University of Chicago to pause Ph.D. admissions across several schools
All Ph.D. programs within the Harris School of Public Policy and the Crown School of Social Work, Policy and Practice will be affected, along with several departments in the Division of the Arts & Humanities. The admissions pause will only apply to the 2026-27 academic year, during which the programs will undergo a structural review, according to a university spokesperson.
Students who are currently enrolled will not be affected.
'These unit-level decisions reflect each program's specific context and long-term goals, with the aim of ensuring the highest-quality training for the next generation of scholars,' the spokesperson said.
U. of C. has struggled for years to balance its budget — and those challenges have only intensified under President Donald Trump's administration. Officials have cited cuts to federal research funding, along with changing policies on student loans and international students.
In the Division of the Arts & Humanities, eight departments will stop accepting applications, according to an email Tuesday from Dean Deborah Nelson obtained by the Tribune. The remaining seven departments will accept smaller Ph.D. cohorts.
'To be anything but cautious at this moment of uncertainty and evolving fiscal realities would be irresponsible to both those students and our long-term health,' Nelson wrote to faculty.
Nelson's announcement follows the formation of five faculty advisory committees in June tasked with identifying cost-cutting measures across the division. But she said the decision to pause doctorate program admissions did not come from any of those groups.
Whitney Cox, a professor in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations and a member of the Ph.D. programs committee, said the group had unanimously decided that any pause in admissions should apply to all programs, rather than singling out or prioritizing some departments over others.
Cox described a climate of confusion and frustration among faculty.
'I found this decision to be extremely opaque and disappointing, and it's hard for me to have much confidence in the process going forward,' he said.
Graduate students will continue to be admitted in the departments of art history, cinema and media studies, East Asian languages and civilizations, English language and literature, linguistics, music and philosophy. Nelson did not specify the extent to which the Ph.D. cohort sizes would be reduced.
Cliff Ando, a professor in the departments of classics and history, called the changes 'a betrayal of the values of the university.'
'I'm shocked and dismayed,' Ando said. 'The committee specifically recommended that the dean not implement a policy that would favor some departments and disfavor others, and the dean overrode the faculty recommendation.'
The decision on which departments would continue to admit students was based on the number of applicants, undergraduate demand, tenure track and career placements, Nelson said in the email.
Cox, who studies the literary and intellectual history of southern India, said that his department is small because it is specialized — but that doesn't discount its value.
'It's with a certain amount of pride and satisfaction that I say that we're the best department in our field, certainly in North America, arguably in the world,' Cox said.
Faculty advisory committees are continuing to finalize their cost-cutting proposals for the division. The five groups are slated to present their recommendations to university officials at the end of August.
In addition to Ph.D. programs, the targeted areas include college teaching, division organization, languages and master's programs.
'As dean, there is nothing more important to me than ensuring our long-term excellence in training scholars and artists who will help shape the future of the work to which we have dedicated our professional lives,' Nelson wrote.
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