Trump suppresses American universities, the chilling effect strikes! MIT will reduce enrollment and lay off staff, and the number of applicants to Columbia University has significantly decreased

On Thursday, according to media reports, the Trump administration suspended Harvard University's eligibility to enroll international students, notifying the university that it is prohibited from recruiting international students. Meanwhile, the White House's crackdown on the American academic community has extended to other prestigious institutions, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) deciding to reduce enrollment and lay off staff, and Columbia University also facing increased scrutiny from the Trump administration due to anti-Israel protests that began last year, resulting in a significant decrease in applications.

MIT: Reducing Graduate Program Enrollment and Layoffs

Media reports indicate that due to the financial pressure from the Trump administration, which has created an uncertain outlook for higher education institutions, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is facing increasingly severe financial challenges. The school previously stated that it is reducing the number of graduate students in its renowned research programs and laying off some staff.

Previously, President Trump cut funding and compensation provided through federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which have been important sources of funding for research-oriented universities like MIT. Additionally, according to legislation that has already passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, MIT's endowment fund will face significant tax increases.

Currently, MIT has taken measures to cut expenses, including freezing hiring. To address the potential reduction in federal research funding, the school plans to reduce the enrollment of research graduate students by about 100 for the 2025 academic year, an 8% decrease compared to the recently concluded academic year, MIT spokesperson Kimberly Allen stated on Wednesday. Previously, MIT announced plans to cut up to 10% of the central budget allocated to various academic and administrative departments in the next academic year. This move has forced some departments to lay off staff. She did not disclose the specific number of layoffs. Administrative departments that rely primarily on the central budget and have little external funding have been the most affected.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth stated in a statement this week:

“In the coming months, MIT and universities across the U.S., and even the entire American research system, may face even greater shocks. While we will do everything we can to avoid this situation, we must also prepare for various outcomes.”

At the same time, although MIT has an endowment fund of nearly $25 billion, most of the funds are earmarked for specific purposes, such as student aid, and cannot be flexibly used to fill other funding gaps. According to the Republican tax proposal, private universities and colleges with more than 500 students and an average endowment of over $2 million will be taxed at a rate of 21% on their net investment income, significantly higher than the current rate of 1.4%. Kornbluth stated that this would be a “devastating tax burden,” costing MIT hundreds of millions of dollars annually in funding for research and student aid.

Columbia: A Target of Trump's Focus, Significant Decrease in Applications

According to media reports, the admissions consulting firm AtomicMind found a significant decrease in the number of clients applying to Columbia University. The firm's head, Leelila Strogov, stated that this is mainly due to parents' concerns about the campus unrest caused by the anti-Israel protests at Columbia over the past year. Additionally, more than 20 students, professors, and admissions consultants interviewed by the media revealed that Columbia University's reputation has been severely damaged after two years of ongoing turmoil Since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, the atmosphere on campus has become increasingly tense, and the university has struggled to cope with the cultural war engulfing higher education. Meanwhile, Columbia University has also become one of the primary targets of the Trump administration's attacks on elite universities, with the president accusing the school of failing to protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests.

As of now, Columbia University has lost approximately $400 million in federal research funding, primarily due to the Trump administration's focus on targeting Ivy League schools. At the same time, under a Republican-led spending plan, the university also faces a massive tax on about $15 billion in endowment funds.

As external perceptions of the university worsen, leaders of several college counseling organizations have candidly pointed out the impact on Columbia.

Mandee Heller Adler from Florida stated that the number of students applying to Columbia this year has significantly decreased, from 52 two years ago to 38. In Short Hills, New Jersey, David Blobaum, co-founder of the college counseling company Summit Prep, mentioned that he is currently helping two students transfer.

Elizabeth Stone, president of Top Tier Admissions, said that one student chose Duke University over Columbia due to concerns about the instability of federal research funding; Chris Rim, founder of Command Education in New York, noted that several of his students, despite being admitted to Columbia, ultimately chose other schools