The Center for American Progress examined federal data to map the scope of funding cuts that have targeted over 4,000 grants valued between $6.9 billion and $8.2 billion. After accounting for funds already spent by institutions, the administration has cut between $3.3 billion and $3.7 billion from higher education programs nationwide.
The analysis, titled "Mapping Federal Funding Cuts to U.S. Colleges and Universities," demonstrates that these reductions have affected institutions across all 50 states, impacting both large research universities and smaller colleges regardless of their political affiliations or geographic locations.
South Dakota leads the nation in per-student funding losses, followed by Hawaii, Massachusetts, Idaho, and Maryland in the top five most affected states. The complete list of the 15 hardest-hit states also includes Montana, South Carolina, Delaware, Rhode Island, New York, Tennessee, Washington, Texas, Arizona, and North Carolina.
Notably, the cuts have affected institutions in both Republican- and Democrat-governed states at similar rates relative to their student populations, suggesting the impact transcends political boundaries.
"These data show that no institution, big or small, is safe from being targeted, and all states are suffering the consequences of cuts," said Greta Bedekovics, co-author of the analysis and associate director of Democracy Policy at the Center for American Progress.
The funding reductions have disrupted ongoing research across diverse fields critical to national interests and public welfare. Affected research areas include national security initiatives, agricultural innovations to boost farm profits, medical research focused on incurable brain tumors, and studies aimed at reducing opioid abuse related to chronic pain management.
