Stanford will implement a freeze on staff hiring in the University, according to an email from University president Jonathan Levin ’94 and Vice Provost Jenny Martinez Wednesday morning.
“[The freeze] will affect hiring for staff employee positions for an undetermined duration,” wrote University spokesperson Dee Mostofi in an email to The Daily.
According to the email, critically needed positions can still be appointed by the cognizant dean, vice president or vice provost. Fully-funded positions — such as those funded by research awards — can also continue hiring, if confirmed by the cognizant dean’s office.
The freeze will not impact faculty positions, contingent employees and student workers.
This pause in hiring comes at a time of uncertainty for the University‘s 2025-26 budget, due to potential dramatic cuts to research funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and congressional proposals to increase the current endowment tax.
According to the email, the University’s endowment “supports roughly two-thirds of the budget for undergraduate and graduate financial aid, as well as a significant portion of faculty salaries, research, and key programs like libraries and student services.”
Together, these policies pose “very significant risks” to University finances, according to Levin and Martinez.
The Trump administration is additionally trying to place a cap on NIH funding for “indirect costs” of medical research at universities, research hospitals, medical schools and other scientific institutions.
This policy, which was temporarily blocked by a federal judge, could have “significant negative budget impact at Stanford,” wrote Levin and Martinez.
As cuts are made to agencies such as the NIH and the National Science Foundation (NSF), the University faces uncertainty about the level of direct federal funding for scientific research. These agency cuts have already begun to take effect under the directive of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory board headed by Tesla Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk, which aims to cut the federal workforce substantially.