Proposed federal budget slashes funding for MU student support services and research programs

Several federally funded programs at the University of Missouri that support low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students — including Federal Work-Study, TRiO Student Support Services and MU PREP — are at risk due to steep higher education funding cuts proposed by the Trump administration.

A letter released May 2 by the Executive Office of the President outlined the administration’s discretionary funding recommendations for the 2026 fiscal year. President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 includes significant reductions in federal non-defense spending, totaling at least $163 billion. The proposed budget would cut close to $18 billion from the National Institutes of Health, $12 billion from the Department of Education and nearly $5 billion from the National Science Foundation.

These cuts will reach federally funded programs at MU that have historically received bipartisan support, such as the TRiO Student Support Services, which provides academic and financial support to underserved students, and MU PREP, which prepares post-baccalaureate scholars for biomedical Ph.D. programs and relies heavily on federal funding to operate. If passed, the proposal could significantly reduce access to vital resources and mentorship opportunities for students.

The White House’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget completely strips funding for TRiO programs. At the University of Missouri, TRiO SSS provides free, individualized support to undergraduate students who are first-generation college students, have financial need or a documented disability. Funded by a $752,096 annual grant from the Department of Education, MU’s TRiO SSS program serves 670 eligible undergraduate participants each year and offers services such as academic advising, tutoring, financial aid guidance and career and graduate school preparation. Students also have access to exclusive resources like TRiO-only community spaces, leadership opportunities and campus employment.

Participants must attend at least one TRiO-sponsored event or workshop and meet with their adviser each semester. The program aims to strengthen students’ academic success and engagement throughout their time at MU, especially for those facing systemic barriers to higher education.

The TRiO SSS program will continue to have full funding through the 2024-2025 academic year. The program exists on a five-year grant cycle and is currently finishing its fifth year of this cycle. MU confirmed it has had internal discussions about ways to provide continued support to TRiO-eligible students and has not changed any recruitment policy or procedures at this time.

Nationally, TRiO programs support nearly 870,000 students and adult learners each year through about 3,500 initiatives across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Pacific Islands. Last year, TRiO was allocated $1.579 billion in discretionary spending by the federal government.

MU’s Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program is designed to prepare recent graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds or those with disabilities for successful entry into top-tier biomedical Ph.D. programs. The MU PREP program currently supports seven scholars, each receiving a $30,000 annual salary. In addition to covering tuition, course fees and graduate health insurance, the program provides $4,500 per year for scholars to attend two scientific conferences. It offers intensive research training, mentorship and professional development opportunities to equip scholars with the necessary skills and experience for advanced studies in biomedical sciences.

In 2024, MU received $377,028 in funding for the program from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, according to the NIH database. Of that total, $19,835 went toward indirect costs, with the remainder allocated directly to program expenses supporting scholar training and development.

To be eligible for MU PREP, applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents who have earned a bachelor’s of arts or bachelor’s of science in a biomedical-related science from an accredited U.S. institution within 36 months prior to the program’s start date. Additionally, candidates must have either a documented disability or come from a disadvantaged background as defined by specific NIH criteria, such as experiencing homelessness, being in foster care or receiving certain federal assistance programs in the past.

The Federal Work-Study program, which helps college students earn money to pay for education-related expenses through part-time campus and community jobs, is facing a significant reduction under the proposed federal budget. In 2024, the program received $1.23 billion in funding, but the new proposal would slash that amount by $980 million. This dramatic cut could severely limit the number of students able to participate in the program, reducing access to financial support that aids low-income students in offsetting the cost of higher education while gaining work experience.

Among the most significant reductions to other national programs is the proposed elimination of the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, which currently provides $910 million in aid to low-income undergraduate students. The budget would also eliminate funding for GEAR UP, a national college readiness program that supports low-income students beginning in middle school. In addition, campus-based child care programs — which help parents with children balance their academic and family responsibilities — would lose federal support entirely under the proposal.

The proposed budget also targets research funding, with nearly $5 billion in cuts to the National Science Foundation and an almost $18 billion reduction to the NIH. While MU PREP is not named directly, the program is funded by the NIH and falls under the category of federally supported biomedical research training. Cuts of this scale could jeopardize similar pipeline programs aimed at expanding access to graduate education and diversifying the research workforce.

MU has about 3,100 active faculty members in various teaching, clinical, research and tenured or tenure track roles. Approximately 1,100 of these faculty members are tenured or tenure track, of which 90% have some form of sponsored research activity.

Proposed budget

To approve the federal budget, including proposed changes like the 2026 education funding cuts, the process follows several key steps. First, the president must submit a detailed budget request to Congress, outlining spending priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. Next, the House and Senate Budget Committees draft and pass budget resolutions, which set overall spending limits but do not allocate specific program funding. From there, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees divide those limits among 12 subcommittees, each of which drafts appropriations bills for different areas of government.

Each appropriations bill must then pass both chambers of Congress. Any differences between House and Senate versions are resolved in a conference committee. Once finalized, the bills are sent to the president for approval. The president can sign the bills into law or issue a veto, which Congress can override with a two-thirds vote in both chambers. If Congress does not pass the budget by Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year, it may approve a continuing resolution to keep the government funded temporarily.