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yesterday

Trump Proposes Diverting $3 Billion in Harvard Research Grants to Trade Schools

Education experts warn federal law prohibits repurposing scientific research grants for institutions lacking required facilities.

Graduation students, faculty, and family gather in Harvard Yard on May 28, 2025 in Boston.
A worker arc welds a metal door during production at a facility in Sacramento, Calif., on May 27, 2025.

Overview

  • President Trump announced on May 26 that he is weighing a plan to shift $3 billion in competitive grants from Harvard University into vocational and trade programs.
  • The administration has already frozen $2.2 billion in federal grants, halted $60 million in contracts and moved to cancel $100 million in Harvard agreements over alleged antisemitism issues.
  • Legal authorities, including the American Council on Education, say reallocating NIH and NSF awards would breach procurement rules and require congressional approval.
  • Trade schools typically lack the laboratories, faculty and track records necessary to conduct the scientific and medical research funded by those grants.
  • Vocational education leaders welcome more funding for career training but caution that stripping research dollars could weaken student aid and slow innovation.