US PhD admissions drop 15% amid federal funding uncertainty

Prestigious US research universities have reported a 15% decline in doctoral admissions for Fall 2026, driven by federal funding cuts and uncertainty under the Trump administration, according to data from 55 private members of the Association of American Universities (AAU). Source: infobae, diariolibree

Key factors:

• Agencies like the NIH and National Science Foundation have reduced research grants, while wealthy universities face a new federal tax on endowments. Source: infobae
• The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) will cut new graduate admissions by 40% this fall due to funding instability. Source: diariolibree
• International doctoral applications have fallen 21%, though domestic demand has slightly increased. Source: diariolibree

AAU senior vice president Toby Smith warned: "We risk losing an entire generation of new talent." Travis York of the American Association for the Advancement of Science said the decline will have repercussions across the US innovation ecosystem for years. Source: infobae, diariolibree

The White House countered that President Trump aims to keep the US a world leader in science by "funding real science, not left-wing ideology." Source: infobae, diariolibree