And not everyone is leaving. Many scientists are choosing to stay, searching for new sources of research funding or pivoting to jobs in industry.
But the erosion of reputation and the talent drain may not be over. The Trump administration has cut or frozen up to $174 billion in federal grants since the president’s second term began, according to a tracking tool released by the States United Democracy Center and the organization Grant Witness. And a proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget could give political appointees more control over what future projects are funded. A resolution approved by Congress has delayed a final decision on the rule until December.
Scientists who have moved away and those still in the U.S. are worried about what’s left behind. They say the next generation of scientists may struggle with fewer graduate programs, money and mentorship — and it could take a decade or longer for the U.S. scientific enterprise to truly feel those effects.
Major research institutions accepted 15% fewer applicants for fall 2026 doctoral programs compared to last year, according to admissions data collected by the Association of American Universities. One of the students impacted was a mentee of Smith’s.
Agreed. Many Research 1 schools are all standing and have cut costs to accommodate, but there was never a ton of money in academia anyway-- at least, not without strings attached. Tenured faculty usually get classes bought out with research funding, but without it, they can still be retained with teaching a full schedule (that does screw people who normally fill those, though, like graduate students and adjuncts!).
On the upside, at least most researchers I know are used to working on a shoestring budget. That said, I mourn the death of NCES, and other research arms of the department of education, since they made up a big part of the educational research I’ve done before myself. That’s longitudinal work lost that can’t be fixed with a new administration.