Follow The Herald’s latest coverage on how the Trump administration is impacting Brown here.
Just weeks ahead of the May 1 deadline by which admitted applicants must decide whether they will spend the next four years on College Hill, many prospective students are processing how the Trump administration’s $510 million federal funding freeze to the University may impact their time at Brown.
During A Day on College Hill, the University’s twice-annual admitted students day, The Herald spoke to nearly two dozen admitted students about their initial reactions to the federal funding freeze and whether it affects their college decision-making process.
Some students said the federal actions are factoring into their college decision
For Dakota Pippins, who hadn’t yet committed to Brown as of Friday, the news was disheartening. “It’s not great to hear that the place you’re hoping to go is losing money,” he said.
Although Elle Graham is unsure how the planned funding cuts would affect Brown, she said the news is “scary enough.”
Like Pippins, many other prospective students expressed concerns that losing federal funding could impact the undergraduate experience at Brown.
Jaden Barrack-Anidi noted that the proposed cuts could make it “more difficult for people to get the experiences that I think they deserve and need to be the best students that they can.”
While some admitted students are factoring the potential freeze into their college decisions, others said they were unaffected by the news.
“I haven’t really thought about it that much,” said Brendan Reichard, who has not yet committed to the University. Reichard said funding is not a major factor in deciding his future school.
Like Reichard, Lucas Connors said the news didn’t change his perspective on Brown. Connors had already committed to attending the University before the news broke.
“I still think I’m able to have a fulfilling education here” despite the cuts, he added.
Although the planned funding cuts are allegedly due in part to Brown’s DEI programs, many prospective students said they still appreciate the University’s efforts to promote diversity.
Mira Flood said the Trump administration’s actions “did impact my decision but not in the way you would think.”
“It actually makes me like Brown more because I like that they are strong on their values and care about keeping this campus as wonderfully diverse as it is,” she said.
Students are concerned research opportunities may be limited
Many prospective students also expressed concerns about the future of research at Brown. Since Trump took office in January, at least $8 million in research grants at Brown have been cut by the National Institutes of Health, leaving many researchers and faculty members in limbo.
“I am a little bit concerned, especially because I want to go into biomedical research,” said Kari Harris.
Sabine Cladis, who intends to concentrate in political science and literary arts, said she was concerned about whether humanities research opportunities would be cut at Brown. All of the research grants confirmed by The Herald to have been cut thus far have been in the sciences.
Jonas Coats shared that a family member conducting research at Johns Hopkins University was impacted by the cuts, which has left him “uncertain” about whether pursuing a career in research was a still viable option. As of Friday, Coats had not yet committed to Brown.
A national issue
When Darian Estrada heard about the Trump administration’s plans, he was “disappointed but honestly not surprised.”
“Most of the places I have gotten into and am considering have been affected by the budget cuts,” Jacob Lipman told The Herald.
Athena Gao, who had not yet committed to Brown when interviewed, highlighted that other universities have been targeted with larger funding cuts. Last week, the White House froze $790 million in funding from Northwestern University and $1 billion from Cornell.
Given that Brown’s endowment is the smallest among its Ivy League peers, Nadia Patel said the proposed cuts to the University were especially concerning.
The University’s response
The University has yet to tell the Brown student body how they will respond to the planned cuts, leaving many students uncertain.
It is unclear which areas of Brown’s funding are targeted by the cuts, but Kendall Turner expressed concern that the freeze may impact the University’s financial aid program. “I hope that doesn’t make it so that some people don’t have the opportunity to come here,” she said.
Dean of Financial Aid Sean Ferns did not respond to The Herald’s request for comment.
If Brown’s funding is cut, Alexandra Rawz is curious how Brown is “going to manage to keep up the same level of high-level education that they offer as a prestigious university.” Rawz was admitted to Brown last fall as a member of the binding early decision admissions pool.
How is Brown “going to handle the administration for the next four years?” asked Raven Thomas. “Because this administration is my undergrad college experience.”
Correction: This article has been updated to better reflect Dakota Pippins’s preferred pronouns.
Annika Singh is a senior staff writer from Singapore who enjoys rewatching Succession and cheating on the NYT crossword.
