For the media

Media statements on federal government actions

March 20, 2025
Updated University response to reported suspension of $175 million in federal funding
The University of Pennsylvania has always followed NCAA and conference policies regarding student participation on athletic teams and is in full compliance with the recent changes to the NCAA rules that were made in response to the executive order from the Trump administration regarding transgender athletes. The University does not have a policy that is separate from its governing bodies.

NCAA policies have evolved over the years. Beginning in 2010, the NCAA required that transgender student athletes have access to participation on college teams. In February of this year, after the Trump administration’s executive order banning the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports, the NCAA revised its policy in compliance with the executive order, as did our conference. Penn is in full compliance with this most recent change. The University’s athletic programs have always operated within the framework provided by the federal government, the NCAA and our conference.

We are aware of media reports suggesting a suspension of $175 million in federal funding to Penn, but have not yet received any official notification or any details.

March 19, 2025
University response to reported suspension of $175 million in federal funding
We are aware of media reports suggesting a suspension of $175 million in federal funding to Penn, but have not yet received any official notification or any details. It is important to note, however, that Penn has always followed NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams. We have been in the past, and remain today, in full compliance with the regulations that apply not only to Penn, but all of our NCAA and Ivy League peer institutions.

February, 2025
University statement on NIH
The cuts announced by NIH would reduce federal funding to Penn by nearly a quarter of a billion dollars per year and have a profoundly negative impact on Penn’s research enterprise. Research at Penn funded by NIH has enriched the world in innumerable ways, whether combatting cancer with CAR T therapy; developing vaccines with mRNA technology; creating gene editing tools and advancing gene therapy cures; developing drugs that treat a range of maladies, including those that combat macular degeneration and rare forms of congenital blindness-- the list is long and powerful in its impact. The reduction in funds announced by the federal government would blunt this critical, life-saving work. We are working to find solutions to minimize the impact on faculty and staff, and the important research and clinical trials currently underway at Penn. We are also exploring all legal options available to us to address the reductions that NIH has announced.