How to Apply to Graduate School when Things Seem Unstable

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Welcome to the June 2025 edition of the GradSchool Fully Funded newsletter! This newsletter is my monthly conversation with you about all things graduate school admissions. If you aspire to attend graduate school in the United States to obtain a master's or Ph.D., and to do so with full funding, then you are in the right place. And if not but you know someone who does, please feel free to share this with them.

Every month we will discuss at least one thing that will help you along that path. As a newsletter subscriber, you will also get access to exclusive special offers and discounts.

Applying to Graduate School when the Ground is Shifting Beneath Your Feet

In recent editions of the newsletter I discussed the importance of both purpose and strategy in graduate school admissions - including figuring out your "what and why," your "then what," understanding your prospective discipline, building the all-important grad school list, writing your resume or CV, writing your personal statement, and getting killer recommendation letters.

Today I will shift my focus to the last prong of our 3-prong graduate school admission framework: funding. The first dimension of funding is actually completing your application.

However, unless you are living under a rock somewhere, you are aware that things have not been the same for higher education since the start of the current U.S. administration in January. There has been a spate of federal funding cuts to agencies that fund research at universities such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and others.

This in turn has led universities to cut back on graduate school admissions and even to rescind some admission offers for Fall 2025. Most of the funding for PhD students comes from external research grants, of which the U.S. government is the largest contributor. Because of the uncertainty with universities not knowing how much they will have in coming years, many are making spending cuts, including reducing the number of graduate students admitted with full funding.

So if you plan on applying to graduate school in this climate of uncertainty, especially if you are applying this fall, what should you do?

Here are some suggestions.

1. Triple Your List. If you have been following this newsletter, you know one of the first things you have to do as you map out your graduate school application strategy is to build your graduate school list. Well given the uncertainty that abounds you need to triple that list. Did you plan on applying to 10 graduate programs, well now go find 20 more programs to add to your list. If you were planning on 5 schools, now you need to apply to 15. You get the point. Applying to more schools increases your chances of getting some admission/funding offers.
2. It is time to get super organized. With this longer list you need to take your organization up a notch. Create a spreadsheet that helps you track all your applications, letters of recommendations, test scores, transcripts, etc. Unlike the undergraduate application process, graduate school application is individualized since you are not using an application aggregator like Common App. This also means that you need to talk to your recommenders, who will now how to send many more letters on your behalf, even if they are using the same letter.
3. Have a Plan B. Even though graduate school is your main plan, also think about alternatives. Could you possibly gain some work experience in your field of interest? Not only will this make you a stronger applicant in the future, you may also be able to save some money, and in turn get some flexibility when you eventually get admission offers. And if your grad school plans don't work out, you will have something to fall back on until this period of uncertainty passes.

So, do you plan on applying to grad school this year? How do you plan to change your approach because of the current climate of uncertainty? Please feel free to reach out if you would like my feedback.

Announcements

1). Special Call for Prospective Graduate Students Applying this Year

In addition to purpose and strategy, there is the all-important funding, without which choosing grad school is like choosing to be in the poor house.

In GradSchool Fully Funded, our framework is designed to help you marry your purpose with the appropriate strategy to make sure you receive admission with full funding -- a tuition scholarship and stipend.

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So if you plan on applying to graduate school this year to enroll in a master's or Ph.D. program, I have news for you.

​GradSchool Fully Funded is our self-paced graduate school admission coaching program, which you can join at any time.

However, I am building a small cohort of applicants who plan on applying to graduate school this year, starting in the fall, in order to enroll in a master's or PhD program in Fall 2026.

This cohort will start GradSchool Fully Funded together in August this year and will be together as a group till July of next year.

SO, if you plan on applying to graduate school this year and you are interested in learning more about joining this cohort, let me know by clicking here and I will send you more information.

It is important to let me know because I will only send this information to people who are interested.

2). College Admissions: Special Offer for Newsletter Readers

Even though this newsletter focuses on graduate school admission, please note that enrollment in CFF College Fully Funded^®, our admissions coaching program for prospective undergraduates is underway for the Fall 2025 cohort. This is the last group this year for students who plan to apply to college starting this fall. The early registration deadline is July 11 and comes with a $200 discount.

If you know anyone who would benefit from the program please share this part of the newsletter with them. We are paying a $200 referral fee for anyone you refer who enrolls. They simply need to mention your name and email and we will make sure you get your referral bonus.

Have a great July 4th holiday later this week.

To grad school fully funded,