Despite concerns over federal funding uncertainty, the University of Wisconsin has not issued a centralized directive to decrease graduate admissions amid Department of Government Efficiency cuts, according to Dean of the UW Graduate School William Karpus.
Following President Donald Trump’s decision to cut funding through DOGE, graduate students across UW have felt deeply threatened, according to The Cap Times.
After Elon Musk was appointed by Trump in January to lead DOGE, the department has since decided to cut National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation funding, according to Science.
With recent cuts, Karpus explained how the university will confront admission rates for graduate students.
“There is no central UW-Madison directive — meaning no directive from the graduate school and no directive from the chancellor or provost office — to decrease new admissions,” Karpus said.
As federal funding remains uncertain, graduate programs at UW are closely evaluating available resources to determine the admission process. Currently, there is no direct plan set to decrease the number of these graduate student admissions, according to Karpus.
While many graduate students rely on grants from institutions like NIH and NSF for research and financial support, a decline in funding could impact the number of students a program can reasonably accommodate depending on the program, according to WKOW.
Despite these concerns, Karpus emphasized UW remains committed to fairness and equity in the admissions process.
“All the applications are reviewed by faculty members in the department and all department’s programs are asked to apply an equitable rubric and a holistic admissions process that evaluates all aspects of an applicant,” Karpus said.
Additionally, standardized financial offers help maintain equity across departments, according to Karpus.
Looking ahead, Karpus stated the focus of UW graduate programs remains on ensuring student success. While some adjustments to individual programs may be necessary, the priority is to sustain the quality of graduate education and support all students.
“Our overall goal is to ensure graduate student success, regardless of what program those applicants are admitted into,” Karpus said.
As UW navigates potential funding cuts, graduate programs remain committed to a fair and holistic admissions process while ensuring support for students, according to Karpus.
While the long-term implications of funding remain unclear, UW strives to provide high-quality education for graduate students, Karpus said.
“We ensure that the curriculum is high quality so that it prepares those graduate students for entry into a career outcome that they choose,” Karpus said.