On March 10, 2025, Harvard President Alan Michael Garber announced a university-wide staff and faculty hiring freeze in a message to Harvard affiliates, citing "uncertainties" under the Trump administration.

Garber wrote that the freeze was the "most drastic step" Harvard is taking in response to new White House orders. He added that the freeze will help the university preserve its financial flexibility till it understands how changes in federal policy will take shape.

In his message, Garber said, "It is imperative to limit significant new long-term commitments that would increase our financial exposure and make further adjustments more disruptive."

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The freeze will go into effect immediately across all of Harvard's schools. However, as per Garber's email, the freeze is meant to be temporary. Garber also mentioned that he would work with administrators to figure out ways to tighten their spending. He further asked leaders of various schools and administrative units within Harvard to scrutinise "discretionary and non-salary spending" and conduct a rigorous review of any new multi-year commitments. 

Also, there's a further possibility of research funding cuts, meaning PhD students, in particular, might have to suffer the consequences of the freeze. Already, on March 11, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) at Harvard notified FAS faculty and staff that effective immediately, all graduate students on the waitlist for admission next fall would be denied admission.

Harvard is the latest university to hit pause on hiring as the Trump administration puts millions of dollars of federal funding in limbo. Aside from Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, Cornell University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) also announced hiring freezes, citing possible research funding cuts.

Earlier in the month, the Trump administration cut USD 400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University for failing to address antisemitism on its campus.