In late July, the Trump administration froze around $584 million in federal research grants to UCLA due to allegations of civil rights violations. One of the many far-reaching impacts of this funding freeze was creating uncertainty about research opportunities among students. A recent court order has resumed most grants, but students at UCLA still worry about the future of research.
A late Sept. court order issued by U.S. District Judge Rita Lin put an end to a majority of funding cuts, allowing almost $500 million in research grants to be restored to UCLA. In spite of this, certain research opportunities have been set back, and there is new stress among students about the reliability of funding.
Research is often cited as an important part of many students’ college experiences. It allows them to gain hands-on experience in fields they are interested in while building their networks and resumes. UCLA is a top research university, a factor which boosts its reputation and contributes to many students’ decisions to attend. “I’m leaning towards going to med school and research is a big step forward into figuring out what I want to do as well as getting hands-on experience,” said Kona Broughton, a first-year molecular, cell, and developmental biology student, who is looking forward to participating in research during her time at UCLA. “Knowing that there are so many opportunities encourages me to dive deeper into the sciences.”
Such a robust research program requires large amounts of funding. A majority of UCLA’s research funding comes from federal grants, which are distributed by federal agencies including the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation. These agencies are responsible for reviewing and approving grant applications in order to provide funding for research at higher education institutions across the country. According to an article by former UCLA Director of Media Communications Bill Kisliuk, a majority of UCLA’s research funding comes from the federal government. In the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which ended in June 2025, 56.3% of all funds spent on research by UCLA came from the federal government, totaling $860.6 million.
The Trump administration froze around $584 million of these federal funds in late July, citing civil rights violations pertaining to antisemitism and affirmative action. This came as the administration froze funding to many other large research institutions with the goal of leading school officials to change university policies to align more closely with the mission of the administration.
Most of this funding was restored before large-scale disruptions to UCLA research occurred. However, not all funding was reinstated. More concerning to many students is the increased uncertainty about the future of federally funded research. “I didn’t know that the funding was that heavily dependent on the government. It’s crazy how quickly they took it away. I would say I’m a little uneasy,” said second-year neuroscience student Ahniah Bedoy, who is currently onboarding at a lab receiving government funding.
The shock of these funding cuts has created more uncertainty among students about the future of research. At a school known for cutting-edge innovation, this has massive implications in the lives of students who are interested in being involved. As of now, there are no indications that another federal funding freeze will occur.
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Featured Image via UCLA Newsroom
