We need to prepare for a wide range of financial circumstances,” Harvard president Alan Garber and other university leaders said.

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the academic community, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have implemented temporary hiring freezes in response to the Trump administration’s widening crackdown on universities.

Harvard University is the latest school to implement a hiring freeze as federal funding remains uncertain. President Trump has threatened to cut federal funding for schools that allow "illegal" protests. Universities use millions of dollars in federal funding for student aid and research programs.