Duke’s graduate schools admitted significantly fewer doctoral students in their last two application cycles, which the schools largely attributed to uncertainty over federal research funding.
Specifically, Duke admitted 32.4% fewer doctorate students for the 2025-26 academic year than the 2024-25 academic year, which had a complete admissions cycle before the Trump administration took office. The drop — from 1,200 to 811 offers — accompanied a nearly 10% increase in applications.
“This is not a consequence of reduced student interest or quality — the applicant pool remains strong. It is a consequence of funding instability,” The Graduate School wrote last month in comments submitted to the federal government. The comments opposed a proposed rule that would further upend the federal research landscape by giving political appointees power over grant awards…