Will federal funding be restored for 2026-2027 cycle?

[Pepsi393]

Hi all, I need to make an important decision soon, and I would like everyone's input on this.

I am graduating in less than two weeks, and the research tech position that I had lined up requires two years of commitment. This meant that I would apply for the 2026-2027 cycle, and I was planning on doing so, until the research funding cuts hit.

I know that the 2025-2026 cycle will probably see a reduction in the number of acceptance seats. My question is: will the 2026-2027 cycle be any better, or worse? I want to be cautious about whether I apply this cycle or not. I don't want to be in a position where the 2026-2027 cycle is even worse than it is going to be for 2025-2026.

I understand that the real answer is that we don't know what is going to happen, but for those already in MD-PhD programs or dealing with the funding cuts directly, can you please give me a glimpse into what you think? Thank you.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ophthoaspirant]

I read on Reddit (take it with a grain of salt since Reddit information is not always accurate) that there are 2 reasons why this cycle saw a 5-10% reduction in number of seats. One reason is the funding cuts. Another is that some top programs saw lower yields because some applicants played it safe and CTE at slightly lower ranked schools that were not being investigated by the federal government. These impacted programs didn't want to give out more acceptances (hence less WL movement) to compensate for the lower yield to maintain their reputation and instead reduced the incoming class sizes.

I think MSTPs will find a solution so that the latter scenario does not happen again in future cycles. Hence, the situation might improve slightly next cycle and beyond.