vary			OR
52	UCSD	Neuroscience PhD	50% reduction
53	UCSD	Bioinformatics and Systems Biology	reduced cohort	dept email asking if faculty could commit to direct admits and pay students directly.			CA
54	UCSD	All	Reduction (up to 50%)	Graduate student admissions paused and cut back as universities react to Trump orders on research			WA	the StatNews article for campus wide is based on one department head's report about other department heads they've talked to. It's not clear tha they've talked to people outside of public health? Is there a campus wide announcement of this? "Marion Pepper, chair of UW’s immunology department, said she was instructed by university leadership to keep her program’s next graduate cohort smaller than the usual five to nine students admitted each year. That’s easier said than done, because the proportion of students who accept offers of admission varies year-to-year. Pepper told STAT that while she expects the incoming class to be slightly smaller than normal, she has spoken with program heads at UW and elsewhere who are reducing class sizes by half or more"
55	UCSF	Biomedical Sciences	30% or so reduction	Comparing total accepted students this year vs last
56	University of Chicago	Microbiology & CMB	Chill (for now)	Word of mouth: Microbio is having a meeting this Wednesday after their two interview weekends, thus far it seems nothing has changed but things might change after that meeting. CMB has not said anything and proceeded with all interviews as planned. Will update on Wed
57	UMass Amherst	All programs	Pause & reduction on admissions	word of mouth; email to applicants
58	University of Illinois Chicago	University wide	hiring "chill"	Dept'l email			IL	Spoke with faculty during an interview for their GEMS PhD program -- one professor said they've halted hiring, however I know a different prospect (what a cruel joke!) who has been extended an acceptance despite this supposed halt.
59	University of Maryland	Program in Biology, Ecology, Evolution & Behavior	~50%	dept email, can second from information at recruitment event. Thirded, and this applies more broadly to the Biological Sciences program, not exclusive to BEES. A state funding cut is also exacerbating the problem (current student, via dept wide email and also convos with the director)			MD
60	University of Maryland	Neuroscience and Cognitive Science	Unclear, but likely a very small cohort (~50% cut)	Word of mouth from grads and faculty	Program is a combination of departments, so restrictions on those departments also affect us. As noted in other UMD entries, we are also facing a state-level budget crisis that is affecting funding. The two major departments, Biology and Psychology, are telling faculty that they cannot admit students who would have to be supported by TA funds (this is probably tied to the state stuff rather than NIH) and would have to support any admits for the 5 years of guaranteed funding on grant funds. However because of NIH cuts/restrictions it's likely that faculty won't be able to guarantee this either. Psychology is not allowing recruitment at all unless the faculty doesn't currently have grad students.		MD
61	University of Maryland	Psychology	Small cohort as insurance against looming federal and state reductions	Dept email			MD
62	University of Minnesota	School of Public Health Health Policy and Management Division	100%	Word of mouth that the division is not admitting any PhD students for the upcoming year			MN
63	University of New Mexico School of Medicine	Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program (BSGP)	Down 35% (15/23)	Personal communication	lost the IMSD grant that funded 15 students/yr
64	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP)	25%, delaying offers	Word of mouth	Conflicting reports		NC
65	University of Virginia	Biomedical Sciences Grad Program	~20% reduction	Communications from relevant deans to admissions committee			VA
66	University of Washington	Political Science	Up to 50%	The Political Science department had already chosen to reduce its cohort size. They are aiming for a class of 5 instead of their typical 8-10. This was communicated during interviews with prospective and admitted students.			WA
67	University of Washington	Bioengineering	25% reduction, complete faculty hiring freeze	Word of mouth from current faculty; Indication that reduction of up to 50%
68	USC		About 6 of 10 decrease in one USC program. About 25% decrease at a UNC Chapel Hill	Wash Post, Feb 22, available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20250224161553/https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025/02/22/trump-research-nih-federal-register/
69	Virginia Tech	Biological Sciences		Commitment to at least five years of funding may be impacted by availability of funds			VA
70	Washington University in St. Louis	School of Arts & Sciences, not all programs	Pause	Personal communications from administrators, no official announcement			MO
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72	Yale University	Biomedical Engineering (BME)	50% reduction	Personal communication
73	Drexel University
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75	UCLA	Computer Science	Reduced/Frozen admissions	Personal communication
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77	University of Washington	Computer Science	Reduction in admissions	Personal communication
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