UPDATED: The university told The Hustler on Feb. 18 at 4:14 p.m. CST that it has not paused graduate admissions and that decisions will be made at the school-level to balance program admissions with current student needs. This contradicts a Feb. 4 address by Graduate School Dean André Christie-Mizell to the Graduate Student Council, in which he announced that admissions had been temporarily paused amid uncertain funding.

In the wake of fears about significant reductions in federal funding, Vanderbilt has temporarily paused graduate student admissions. Current graduate students and faculty also raised alarm about research funding, doctoral stipends, visas and career opportunities.

On Jan. 27, the White House Office of Management and Budget released a memo calling for a “temporary pause” on all federally funded grants and loans — totaling as much as $3 trillion. The stated purpose of the pause was to allot federal agencies time to ensure their financial assistance programs are consistent with President Donald Trump’s priorities. This memo, which did not go through the standard White House approval process, was temporarily blocked by a federal judge on Jan. 28 and later rescinded by OMB on Jan. 29. 

The National Institutes of Health announced additional funding cuts for “indirect costs” on Feb. 7, which would endanger hundreds of millions of dollars in biomedical research funding. This move was temporarily blocked by a judge on Feb. 11 following lawsuits filed by 22 states — excluding Tennessee — and the Association of American Medical Colleges. 

Graduate student admissions

According to Bill Smith, president of the Graduate Student Council and a fourth-year PhD candidate, Graduate School Dean André Christie-Mizell confirmed the university’s temporary suspension of new offers of admission to prospective doctoral candidates in a Feb. 4 address to the GSC. These changes have not officially been announced by the university.

“[Christie-Mizell] emphasized this was meant to be temporary so the deans could take time to examine different budget scenarios before going forward with admissions offers,” Smith said.

Though the suspension is temporary, Smith said that faculty in multiple departments have been told to reduce the number of students they admit this cycle. As of publication, The Hustler has not been able to confirm whether the pause is still in effect.

“I have heard from graduate students from multiple departments whose faculty already notified prospective students of their acceptance and were then told they must reduce, in some cases, to zero, the number of students they are admitting,” Smith said.

Smith also expressed concern for undergraduate students interested in careers in research and academia as he believes programs funding summer enrichment and research opportunities may be reduced or cut altogether.

Research funding and graduate stipends

Together with VUMC, Vanderbilt is among the top 30 institutions in the country with the largest research and development expenditures, at over $1.08 billion in 2022, of which over 80% is federally funded.  

Smith said Christie-Mizell reaffirmed the university’s commitment to providing five years’ worth of guaranteed funding to each doctoral student, though the latter did not specify any further details.

“Students additionally asked about expenses beyond stipends — lab equipment and space, conference travel and reimbursement, etc. — [and] what to expect regarding sixth-year funding and having to take more [teaching assistant] positions instead of [research assistant] positions,” Smith said in an email to The Hustler. “Dean Christie-Mizell stated that the college deans decide all questions like that for each school without providing specifics for any of the schools.”

Smith added that some post-doctoral students were not paid last month, for which the university stepped in to compensate.

“A month ago, Congress decided how much funding grant agencies could appropriate, and panels of academic experts determined individual funding awards. Today, both are being decided by whatever ideological whims blow through the White House,” Smith said. “Faculty members don’t know if their grants will be cut one day even though they have already been awarded, and most of those grants go to paying graduate students and postdocs.”

In an email to faculty on Jan. 24, Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver said they are actively monitoring potential changes to research funding. They encouraged faculty members to continue using federally funded grants or contracts unless told otherwise.

Raver sent an additional email on Jan. 28 with instructions to faculty and student researchers regarding the imminent pause of federal loans and grants that took effect at 4 p.m. CST that day. Included in these instructions were to seek associate dean approval before submitting new expenses against federal grants.

“For those of you whose research is federally funded, please know that we are working closely with your deans and the university’s finance team, including pre- and post-award grants management experts, to provide the clarity and support you need to continue your vital work,” the email reads.

VUMC declined The Hustler’s request for comment on the immediate and potential long-term impacts of these executive orders. In a Feb. 12 video message to VUMC affiliates, VUMC President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Balser addressed the orders’ impact on medical research and operations. 

“Among the many executive orders that have been issued, another one that could directly impact us was just announced on [Feb. 7], reducing support from NIH research grants. But there are several other actions under consideration by the executive branch and by the 119th Congress that could have the same or even more impact,” Balser said. “We simply do not know the size or scope of the challenges in front of us.”

Student visas and immigration

Smith also said the topic of student visas arose several times during the GSC meeting, to which Christie-Mizell confirmed no changes had been made as of that time and affirmed the university’s commitment to “protecting all students.” 

On Feb. 6, VUMC published guidelines for responding to law enforcement immigration activities, among which were to maintain compliance with HIPAA regarding patients’ immigration status unless advised otherwise by “the appropriate representative or in consultation with the [Office of Legal Affairs].”

“Never attempt to give advice to patients on any topics other than the health care and related guidance for which they have come to receive. Specifically, you should not advise them as to any rights you may believe they may have in dealing with law enforcement,” the guidelines read.

Student loans and career opportunities 

Trump’s federal funding pause, which primarily targets research funding and other federal financial commitments, sparked confusion surrounding its impact on student loans and grants. In a Jan. 27, statement, the Department of Education said Title IV programs, such as Pell Grants and federal work study programs, would not be paused. The Department of Education also confirmed that the executive orders do not affect any “assistance received directly by individuals,” though this too will be reviewed to ensure alignment with the Trump administration’s policies. 

In a statement to The Hustler, a representative from the university said administration will work to keep “relevant community members” aware of any changes due to shifts in federal policy. 

“We continue to closely monitor every development, including a Department of Education announcement regarding student loan and grant programs, such as the federal Pell Grant, administered under Title IV of the Higher Education Act,” the statement reads. “Title IV programs are not impacted by this pause. In addition, a statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs has directed that the pause will have no impact on Veterans Affairs benefits.”

Some students have reported canceled or disrupted internship and post-graduate plans as a result of the executive orders. Medicine, health and society master’s student Reagan Mathieson said she applied for a public health fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only to receive notice that the job opening has since been removed.

“I was really looking forward to a few fellowships with the CDC that are on a specific timeline to train and get you prepared for a career in public health. I spent weeks getting my applications and essay answers ready, and it felt like a waste of my time knowing that those job posting and applications are now canceled until an unspecified time,” Mathieson said. “Right now, all I’ve heard is that those fellowships are canceled from the executive order hiring freeze, so that leaves me with a lot less options post-grad.”

Mathieson added that she believes these changes may potentially have long-term consequences on her career prospects.

“These fellowships were something I had been planning on pursuing after I graduate, and with them being frozen and a predicted funding decrease for the future programs, they will become incredibly more competitive and may not be able to offer as many host locations,” Mathieson said. “I’m now having a hard time finding other opportunities that I am equally excited about as I was for these.”