This Utah university stands to lose over $28 million in funding from President Trump’s spending cuts

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Federal spending cuts have led to 77 research grants being canceled from the University of Utah this year.

On July 18, the Utah Board of Higher Education outlined a number of changes

coming to universities and colleges in the Beehive State in light of recent federal funding changes and President Trump’s ‘Big, beautiful bill.’

Cuts to research

According to Vice President for Research with the University of Utah, Erin Rothwell, federal cuts implemented by the Trump administration will cause the university to lose $15.5 million in research funding this year alone. A near-$13 million cut is expected in future years for a total loss of $28.4 million.

“We would not be able to conduct research as we have today,” Rothwell said.

In a press release, the University of Utah said approximately 40% of its research funding comes from National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants. In 2025, NIH grants totaled $295 million.

Rothwell says the university employs 7,800 people from NIH grants. The Trump administration has proposed an $18 billion cut to NIH and Health and Human Services.

“If there is a 40% cut, that would result in a significant cut, not only in research, but jobs for individuals in the labs,” Rothwell said.

Universities are also facing a proposed 15% cap on indirect research funding, which would take away an additional $110 million.

‘Big, beautiful bill’

Katie Mazzie with the Utah System of Higher Education outlined changes coming from Trump’s ‘Big, beautiful bill,’ many of which will affect how students pay for college.

Mazzie says the bill will eliminate graduate PLUS loans and imposed new limits on how much graduate students can borrow.

“The loss of the graduate PLUS loan program… moves students toward private loans which obviously come with higher interest rates,” said Al Smith, Professor and Dean of Utah State University’s College of Education and Human Sciences.

Trump’s bill will provide Pell Grants to more workforce-aligned programs. The Utah Board of Higher Education estimates about 30 programs could become eligible for this.

“We advocated strongly for [federal representatives] to consider how important data collection is at a federal level,” Utah Commissioner of Higher Education, Geoffrey Landward, said.

Landward says representatives from Utah, including university presidents, have been traveling to Washington D.C. to advocate for higher ed. “It is a very difficult environment right now in D.C.”