UC orders hiring freeze amid threatened cuts to federal funding

The University of California has announced a statewide freeze on hiring new employees amid threats of possible federal funding cuts.

University of California President Michael Drake said in a statement yesterday that the hiring freeze was part of the school's preparation for “significant financial challenges ahead.” 

He also urged all of the 10 UC campuses to come up with individual plans to reduce costs. Cuts could lead to class overcrowding, hurt academic and scientific research and patient care.

EdSource reported that Cal received about six billion dollars in federal funding, including an additional eight billion dollars in Medicaid and Medicare funding.The Trump administration has threatened to cut off money to schools it claims allowed antisemitism on their campuses in wake of last year’s nationwide protests against Israel’s war on Gaza.

Last week, the US Department of Justice said it was opening investigations of alleged anti-semitism against a number of schools, including UC-Berkeley and UCLA.Cal is already poised to lose more than a quarter-billion dollars in funding in the state’s 2025-26 budget.

Several other schools, including Stanford, have recently announced hiring freezes amid the threats to withdraw federal funding.