Donald Trump‘s destabilization of federal funding appears to have cost at least one college student their admission offer. Yesterday, Reddit user @Aady2001 posted a letter they reportedly received from the Department of Chemistry at Iowa State University of Science and Technology. According to the letter, the university revoked its offer of admission due to “current uncertainties with federal research funding.” Stable funding is what allows research universities to recruit and operate. Without it, the future of such universities (and their prospective students) stands on a fault line.
Admission Reversal at Iowa State University
Federal workers aren’t the only ones to experience career destabilization and hardship as a result of Trump, Musk, and DOGE. That trio has swung like a wrecking ball through federal programs, with cuts and freezes threatening employees, students, and educators across numerous fields. Under the shadow of such financial uncertainty, neither admission to Iowa State University nor a graduate assistantship could happen, it seems.
Gaining admission to Iowa State University or any similar college is a big deal. It represents an incalculable amount of hours spent in study and preparation. Unfortunately, the Trump administration’s slash, burn, and freeze approach to funding will only result in more deserving students losing out on educational opportunities like this one. @Aady2001’s comment section was full of horrified yet supportive voices. As one commenter said,
This is so horrible. Some people have worked so hard and have gotten their DESERVED acceptances but TRUMP is causing all these funding to dissapear. I’m so sorry about this. You will prevail! [sic]
Graduate programs represent the apex of countless academic fields. They’re essential for preparing the next generation of experts, innovators, researchers, and educators. Watching the future you’d planned for slipping away? That’s a pain that more and more U.S. students will have to endure if Trump’s funding disruptions become the norm. It’s difficult to overstate the damage that such disruptions to the educational pipeline would cause. While it may just be a Reddit post that bubbles up to the surface of public attention, there’s something far larger brewing beneath.
