Elite Universities Suspend or Reduce Art History Graduate Admissions

Due to widespread budget deficits, several top universities have suspended or reduced admissions to graduate programs in art history, while also adjusting other humanities majors. Institutions such as Boston University, the University of Chicago, Harvard University and Princeton University have all seen changes.

The cuts come against the backdrop of a much-discussed crisis in higher education. philadelphia public radio Why As reported in November, both public and private colleges and universities face “significant challenges,” including reduced state and federal funding, a decline in the number of foreign students due to the Trump administration’s immigration policies, and demographic trends leading to a sharp decline in the number of college students.

Humanities programs at many universities are facing cuts. In one particularly noteworthy example, Syracuse University in upstate New York suspended admissions to 20 undergraduate majors, including fine arts and digital humanities, while launching a new Creator Economy Center that will provide support for podcasters, anchors, and influencers.

The changes to humanities programs also come as the Trump administration takes aim at America’s elite universities, not only withholding federal research grants, accusing schools of harboring anti-Semitism and attacking what the president calls illegal efforts at diversity, equity and inclusion, but also raising taxes on endowments.

In an undated post about admissions to its graduate programs in the arts and sciences for the 2026-27 academic year, Boston University said candidates are not admitted to its art history and architecture programs, as well as its American studies, anthropology, and religion and romance studies programs. Meanwhile, in November 2024, the school has stated that its departments of art history and architectural history will not accept doctoral students. According to a report, students next school year Inside higher education. In an email obtained by the publication, the head of the College of Arts and Sciences, which includes the Department of Art History, “pointed to increased costs associated with the union contract graduate workers won at the end of a historic nearly seven-month strike in October.”

but Inside higher education noted, as noted in an email obtained from the dean, that prior to the union contract, efforts were already underway to “right-size” the doctoral student body “to take into account factors such as selectivity of admissions, student success, employment prospects and placement, and the program’s standing and reputation.”

art newsEmails sent to the university’s public relations department, the Art History Graduate Division and the director of the Art History Graduate Program were not immediately responded to.

The University of Chicago Arts and Humanities department is accepting a small cohort of students in its art history department and six other departments in 2026-27, according to an email obtained by the department. Inside higher education and chicago tribune. Other departments are also expected to suspend admissions, according to an email from Deborah Nelson, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. The school noted in November that it faced a $160 million deficit in fiscal 2025, down from $288 million in fiscal 2024. Neither Nielsen nor the chair of the art history department responded. art news Email requesting details.

this Harvard Crimson It was reported in October that the College of Arts and Sciences would cut the number of Ph.D. Over the next two years, student enrollment in arts and humanities subjects, including the history of art and history of architecture departments, will increase by approximately 60%. Some departments are preparing for significant reductions in the number of Ph.D. The Student Paper reports on the student population based on interviews with five faculty members and emails obtained by reporters. There will only be one new Ph.D. One faculty member said the reduced seats will not allow for any new students to be admitted.

Hopi E. Hoekstra, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, announced in September that the school would be recruiting doctoral students. The student’s standards were “significantly reduced”. Hoekstra cited uncertainty about research funding and increases in donation taxes as “sources of financial stress.” this crimson As previously noted, in its fiscal 2025 financial report, the university said it had an operating loss of $113 million due to the disruption in federal funding, its first budget deficit since 2020.

art newsEmails sent to Harvard’s School of Arts and Sciences and the university’s media relations department asking how the cuts would affect the Department of History of Art and Architecture had not been responded to by press time.

Meanwhile, at Princeton University, daily princeton It was reported in November that most graduate program groups would see “modest cuts” in the current admissions cycle, following hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to federal research funding, and all departments and academic units were directed to cut their budgets by 5% to 10%. one art news An email sent to the chair of the Department of Art and Archeology asking how the department had been affected had not been answered by press time.