On the surface, Harvard looks like part of a broader national trend of top research universities paring back their PhD admissions in a lean federal funding landscape. But look closer and it’s clear Harvard is not moving in step with its peers.
What Harvard is doing: Cutting PhD seats across every Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) division for the next 2 cycles, roughly:
60% reduction in the Arts & Humanities
50-70% reduction in the Social Sciences
75% reduction in the Sciences
By our count, that’s nearly 500 PhD fewer PhD students by 2028.
What peer institutions have announced (or already done): Most peers are scaling back — but nothing close to Harvard’s across-the-board contraction.
Modest, targeted reductions:
Princeton: “Modest” reductions in “most” fields in 2026-27
Yale: “Considering” a 12% reduction in humanities & social sciences over three years
MIT: 8% reduction in admissions in 2025-26.
Penn: 33% reduction in 2025-26, now partially rebounding in 2026-27
Brown: 20% reduction in overall admissions in 2026-27
Pausing admissions entirely in certain humanities/social science fields:
UChicago: Pausing admissions in 2026-27 across most humanities and several social science programs
Cornell: Pausing admissions in 2026-27 for “a small number of programs” including anthropology (though this could change with its recent government settlement)
Duke: Pausing admissions in 2026-27 in Classics, Computational Media, Arts, and Cultures, and Cultural Anthropology
Essentially, some universities are reducing seats across all programs, but modestly. Others are pausing admissions altogether, but only in select humanities and social science fields. Harvard is doing both at once: cutting across every division and by large margins, including a drastic 75% reduction in the sciences, where peers are barely adjusting.
Why Harvard’s PhD cuts stand out
Yes, Harvard faces unique financial pressures: a $350 million structural deficit in FAS, which existed long before recent federal actions, and the possibility, however remote, of losing federal research funding outright.
But cuts this deep carry risks to its research output and reputation that won’t disappear when the two-year pause ends:
For PhD candidates: Dramatically smaller cohorts, especially in the sciences, can signal a less stable or less well-resourced environment. Applicants may worry about fewer classmates to collaborate with and labs with reduced capacity for ambitious projects, making programs at other universities more attractive. It doesn’t take many cycles of this to compound: weaker cohorts lead to weaker post-program placements, which makes it harder to attract the next round of top students.
For faculty: In the sciences, fewer PhD students means fewer hands to run experiments and sustain sophisticated labs. Faculty might tolerate a two-year dip, but FAS Dean Hopi Hoekstra has already signaled longer-term changes to the PhD model. Coupled with FAS’s $350 million deficit, the implication is clear: more cuts could follow. Faculty who depend on robust lab talent may start looking elsewhere, and a hit to research output or faculty retention would make it harder to recruit top researchers and students in the future.
Those external dynamics are only part of the picture. Harvard’s approach also affects its teaching capacity, ability to deliver academic excellence, and research competitiveness.
Next week, stay tuned for our special edition on Harvard’s PhD cuts: what they actually save the University, the broader academic risks they create, and how they compare to other options Harvard hasn’t taken (yet).
Ask 1636
Send us your Harvard and higher education questions!
Q: Is Harvard still trying to negotiate a settlement with the White House?
The last public remarks on a settlement were in late September when President Trump said a deal was “very close.” That wasn’t the first time Trump made such a claim (he suggested something similar in July) that didn’t pan out. The government shutdown began the next day, which could have stalled progress to the extent an agreement was in motion. Since then, it’s unclear whether talks have continued (though Cornell reached a settlement last week). Today, Harvard disclosed that it secured the $36 million letter of credit the Department of Education demanded this fall to keep receiving federal student aid funds. It’s also unclear whether that step is tied to ongoing settlement talks.
Events
New York, NY — November 18 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. ET: Harvard Business School (HBS) and the HBS Club of New York are hosting a reception for alumni with additional career planning workshops for recent graduates. Register here.
Virtual — December 5 from 11:30 am-12:30 p.m. ET: The Harvard Alumni Association is hosting President Alan Garber (AB ’77, PhD ’82) for an off-the-record conversation about the University’s priorities, progress on campus, and Garber’s vision for Harvard’s future. Register here.
