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Is PhD for me

5 Reasons a PhD without funding may not be possible

Being passionate about your field of study is a good thing. Aspiring to be a researcher in your subject is also mentally rewarding.

However, Money is the one thing you need to survive and ensure that you can focus on your research.

It is not possible to do a PhD without funding for a majority of PhD aspirants because

• “Give performance and get funding” is risky
• A good salary is usually offered against “perceived” value
• Other funding options might be riskier and tedious
• Surviving a PhD without funding is close to impossible
• Doing a PhD (without funding) may not be a good career decision

Lets discuss them in detail

1. “Give performance and get funding” is risky

Sometimes the admission offer promises to fund based on your performance in the initial term or semester.

However, a prove yourself and get funding situation may become a problem for you because

• grades do not matter during a PhD, so if someone is promising you higher chances of funding based on your performance than this might be a way to lure free labor to their lab.
• it indicate your desperation for that PhD position. While it is a good thing that you are motivated to join your dream PhD program. This can also disadvantage you by indicating that you are willing to work without pay.
• in future there will be no incentive for the administration to pay you for the work . Getting a funding offer at the recruitment time is a lot higher than later in your journey.

Therefore, if you accept the PhD offer without the funding attached your chances of getting funded in the future may slim further.

Future funding promise also points out that

• you may get funded if someone leaves the PhD program OR
• they may allocate some of next year’s funding to you instead of an applicant in next year’s cycle

If any of this is true then there is a big risk in accepting the offer. The risk is if things will not turn out as expected you may lose the prospects of getting funded again .

Bottom Line: The “prove yourself” and then get funding idea is always risky.

2. A good salary is usually offered against “perceived” value

If you are accepted by the PhD program and do not receive any written assurance of funding this might mean that

• other students were preferred before you for funding . This means you are not a promising candidate in the admission committee’s eyes.
• they will prefer funded students for advising/mentoring . The mental and physical resources of advisors are limited. Hence, they may prefer to invest their time and money (grants) in their prime pupils.
• they are not willing to pay you for you input . A PhD is a fulltime work. A funding package with monthly stipend shows that your services are needed.

This article at insidehighered.com discusses 6 major problems for an unfunded PhD student.

These issues can be

• Invisibility
• Self-depreciation
• Psychosomatic Disorders
• Limitation in prestige
• Low market value

I think you will be much more informed after going through this post.

Bottom Line: The absence of PhD funding means the department is not confident in your success.

3. Other funding options might be risker and tedious

The department may promise you that

• there will always be assistantships available and you will get your fee waived and stipend if you work as assistant.
• many external grants are available and you can benefit from them.

However, there are certain things you need to know before you proceed with such an offer.

Assistantship funding

Assistantship (e.g., teaching or research assistance work) has several caveats attached to it.

Here I discussed in detail the types of PhD stipends offered in the US. I hope that you will find the positives and negatives of funding options helpful.

Assistantship

• can be unpredictable . It might be available to you for one session and you may lose it in the next. Usually, the PhD students compete with each other to get these positions. If this might be the case than you are taking a risk.
• can increase your workload and usually delay your PhD progress by years. PhD assistantship is often much more than 20 hours per week official figure. If we combine this PhD coursework and research work, the burden is likely to increase substantially.
• may not pay all of your expenses. The income from graduate assistantships compensation is often meager and may not cover your living cost entirely. Here I discussed why PhD students are paid poorly and why this information matters for you as a PhD aspirant. If you are in hurry you can simply read a short summary at the start of this post to get an idea why PhD student salary is so low.
• benefit you in pursing post PhD academic career . Assistantship work, despite its grind, is also a training for your post PhD academic career. However, you should keep in mind that secure and well paying academic jobs are getting scarce day by day. If your intention is to work in industry after PhD, than an assistantship work might feel like an extra weight of academic training.

Here you can read about the pros and cons of a graduate assistantship . It is a nicely written article at gograd.org and you can skim through the tables if you do not have much time.

External grants

If the PhD program expects you to pursue external funding and search grants databases. This may also be a rocky path.

You can use the platforms like The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding . Such programs are usually region or field-specific. However, you should consider some points mentioned in this article at findaphd.com. This article may refine your expectations regarding funding your PhD with charities and other external grants.

However, you should note tha t

• grant search process is time consuming .
• preparation of application for these grants is tedious. Therefore, applying may increase your workload .
• there is no guarantee that you will get funded eventually.

