Archive · 9 Oct 2026
Trump Makes $100 Million Push to Train American Scientists
The Trump administration says it will spend more than $100 million to help train American scientists and engineers.
Some of the support will go to students working toward PhD degrees.
The plan also brings back a National Science Foundation program for young researchers.
The administration says this will help the United States do important research and compete in artificial intelligence.
This announcement comes as fewer students are being admitted to PhD programs.
International students make up a large share of science and engineering PhD students, and the government has proposed higher fees for some of their work-training programs.
The Department of Energy is also expected to get access to computing resources worth $100 million.
The administration says it will support early-career researchers at the National Institutes of Health as well.
The Trump administration plans to invest more than $100 million in programs to train American STEM researchers, including science and engineering PhD fellowships.
The revived National Science Foundation Young Scholars program will receive $30 million in government funding and $50 million from other sources, including Jane Street.
The announcement comes as PhD admissions fell 15% and international students accounted for nearly 40% of science and engineering PhD students in 2024.
The Department of Energy is set to receive access to $100 million in compute credits through a private donation, while the administration also plans to support early-career NIH researchers.
The initiative coincides with a proposed $70,000 fee for international students seeking postgraduate work training, plus $30,000 for a STEM extension.
- Who
- The Trump administration, including President Donald Trump and White House science director Michael Kratsios.
- What
- A planned investment of more than $100 million in American STEM training, alongside other research and computing initiatives.
- When
- The initiatives are scheduled to be announced at a White House summit on Thursday; the articles do not provide a calendar date.
- Where
- The White House and US research and education institutions.
- Why
- The administration says the investment will strengthen US scientific discovery and research capacity, including in artificial intelligence.
Administration's stated rationale
Concerns and potential effects
Training American researchers
Administration's stated rationale
The administration says fellowships and the revived Young Scholars program will empower American STEM students and help the country lead in scientific discovery.
Concerns and potential effects
The articles note that international students made up nearly 40% of science and engineering PhD students in 2024, while proposed visa-related fees could make postgraduate work training more costly for them.
Research capacity and funding
Administration's stated rationale
The administration presents new funding and compute-credit access as ways to expand scientific and AI research capacity.
Concerns and potential effects
The article reports federal research-funding declines at MIT and Johns Hopkins, attempted funding cuts to NSF and NIH, and more than 10,000 federal STEM PhD employees leaving in the first year of the administration.
- Planned STEM investment
- More than $100 million
- Young Scholars program
- $30 million in government funding and $50 million from other sources, including Jane Street
- PhD admissions
- Admissions fell 15% from the previous year, according to the article
- International share of STEM PhD students
- Nearly 40% in 2024
- Department of Energy compute credits
- $100 million in access enabled by a private donation
- Proposed postgraduate work-training fees
- $70,000 for OPT, with an additional $30,000 for a STEM extension
- STEM PhD employees leaving federal government
- More than 10,000 in the first year of the Trump administration, including roughly 1,100 at NIH
