Garber continued that Harvard had been preparing for "changes in the revenues that support our mission," and has asked that its schools and units identify "strategic adjustments in their spending to build the long-term capacity needed to advance academic priorities at a time of uncertain revenues" as part of its 2026 fiscal year.

The university’s pause on faculty and staff hiring comes after the Trump administration pulled $400 million worth of grants and contracts at Columbia University on Friday.

We need to prepare for a wide range of financial circumstances,” Harvard president Alan Garber and other university leaders wrote in a message to faculty and staff Monday morning. “Effective immediately,