Some people like thesavvyscientist.com believe that you can make extra money with these options. However, many of these options may or may not be sustainable for you depending on your country of origin, host country, age, department policies, and PhD workload, etc.

Bottom Line: You may think that you can survive through PhD years with unstable funding options but it is risky.

4. Surviving a PhD without funding is close to impossible

On average PhD in the US is close to or longer than 7 years.

For Europe, the PhD studies on average take more than 4 years of your life . You can check the details of the 2017 career tracking survey of 2000 doctorate holders here . You may find the headings in the executive summary interesting.

It is hard to survive all these years without a good income source. This makes the unfunded PhD close to impossible for most of the PhD aspirants.

Also, PhD scholars joining the workforce later usually feel left behind after these many years when compared to their counterparts in the industry. This brings us to our next point.

Bottom Line: Surviving several years of an unfunded PhD is not possible for most PhD aspirants.

5. Doing a PhD (without funding) may not worth it

Many PhD graduates argue that even a fully-funded PhD is rarely a good investment .

Here you can read about the worth of your PhD degree . PhD worth may vary, however, the points discussed in this post may help refine your own preferences. Even if you are thinking of PhD for the competitive edge in the market or trying to become an expert, this post discussed your specific motivation behind it.

Academic Career

Academic jobs are rarely providing job security to academic workers. Most PhD students switch to adjunct professorships or temporary lectureship positions.

You need to be aware that these temporary post-PhD positions offer

• very low pay
• no job security
• high workload
• no health insurance
• no other benefits such as gratuity pay etc.

“After their academic training, usually culminating in a hard-earned PhD, scholars can face many years of uncertainty, living from contract to contract , and sometimes even moving from country to country, with no promise of a permanent position….. Many young researchers have two jobs at once: doing their research during the day and at night and on weekends, writing applications for jobs, scholarships, grants, stipends and visas to enable them to participate in international meetings.” Academic precarity is bad for everyone, but it’s even worse for scholars at risk

Here you can read a detailed analysis of the financial and mental costs of accepting a temporary faculty position. In my opinion, the “ The New Faculty Majority ” heading is worth a read for you as a PhD aspirant.

Non-Academic Career

For a non-academic career after a PhD you should keep in mind that

• most of the industry jobs require a bachelors or masters degree and people may consider you overqualified, or sometimes you may consider yourself over qualified for the job. This usually decrease job satisfaction in highly qualified individuals.
• There are some PhDs which may offer substantially better career opportunities. However, they are a minority when we consider all the PhD graduates.

Here you can skim through the personal stories of PhD graduates who switched from academia to industry. I hope that you will find highlighted quotes inspiring.

Bottom Line: PhD without (or with ) may not be a good investment in your future. Stable post-PhD academic jobs are very rare and post-PhD industry jobs that really require PhD training are few.

You might be desperate to accept the funding offer if you think

• that this program is the best you can get into
• that this is the best mentorship opportunity you can get for your PhD

If you join a PhD program without funding or you may lose it after some period of time you may

• struggle to survive because the meager stipend you are dependent on is gone
• still have to work on research and attend your classes fulltime, this might not let you do any job along side your PhD. Also, the department may not allow you to work off-campus.
• still have to pay some activity fee, semester fee etc. from your own pocket.

Only do a PhD without funding if

• money does not REALLY matter to you.
• you really think that a PhD will increase your post PhD salary.

Other things you can do

If you got an admission offer and no funding

You can ask the faculty members to fund you if

• they have ample grant money
• they are working on something of your interest

You can also

• ask university scholarship and financial aid office
• apply for any available scholarships if you find yourself eligible

Another option is to

• take a gap year and work on your application and profile
• polish your research proposal and its legitimacy
• apply to scholarships and fellowships early in next term

Do not take an unfunded admission offer even if

• the department is more attractive
• the advisor seems more promising
• let them know you will only join if funding is offered
• let them know your deadline, if you are willing to wait for a final decision

Can You Get a PhD without a Masters?

• Applying to a PhD

Yes, it’s possible to get a PhD without first having a Masters degree.

The conventional route for someone who earns a PhD is to pursue a Bachelor’s degree, followed by a Masters degree and then a PhD. However, several students opt to bypass a Master’s degree by enrolling onto a doctoral programme as soon as they complete their undergraduate degree.

