Amid federal funding cuts and policy changes under the Trump administration, many colleges and universities across the U.S. are freezing hiring and discretionary spending, including Ivy League institutions like Harvard and Duke. This shift aims to maintain financial flexibility while the impact of potential changes in federal policy is assessed. These measures were influenced by the National Institutes of Health's decision to cap reimbursements related to research, and recent federal actions threatening funding to institutions amid allegations of antisemitism. Harvard’s president emphasized their commitment to higher education and related priorities despite financial uncertainty.
Colleges and universities started to curb costs last month after the National Institutes of Health said it plans to cap reimbursements for costs indirectly related to research—a move expected to cost colleges at least $4 billion. A federal judge has since blocked that proposal from moving forward, but the Trump administration has essentially stopped awarding new NIH grants, creating financial uncertainty for many colleges.
It is meant to preserve our financial flexibility until we better understand how changes in federal policy will take shape and can assess the scale of their impact," Harvard president Alan Garber wrote this week in a message to the campus community.
Expanding access to higher education for all, preserving academic freedom, and supporting our community's research, teaching, and learning will always be our highest priorities," he wrote.
The latest wave of freezes comes after the Trump administration announced it was pulling $400 million in federal grants and contracts from Columbia University, warning that other universities could see a similar penalty as part of the government's crackdown on alleged campus antisemitism.
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