Virtual — December 11 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. ET: The Harvard Business School Jewish Alumni Association (HBSJAA) is hosting a conversation for members on the campus climate for the Jewish community. Panelists include Exec. Director of MBA & Doctoral Programs Jana Kierstead; Sr. Lecturer and Associate Dean for Culture & Community Kristin Mugford; Unit Head for Organizational Behavior and Co-Chair of the HBS Antisemitism Working Group Joshua Margolis; and Chair of MBA Required Curriculum Mitch Weiss. Register here.
Washington, D.C. — December 12 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. ET: Join HKS Dean Jeremy Weinstein for breakfast and a discussion on how the school is supporting its community amid shifts in the public sector. Register here.
If you find our newsletter valuable, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support 1636 Forum’s mission.
FYIs
Divinity School Updates Mission Statement, Draws Fire for Appointing Visiting Professor Who Described “Repulsion” Toward Pro-Israel Synagogues
Harvard Divinity School (HDS) has adopted a new mission statement for the first time since 2008, now emphasizing its role in a “multireligious environment.” The update is the only concrete result so far of a strategic planning process launched in fall 2024.
The plan was released after HDS warned of budget cuts taking effect next fiscal year, but it offers few financial details. A spokesperson told The Crimson there are “currently no changes or implementation plans.”
Separately, HDS is under scrutiny for appointing Hasia Diner as a visiting professor, given her history of controversial remarks about the Jewish community.
Diner is slated to teach an HDS course this spring on American Judaism. Her appointment draws renewed criticism in light of Harvard’s Antisemitism Task Force Report that recommends HDS diversify faculty to include more mainstream Jewish perspectives.
Yale Police Chief Named Head of Harvard University Police Department
Anthony Campbell will become chief of the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) on January 5. He currently leads the Yale Police Department and previously served as chief of the New Haven Police Department.
Campbell holds a B.A. and a Master of Divinity from Yale. He succeeds interim chief Denis Downing, who stepped in after Victor Clay resigned in May 2025 following a union survey expressing no confidence in his leadership.
At Yale, Campbell oversaw the arrest of 47 students while clearing the April 2024 protest encampment, later describing the incidents as “criminal and violent.”
As a lecturer at Yale, Campbell also taught a course at Yale Divinity School titled “Police Others as You Would Want to Be Policed: The Changing Face of Community-Police-Ministry Relations in the Twenty-First Century.”
Students, Religious Leaders, Faculty Criticize Crimson Piece on Cutting off Zionist Friends
Community backlash continued this week in response to The Crimson’s “Amateur Ethicist” column, which argued that ending friendships over Zionist beliefs is “justifiable.” A series of letters to the editor this week criticized the column’s premise and broader implications:
Samuel Colchamiro (AB ’28) and Charles Bernat (AB ’27) said the piece normalized religious discrimination and contradicted Harvard’s values of inclusion.
Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church Matthew Ichihashi Potts (MDiv '08, PhD ‘13), warned that the framing risked endorsing antisemitic shunning and emphasized dialogue with friends over severance.
The Executive Committee of the Harvard Chaplains, representing 35 campus religious groups, argued that shunning based on beliefs — Zionist or anti-Zionist — deepens divisions and undermines pluralism.
Law School professor Jesse Fried (AB ’85, JD ‘93) and Medical School professor Matthew Meyerson (AB ’85, MD ‘93, PhD ‘94), co-founders of Harvard Faculty for Israel (HFFI), wrote that the column promoted “anti-Jewish bigotry” and compared its impact to rhetoric used to justify antisemitic ostracism in 1930s Germany. (HFFI “foster[s] academic, intellectual, scientific, and technical exchanges between Harvard and Israel.)
Last week, both Harvard Hillel and Harvard Chabad condemned the piece. This week, Hillel praised these responses as showing broad, cross-community rejection of the column’s ideas. Chabad criticized the Chaplains Executive Committee’s statement, writing that though the Executive Committee’s letter normalizes anti-Zionism, “they would never advocate to protect a prejudicial, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian, anti-Black, anti-gay, or anti-any minority” stance.
IOP Director Setti Warren, Known for Bridging Political Divides, Dies at 55
Setti Warren, director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics (IOP) since 2022 and former head of the Kennedy School Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, has passed away suddenly at age 55. Before joining Harvard, he served as the Democratic mayor of Newton, Massachusetts.
A veteran of the military and public service (serving as staffers for President Clinton and Senator John Kerry), Warren was admired for his ability to foster dialogue across political lines, a hallmark of his leadership at the IOP.
