Research & Developments is a blog for brief updates that provide context for the flurry of news regarding law and policy changes that impact science and scientists today.
A freeze, then a defrost, of National Science Foundation (NSF) funding has caused turmoil among undergraduate scientists who now must navigate a sea of uncertainty in admissions for graduate programs and REUs—Research Opportunities for Undergraduates—which are highly competitive summer research opportunities that support thousands of students each year.
The first few months of the year are admissions season at most universities—right now, many applicants to graduate and REU programs are waiting to see if they’ll be granted a spot. While NSF funding is no longer frozen, the agency is continuing to review its grants to ensure they comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting “DEI and Preferencing.”
Many graduate schools consider prior research experience, such as experience from an REU, in their admissions process. And without sure funding, some universities are choosing to scale back admissions for both graduate programs and REUs. The University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Iowa State University, and the University of Southern California have all either paused graduate admissions, cut down on the number of graduate students they’re admitting during this cycle, or rescinded acceptances.
“Admitting students into PhD programs represents a substantial long-term financial commitment. The financial uncertainties stemming from agencies withholding new grant awards and potentially eliminating research lines following executive order reviews have complicated these decisions significantly,” said Emily Miller, deputy vice president for institutional policy at the Association of American Universities, in an email. “These substantial funding reductions will adversely impact early-career scholars and impede the transformational research necessary to address complex challenges facing our nation and world.”
Tyler Stotland, a former climate change geospatial fellow at the USDA, was affected by recent federal terminations. Stotland plans to apply to graduate school in the coming months and worries that funding uncertainties will affect the application process. “It’s very nerve-racking to be in this position now, to see … graduate programs scaling back or not accepting admissions this cycle, and people having their graduate school acceptances rescinded,” she said. “That is very concerning.”
On r/REU, a Reddit community for undergraduate students applying to REU programs, many users expressed frustration in a “Cancellation Megathread” that some programs were cutting back their admissions or canceling them altogether.
One user posted an email from the codirectors of DREU (Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates) a computing research program. “We want to make you aware of a potential challenge this year,” codirectors wrote. “Due to the recent uncertainty surrounding federal funding for the DREU program, we strongly encourage you to explore additional research opportunities alongside DREU. We want to ensure you have a range of options.”
Another user posted a similar email from an astronomy REU program at the University of Texas. “As you know, many NSF REU programs across the country are facing unexpected federal funding challenges. Due to the current uncertainty in NSF federal funding for our own UT Austin Astronomy NSF REU program, we unfortunately have to cancel the program this summer. We hope to resume the program next summer if NSF funding is provided later this year.”
—Grace van Deelen (@gvd.bsky.social), Staff Writer
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