Before we discuss how this can be done, it is worth mentioning the advantages and disadvantages of this route.

Advantages of Applying to a PhD without A Masters

The motivations for undertaking a PhD immediately after an undergraduate course are largely in saving money and time. This is because you will essentially eliminate a year of study. Another advantage of immediately enrolling onto a doctorate degree is project availability. If you find a project that you’re really interested in, it’s unlikely that it will still be available in a years’ time. Therefore, bypassing a Masters and enrolling directly into a PhD will increase your chances of securing the research project before it becomes unavailable.

Disadvantages of Applying to a PhD without A Masters

Although a Masters degree will add a year onto your academic journey, it can be incredibility helpful for your development and can help prepare you for a doctoral degree.

Not having a Master’s degree may prove to be a hindrance during your application process. This is because many other students will also apply to the same research projects, and it’s likely that the majority will hold a Masters. This will put you at a disadvantage to them.

Besides this, the dissertation project you’ll be required to undertake on a Master’s programme will provide you with a taste of what it is like to work on a research-based project. In addition to this, it’s likely that you’ll be able to select your own dissertation topic. As such, you can explore a specific field you’re interested in in further detail. This is a great way to confirm that both research-based work and the specific field you’re interested in are right for you before committing the next few years to it via a PhD.

Another advantage to the dissertation project associated with a Masters degree is the opportunity it provides you with to work closely with a project supervisor. This will help you understand the PhD student-supervisor relationship and communication frequency that works best for you. You can then use this knowledge to find supervisors who would compliment you when it comes time to find a PhD project to apply to. For tips on how to find a great PhD supervisor, check out our supervisor guide .

PhD without a Masters – How Does It Work?

To be considered for a PhD without a Master’s, at a minimum you will be expected to have a Bachelors degree. For students looking to enrol onto a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) PhD, a relevant Bachelors in a 3-year undergraduate course is usually expected. However, this is not the case for students looking to apply to non-STEM PhDs. Rather, students looking to apply to doctorates in subjects such as those surrounding Arts and Humanities are usually expected to have a relevant Bachelors from a 4-year course.

In addition to this, you will need to have demonstrated strong academic performance during your undergraduate course. This means that your Bachelors will need to be at least a UK Upper Second-Class Honours (2.1) for nearly all institutions to consider you.

Should you be accepted into a PhD programme without a Masters, the usual process will be to first register you as an MPhil student. You will then have a year to prepare and submit a thesis. Your thesis will need to detail the research you have carried out within that year and outline how you intend to continue it into a full PhD study. There are three outcomes of this MPhil thesis review:

• Failure and you’re not awarded anything.
• You pass, however, the supervisor doesn’t believe you’ve demonstrated strong research skills. You’re awarded an MPhil but they do not upgrade your course to a PhD programme.
• You pass and the supervisor believes you have proven yourself as a capable researcher. Your course is upgraded to a PhD as opposed to you being awarding an MPhil.

For more information on these outcomes, read the outcomes section of our PhD Viva guide .

Integrated PhD

Some universities offer Integrated PhD degree programmes (also known as an Integrated Masters degree). These are four-year programmes comprising of a one-year Masters degree immediately followed by a three-year PhD degree. These can prove a great option for graduate students who are looking to undertake a PhD without a Masters but are struggling to meet the eligibility requirements. You can read about the many benefits of  integrated degrees here .

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

PhD without a Bachelors – Is It Possible?

Yes, it is possible to get a PhD without a Bachelor’s, however, this is extremely uncommon.

When this occurs, it is almost always reserved for very mature individuals. For example, an individual may not be in active academia but still may have significantly contributed to their field. This contribution could be through the work they have undertaken as part of their career, or as part of a long-term study project, they have undertaken out of self-interest.

In either case, the individual would need to prove that they have extensive experience in their field and have directly contributed to new knowledge within it. The key factor here is that their work has pushed the boundaries of existing knowledge. It is not enough for an individual to be regarded as an expert in their field – they must have contributed something new and meaningful. It’s common for individuals awarded a PhD through this means to have produced several publications within their lifetime. It’s also common for the individual to have gained several professional accreditations within their field before even being considered suitable for a PhD research degree.

Universities Offering PhD without a Masters

Unfortunately, there is not a centralised list of universities which offer PhDs without a Master’s degree. The reason for this is that the edibility requirements differ from PhD to PhD and from department to department.