During his tenure, Warren helped establish a mentorship program for conservative undergraduates and hosted prominent speakers from across the political spectrum, including former Vice President Mike Pence and former President Joe Biden.
His passing leaves a gap in a position that plays a large role in bringing diverse political views together on campus.
More News
More News at Harvard:
The Crimson: “Psych Professor Steven Pinker Criticizes Cancel Culture in Academia, Promotes Ideological Openness at IOP Forum”
The Crimson: “Harvard’s Funds Are Back. Can Its Scientists Trust the Government Again?”
Harvard Gazette: "A potential quantum leap” — feat. University Professor Mihkail Lukin
Harvard Gazette: “To begin bridging campus divides: Just sit down together and listen”
Boston Globe: “‘A shadow system.’ How a Harvard media lab allegedly serves as a side door into the US for well-heeled Chinese students.”
The Crimson: “Harvard AAUP Asks Judge To Extend Speech Protections to International Students, Faculty Nationwide”
The Crimson: “Harvard Rolls Back Wage Freeze for Custodian Union”
The Crimson: “Grad Union Contract Negotiations Stall Over Key Demands”
Fifteen Minutes: “What Was Lost in the SEAS Layoffs”
Fifteen Minutes: “Where Does Harvard’s Orientation for Activists Fit In Now?”
Harvard Gazette: “No one knows the answer, and that’s the point”
The Crimson: “Ruiz Named Next Institute of Politics President After Uncontested Election”
Wall Street Journal: “Harvard Says It’s Handing Out Too Many A’s. Students Are Fighting Back.”
The Crimson: “Harvard Dental Center To Lay Off Staff After Closing Cambridge Clinic”
The Crimson: “We Hate to Admit It, But Dean Claybaugh is Right” — editorial by The Crimson Editorial Board
The Crimson: “We Lead the Intellectual Vitality Initiative. Harvard Needs To Set Its Standards Higher.” — op-ed by philosophy professor Ned Hall, Jack Flanigan (AB ’27), and Ari Kohn (AB ’26)
The Crimson: “Changing Grades Won’t Fix the Humanities — Here’s What Will” — op-ed by Adam Chiocco (AB ’27)
The Crimson: “The Faculty Senate Should Have a Say” — editorial by The Crimson Editorial Board
The Crimson: “The Cost of Classroom Kindness” — op-ed by Catherine Previn (AB ’27)
The Harbus: “One Year After the Election: Why Ideological Diversity Still Matters” — by Edward Doan (MBA ’26)
More News Beyond Harvard:
Bloomberg: “Trump Defends Foreign Students as ‘Good’ for US Universities”
AEI: “Private Universities Can’t Survive Without Public Support”
Dartmouth News: “Dartmouth Dialogues Survey Results Reveal Impact”
Jewish Insider: "ADL report finds pervasive antisemitism in 20 American academic associations”
Yale Daily News: “Student conference promotes reforms for elite universities”
The Tech: “MIT’s yield rate increases from 73% in 2015 to all-time high of 86.6% in 2025”
Columbia Daily Spectator: “University Senate approves new SEAS master’s program in artificial intelligence”
NYU: “NYU Establishes New School: The Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science”
Brown Daily Herald: “Condoleezza Rice encourages civil discourse, reflects on Israel-Hamas, Russia-Ukraine wars at lecture event”
JNS: “University of Maryland students vote: Bar former IDF soldiers from speaking”
New York Times: “Israeli Academics Find Themselves Isolated Despite Gaza Cease-Fire”
New York Times: “Trump Pressure Risks Free Speech at University of California, Judge Warns”
Chronicle of Higher Education: “A ‘Steep Decline’ in Students’ Academic Preparation at UC-San Diego Struck a Nerve”
U.S. Department of Education: “U.S. Department of Education Releases Seven Priorities Under the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education”
Higher Ed Dive: “Education Department zeroes in on 4-year colleges for expanded IPEDS collection”
Inside Higher Ed: “As ED Guts Its Civil Rights Office, Could States Step Up?”
New York Times: “Make Medical School Three Years” — op-ed by Penn Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Zeke Emanuel (MD ‘88, PhD ‘89)
Wall Street Journal: “Higher Ed Needs Receivership, Not Reform” — op-ed by John Ellis, German literature professor emeritus at UC Santa Cruz