Harvard slashing Ph.D. admission slots, Crimson reports

Harvard University is drastically reducing its Ph.D. student admission slots, according to the student newspaper The Harvard Crimson.

Over the next two years, the Faculty of Arts & Sciences’ (FAS) Science division will see a more than 75 percent cut in Ph.D. admission slots, and Arts & Humanities division will get around a 60 percent cut, The Crimson reported on Monday, citing emails and discussions with multiple faculty members.

Other departments in the division are expecting 50 to 70 percent cuts in the upcoming years.

The Hill has reached out to university and its FAS for comment.

Numbers could change throughout the week as the official deadline for how cuts will be allocated is Friday.

Some departments, such as the German one, could lose all its seats, according to the Crimson, while others such as Sociology are looking to enroll six new Ph.D. students next year but give up all its spots the following academic year.

The FAS had previously said the decision to cut Ph.D. student admission slots was due to financial pressures on the university, according to The Crimson.

Republicans have raised taxes on college endowments with this year’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” a move expected to cost Harvard $300 million. Endowment taxes are going up from 1.4 percent to 8 percent for some of the wealthiest universities in the country.

In the fiscal year 2025 report, Harvard had an operating loss of $113 million, its first budget deficit since 2020, the student newspaper reported.

The university has also taken other measure to offset financial pressures, such as hiring freezes.

While Harvard was able to win back the billions of dollars the Trump administration froze earlier this year through litigation, the federal government is still looking to put pressure on the university through other investigations.

Although President Trump has said multiple times a deal with Harvard is in the works or close to a conclusion, no final agreement has been announced.