[fastaguy88]

There are no un-funded graduate (PhD) students in the sciences and engineering at MIT (or any other top-ranked graduate program). The number of graduate student admissions is directly tied to the amount of external funding. If the faculty do not have the grants, their departments cannot admit students.

[BeetleB]

Isn't that what the article is saying? Less research funding == Fewer admissions.

> The number of graduate student admissions is directly tied to the amount of external funding.

Minor quibble: It's not merely external funding. In many sciences (math, physics, chemistry), it's common for the department to promise funding through non-research means for a number of years. In my top school, I think physics students were guaranteed TA funding for 2 years (until they pass the qualifying exams and find a professor). Math students are almost always funded as TAs (the department guaranteed 6 years).

It's mostly engineering departments that don't do this.

[fastaguy88]

While it is true that departments often fund their graduate students for the first year (or possibly 2) out of their own budgets, their budgets are largely determined by the generosity of their Deans (who got the money from indirect costs from grants) or their own indirect costs. And they will not be admitting students if they do not see a clear path for them to be externally funded after their first year or two.

[BeetleB]

Oh yes. As I said, the math department guaranteed 6 years. If they can't guarantee it, they won't admit the student.

The engineering departments, however, admitted students regardless of funding as long as they met the bar. On the application they'd ask the candidate if they wanted the admission to be contingent on funding.

Universities like MIT that admit only if they have funding for engineering are the outliers. Usually they're private universities.

[selimthegrim]

This is simply not true towrards the end of time limits as well as lower-ranked programs.