Rice commits to graduate funding as NIH cap threatens research

By Charlie Cruz     3/25/25 11:11pm

Amid uncertainty in federal funding for universities, graduate school acceptances and funding may also be at risk. 

The National Institute of Health announced Feb. 7 that federal grants for universities’ indirect costs would be capped at 15%, down from past rates of 40% or more. Indirect costs cover operational expenses, such as maintaining facilities and lab equipment.

In response, several universities, like the University of Pennsylvania, have reduced graduate admissions and, in some cases, rescinded offers. 

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Although a federal judge temporarily blocked the measure, the threat of drastic funding cuts has already left many prospective and current graduate students uncertain about whether their programs will have the means to support them.

Cristiana De Sousa, a Duncan College junior studying mechanical engineering, said she wants to apply to Ph.D. programs next year but worries about decreasing spots in science and engineering. 

“There’s a lot of confusion around who’s going to be accepting students and how grants will be obtained,” De Sousa said.

De Sousa said she worried that humanities and social science fields — particularly those centered on diversity, equity and inclusion — could face heightened vulnerability under shifting funding priorities. 

“A lot of that research revolves around civil rights, women and sexuality — that sort of thing,” De Sousa said. “There’s a real fear it could be under more pressure than STEM-related fields.”

Rice has stated that changes will not be made to DEI-related university policies for the time being.

Bill Nguyen, a Hanszen College senior who recently completed his own graduate applications, said the fallout from these proposed cuts has created pressure for prospective students.

“I applied to 12 [universities] … I heard back from two,” Nguyen said. “One school changed its funding guarantee from five years to one year. It’s that uncertainty, right? What if your advisor suddenly runs out of money?” 

Nguyen said he saw peers rush to accept offers early because they feared schools might rescind them. 

Rice has not publicly announced reduced admissions, but some faculty said they are bracing for a challenging period. Moshe Vardi, a computer science professor, said he understands the heightened worries among students.

“If we lose our Ph.D. programs, we’re dealing a serious blow to research, to preparing future faculty and even to undergraduate teaching,” Vardi said. “We can’t afford to lose a generation in science and engineering.”

Seiichi Matsuda, dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies, said Rice is committed to meeting its financial obligations to graduate students.

“Rice will not rescind admissions offers that have been made, unless for a policy-driven reason,” Matsuda wrote in an email to the Thresher. “Our current doctoral students who are in their standard funded period will continue to be paid as usual. If the advisor experiences funding cuts and no longer has sufficient funds to pay the student, the department and then the school are the financial safety nets.”

Matsuda added that Rice’s graduate admissions decisions are made at the department level and that the university expects a slightly smaller incoming class this year — reducing the overall doctoral cohort to about 300, a “modest 5% decrease” from Rice’s five-year average of 315. 

Matsuda clarified that this planned reduction is not directly linked to any specific governmental policy, but instead reflects the aggregate enrollment targets set independently by individual departments.

“Our work continues to depend heavily on graduate student input,” Matsuda said. “The Graduate Student Association and my office have worked closely together to minimize any impact of change on individual graduate students. In fact, the base doctoral stipend will increase in 2025–26 to $36,000 from the current $34,000.”

De Sousa, who hopes to begin graduate school in 2026, said she’s now looking at multiple institutions while also exploring industry roles to safeguard her future. 

“I’m applying to Ph.D. programs, but I’ve also got job applications lined up as a backup,” De Sousa said. “I’m going to keep my options open.”

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