Therefore, you will need to check the guidelines for each individual university and the requirements for each specific PhD you’re interested in.

Should you find a PhD programme you can apply to with a Bachelors, make every effort to make your application as strong as possible. This is because you will be competing against other candidates, most of who will have a Master’s degree.

Not only can you strengthen your application by having a Bachelors with a First-Class Honours (1st), but you can also do so by showing the traits of a successful researcher. This includes showing a genuine interest in the project, a high work ethic, and exceptional communication skills.

Additionally, a strong letter of recommendation from a respected university lecturer will prove very beneficial. This is especially true if the lecturer supervisors his or her own PhD students. This is because the lecturer will understand the skills required for an adept research student.

For more advice on how to apply to a PhD degree, check out our Application Process Guide.

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Media arts and sciences PhD redesigns community through research in human-computer Interaction

Photo courtesy of Alejandra Rodriguez Vega

Editor’s note:  This story is part of a series of profiles of  notable spring 2024 graduates .

Alejandra Rodriguez Vega, who is receiving her PhD from the media arts and sciences program in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering, focuses on designing with communities based on collaborative design approaches and user-centered design.

Rodriguez Vega has contributed valuable research to the local arts and academic communities during her graduate (MS and PhD) studies. Projects like “The Dream Collective” utilize crowdsourcing as a way to collect data about the experience of the modern classroom and how it can be re-designed to enhance the learning experience. She has also worked with Citizen Science to help design Pollinator Gardens for the local Mirabella at ASU community.  

Rodriguez Vega credits Associate Professor Stacey K.,  in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering, and her as a source of inspiration for introducing her to the research area of human- computer interaction early in her graduate studies. Having the opportunity to help work behind the scenes for the 2019 Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interaction conference that took place at ASU’s Tempe campus inclined her to further pursue graduate studies with a PhD in media arts and sciences.

“I wanted to be a part of this and continue collaborating with these brilliant minds who are not only very technically gifted but also incredibly creative,” she said.

While Rodriguez Vega attributes acceptance into the PhD program to hard work and luck, her dedication to contributing her valuable perspective to the research fields stood out to faculty.

During her studies in the MS media arts and sciences program, she collaborated with the SANDS (Social and Digital Systems Group) research lab. This led to her finishing her MS with a publication that was published at the 2019  Designing Interactive Systems conference. This experience prepared her for the world of dissertation and defense that is typical within the realms of PhD studies.

“The paper focused on a workshop that we did with the community scientists, revolving around interaction with drones,” Rodriguez Vega said. “That was really the starting point of doing hands-on research, seeing the publication process, as well as presenting my research to my fellow peers, faculty and researchers from all over the world. And I was lucky enough that I had that experience during my first summer of my masters, so preparing to go into my PhD, I had a pretty good idea of at least how the first few years were going to be.”

Rodriguez Vega entered graduate studies with a background in communication and interest in the interactions that take place between humans and computer systems. She was able to explore these interactions in various ways, from co-developing an online creativity tool, “The Dream Collective,” and creating a friendly user interface, to holding in-person workshops with participants where users’ needs and aspirations for future technologies were brought to life through low-fidelity prototypes. 

“I specifically decided to focus on what is called ‘collaborative design.’ This is an area of research that talks with all stakeholders and gives them the opportunity to iterate on any part of the design process and voice their concerns, desires and likes or dislikes,” she said. “The focus is really trying to understand user needs and expectations of designs and then working with engineers, designers and researchers to see how these changes can be brought to life. My research specifically focuses on integrating speculative methodologies into collaborative design so that participants are not limited by technological knowledge or feasibility when ideating and voicing their concerns, as well as, through online collaborative ideation tools, being able to collaborate with stakeholders at a larger scale.”

Most recently, Rodriguez Vega has worked on a project focused on collaborative design with the Center for the Future , an ASU-Starbucks partnership. 

Rodriguez Vega has received multiple scholarships and awards through her studies, such as the Graduate Completion Fellowship (2023–24), Graduate College Travel Award (2022), Creative Constellation Grant (2021), University Graduate Fellowship (2020), Outstanding Graduating Student (2019) and Katherine K. Herberger Scholarship (2018).

Question: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective?

