Amid funding uncertainty as the Trump Administration continues to cut or end certain funding, the University of Pittsburgh will continue to allow admissions to its doctoral programs. 

They are awaiting a judge's decision on a temporary injunction on behalf of Pitt, Carnegie Mellon University, and other universities in an effort to stop the ongoing funding crisis. 

"The University is in the early stages of extending PhD offers of admission as we continue to gather the relevant information in support of our teaching and research missions," the university said in a statement provided to KDKA-TV. "Our goal is to properly support existing community members while also responsibly adding new members to the community. All parts of the University are strategically planning offers to align with anticipated fiscal constraints at the University."

For every research grant dollar awarded, Pitt receives 59 cents for indirect or related cuts. Now, the National Institutes of Health is seeking to cut those costs to 15 cents on the dollar. 

According to a report from our news partners at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that reduction could cost Pitt up to $183 million per year. 

Pitt, CMU, and others could lose hundreds of millions in funding

Earlier this month, KDKA Lead Investigator Andy Sheehan spoke with a Pitt professor about the potential funding cuts, learning that the cost-cutting could have a major impact both on research and the local economy. 

"We're trying to make ends meet by being creative but that's only going to allow us to survive just a couple of months," said Pitt associate professor TK Kozai. 

Pitt receives nearly $700 million in NIH grants, the sixth-highest recipient in the nation and these indirect costs cover things such as lab space and the expensive and sophisticated equipment like a photon microscope Kozai needs for his research.  

The university said this impedes and kills much of the research and has a "major impact" on Pittsburgh's eds and meds economy. 

"Federal funding for research has been vital in not only maintaining global competitiveness but also in advancing treatments for some of society's most devastating diseases ... Research also has a major impact on the economy in western Pennsylvania, creating jobs and attracting partner companies to the area," Pitt said in a statement.