The number of graduate students at Cornell declined by 142 and the number of first-year graduate students decreased by 209 from 2024 to 2025, according to data released by Cornell Institutional Research and Planning on Oct. 21.
While the University’s graduate student enrollment remains above COVID-19 levels, the year-to-year drop in graduate student enrollment raised several concerns from the Cornell Graduate Student Union, an organization advocating for the rights of graduate students and Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, a student-led governing body that represents graduate students and professional students.
A representative from CGSU wrote in an email statement to The Sun that the decline is “not surprising.”
“Cornell’s administration has never prioritized the lives and working conditions of its employees, including graduate workers,” wrote the CGSU representative. “Instead, Cornell’s administration has repeatedly shown us that it is willing to compromise on its educational mission and implement layoffs and hiring freezes under the guise of austerity.”
University administrators have released several guidelines related to financial austerity, including statements in Summer 2025 regarding staff cuts and hiring restrictions as well as steps to preserve the University’s financial stability following federal funding cuts.
“Urgent action is necessary, both to reduce costs immediately and to correct our course over time — achieving an institutional structure that enables us to balance our budgets over the long term,” the administrators wrote in an Aug. 22 statement about the University’s financial future.
Eight out of 11 of Cornell’s colleges have experienced a decline in the enrollment of first-year graduate students. According to the data, the College of Arts and Sciences had the biggest loss in enrollment at 106 followed by the College of Engineering which lost 99 first-year graduate students.
The CGSU representative also explained in an email statement to The Sun that the loss in CAS graduate students could be related to the University’s decision to cut nearly $11 million in the college’s budget in a Sept. 17 internal meeting, as confirmed to The Sun by several CAS department chairs present at the meeting.
In a statement sent to The Sun from GPSA President Nicholas Brennan which was attributed to GPSA leadership also pointed out that changes to the “funding landscape” as well as concerns surrounding visa requirements for international students were both "certainly key” causes behind the decline.
Historically, H1-B visas, a non-immigrant status awarded based on exceptional talent and merit in different fields like research, project development, helped attract international students to the U.S.
However, recent changes to the H-1B visa that force employers to pay up to $100,000 when they sponsor an H-1B petitioner have raised concerns given that the University typically covers the cost of sponsoring students.
“The University won't take a set position on the payment of the fee, in the sense that, if it is legally required, of course it will be paid, but we won't say there's a new policy on bringing H-1Bs in or not, or who pays the fee,” Wendy Wolford, vice provost of international affairs previously told The Sun in December.
“This is in addition to concerns about the feasibility of obtaining domestic jobs post-graduation and the increased risk in travelling to the United States for international students,” Brennan and other GPSA leadership wrote to The Sun. “These factors contribute to an atmosphere that is uninviting to our international community members.”
Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education Thomas Lewis described in an email statement to The Sun that “reductions in federal funding” have had profound effects on the University and noted that some graduate programs have made "strategic cuts” to admissions in response.
Lewis also explained that despite the University’s agreement with the federal government to restore over $250 million funds, there are still “continued threats” to the University’s indirect cost agreements, grant programs and federal agencies that partner with the University.
“Admissions decisions are generally made by graduate fields, in collaboration with the Graduate School and academic colleges, on the basis of advising capacity, funding sources, and the need to support current students,” Lewis wrote.
Cuts to research have impacted graduate student enrollment across several fields — most notably, science, technology, engineering and math fields lost 148 graduate students and the humanities lost 33 graduate students, with foreign languages, literatures and linguistics accounting for 57.5% of the loss.
Brennan and GPSA leadership also stated that they were “very concerned” about the increasing workload placed on graduate students as the University continues to accept larger undergraduate classes.
“Graduate students are the blood of the university: we perform research, teach classes, enroll in courses ourselves, and maintain a constant year-round presence on campus and in the broader Ithaca community,” GPSA wrote to The Sun. “Cutting-edge research and teaching are our products and, left uncorrected, a smaller workforce is problematic for the university's core mission.”
CGSU echoed similar concerns in their statement to The Sun, stating that “graduate workers” provide “essential services” to the University.
When asked about concerns surrounding increasing workloads for graduate students, Lewis stated that the University’s current policy limits assistantship hours to 15 to 20 hours a week. He also noted that graduate students asked to work beyond the limits should “have a conversation with their supervisor immediately” and contact their director of graduate study for further guidance.
“This cap is intended to allow assistants to devote full-time effort towards their own studies and degree progress,” Lewis wrote. “The Graduate School is working closely with colleges to ensure that teaching assistantships adhere to this policy.”
Despite the decline, Brennan and other GPSA leadership noted that first-year enrollment numbers in Fall 2025 remained above Fall 2023 levels, which offered some “positivity” despite the decline from Fall 2024.
“This is a community whose strength comes in part from its diversity,” GPSA leadership wrote to The Sun. “We are fortunate to have graduate scholars from around the country and world moreover come to Ithaca for advanced study. Our campus benefits immensely from graduate student enrollment.”
Zeinab Faraj is a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the features editor on the 143rd Editorial Board and was the assistant sports editor of the 143rd Editorial Board. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