Answer: My original background was in the humanities, so I was really scared of all these coding classes and thought they were going to be math heavy. I quickly learned otherwise, and I especially thank the faculty at AME, as they help you understand the logic behind coding and how it can be applied to art and creative outlets. I don’t think that that was something that I have ever encountered before or even thought possible, so that was very interesting to learn and tackle.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: It was actually the weather. I don’t think a lot of people would say that, but I do like the heat for one thing. On a more serious note, the biggest thing was I didn’t find any other universities or programs that had a similar program like media arts and sciences — where it’s not completely engineering and it’s not completely art — it’s a mixture of both as well as design. This was extremely attractive to me, because I don’t have a background in engineering and didn't have the pressure of going into it thinking ‘Oh no, I need to know how to code!’ This really helped me get in the door having a bit of an understanding in engineering, design and art. Now, with my experience through research, I can communicate with engineers and programmers along with designers to produce meaningful and user-friendly interactions.

Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?

A: My PhD chair, Stacey K. Her extensive background in human computer interaction has been extremely eye-opening. It has also made me realize my passion so that was extremely helpful while doing my PhD. She has taught me to be a better writer and a better researcher and how to approach people, handle workshops, and how to analyze data. She has been essential throughout my PhD journey.

I also have to mention Professor Kimberlee Swisher, I was her teacher’s assistant for quite a bit and although I never took a class with her since she teaches undergrad, she really inspired me to be a better educator and mentor and understand how to relate to people better when tackling problems. Really, all the faculty and staff within AME deserve recognition as they are great in helping you find a solution. If you have a crazy idea or a random question, even if it’s really out there, they’ll ask for more details and help find a solution. This would not have been doable without such a supportive department.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: My best advice would be to ask a lot of questions. A lot of times you hear faculty say go to office hours or if you have any questions, come up and ask me, I’ll be here and not a lot of people take that opportunity. What I’ve learned is that the amount of knowledge that everyone has is beyond what you expect and if you really want to make the most out of your time here, whether it’s undergraduate or graduate studies,  start a conversation with faculty and staff, because they really do want to help you. Not only can this help you make connections, but it also helps you figure out what you want to do for a career.

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life? 

A: It was probably the graduate student lounge in Matthews Center (on the Tempe campus). I was able to meet my fellow grad students, and just being able to talk with them and hang out really helped with making friends but also understanding their approach to their own research and writing. I think one of the things that really separates graduate studies from undergraduate studies is that everyone is doing their own research, writing their own papers, so this can become lonely sometimes. Having the Matthews Center created a space where I could talk with other students and understand the struggles they're going through and how they tackled challenging times.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I am hoping to go into user experience research in industry. User experience research allows us to collaborate, ideate and design alongside stakeholders such as users, designers, engineers and programmers to see what works, what doesn’t work, and what can be improved in a current technology, service or experience and even speculate on the future. 

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: I don’t think $40 million would be enough to tackle a specific problem on our planet. However, I do think a way to start tackling a lot of problems would be by educating people, so one of the things I think we could heavily invest in would be in education. I think now more than ever, teachers and middle school teachers lack funding and support. This money could be used to give teachers and students a better starting point to further educate them and have them be aware of problems and ways to solve the problems. Not just getting information out about things like global warming but actually giving them the time and resources to solve the problems through collaborative work. Education can be a great starting point or a foundation to actually solve problems.

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What We Know About the Protests at Columbia University

Demonstrations outside the school gates have added to the upheaval, with protesters who appear unconnected to the university targeting Jewish students.

• Share full article

By Alan Blinder

Columbia University is grappling with the fallout from its president’s promise to Congress that she would crack down on unsanctioned protests, and her decision to ask the police to clear an encampment on campus

Protests on campus have continued, despite the arrests of more than 100 students last week. Faculty members are considering a censure vote for Nemat Shafik, Columbia’s president, and other officials.

Demonstrations just outside Columbia’s gates, which are currently closed to the public, took an especially dark tone over the weekend , when protesters who did not appear to be connected to the university were accused of celebrating Hamas and targeting Jewish students.

“The decibel of our disagreements has only increased in recent days,” Nemat Shafik, Columbia’s president, said in a statement early Monday . “These tensions have been exploited and amplified by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia who have come to campus to pursue their own agendas. We need a reset.”

All classes were held virtually on Monday for safety reasons, and a day later the administration announced that students would have the option to finish the semester remotely . The decision to offer hybrid classes appeared to acknowledge that the disputes at the center of campus tension were unlikely to be resolved before the end of the school year.

On Monday night, hundreds of faculty members participated in a walkout and signed open letters expressing discontent with the way Dr. Shafik has handled the protests, and the University Senate is expected to vote on a formal resolution to censure her as early as Wednesday.

On Tuesday evening, protesters camped on a lawn received a notice with a midnight deadline to disband. Protesters began removing tents and some prepared to be arrested.

But the deadline passed without the appearance of the police on campus, and the university said early Wednesday that it would continue conversations for 48 hours after student protesters had agreed to, among other things, remove a significant number of the tents erected on the lawn.

How Columbia got here

Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, American college campuses have been hubs of protest and debate. The scene at Columbia has been particularly contentious, with protests drawing hundreds of demonstrators, and some faculty members drawing attention for statements that critics considered to be antisemitic.

Columbia administrators, like their counterparts on campuses across the country, have struggled to fine-tune a response that balances discipline, free speech and institutional and national politics. For example, Columbia suspended two pro-Palestinian student groups after a walkout, and it has rewritten its protest policies, suspended some students and moved to cut or reduce ties to some faculty members.

The university’s approach was the focus of a congressional committee hearing last Wednesday. Over more than three hours in Washington, Dr. Shafik and other Columbia leaders tried to placate Republican lawmakers by acknowledging that they had been unprepared for the tensions of recent months and promising new crackdowns.

Although their answers appeared to please many lawmakers on Capitol Hill, they stirred unrest on campus, where protesters had built an encampment in the hours before Dr. Shafik’s testimony.

Columbia called in the police

Less than 24 hours after the hearing adjourned, New York City police officers in riot gear entered the private campus at the request of Dr. Shafik and Columbia leaders. The police swept into the encampment to arrest defiant protesters and dismantle the demonstration, which was calling for the university to eliminate its financial ties to Israel. The authorities reported more than 100 arrests .

Many people welcomed the decision to call in the police, and said that Dr. Shafik was well within her power to shut down unauthorized protests on private property. But the decision also provoked fresh outcry from students, faculty members, free-speech groups and critics of Israel, who argued that it was counterproductive to shut down a peaceful protest, particularly on a campus that is supposed to be a marketplace of ideas.

By the time many of the critiques rolled in, protesters had already started gathering again, chanting some of the same slogans — “We don’t want no Zionists here” and “Israel is a racist state” — that Dr. Shafik had suggested were creating “a harassing and intimidating environment for many of our students.”

Over the weekend, protesters had pitched tents on campus once again, and the administration has not interfered.

Weekend protests unnerved Jewish students

Columbia cannot control what happens off its property, and the neighborhood around its campus has drawn significant attention in the aftermath of the arrests. By Saturday night, social media was filling with reports of antisemitic harassment.

“Go back to Poland!” one masked protester who clutched a Palestinian flag shouted outside the Columbia campus gates, according to a video posted on X . Elsewhere online, a Columbia student said protesters had stolen, and then tried to burn, an Israeli flag, and that Jewish students had been splashed with water.

The Columbia chapter of Chabad, an international Orthodox Jewish movement, said that protesters targeted Jewish students with expletives as they left campus.

The White House condemned the episodes of antisemitic protest. A spokesman, Andrew Bates, said that “calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable and dangerous.” Mayor Eric Adams of New York also condemned the episodes and said the police department had increased its presence near Columbia’s campus.

Elie Buechler, an Orthodox rabbi who works at Columbia, said on Sunday that campus and city police officers had failed to guarantee the safety of Jewish students “in the face of extreme antisemitism and anarchy" and suggested that the students return home “until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved.”

That view was not universally shared. Hillel, the Jewish student organization on campus, called for increased security and said it was not urging Jewish students to leave.

Many of Columbia’s roughly 5,000 Jewish students are away for part of this week because of Passover.

Some on-campus activists said over the weekend that outside agitators were responsible for the antisemitic episodes and distanced themselves from the agitators.

“There’s so many young Jewish people who are, like, a vital part” of the protests, said Grant Miner, a Jewish graduate student at Columbia who belongs to a student coalition calling on Columbia to divest from companies connected to Israel.

That group said in a statement, “We are frustrated by media distractions focusing on inflammatory individuals who do not represent us,” and added that the group’s members “firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry.”

Dr. Shafik said on Monday that university officials would keep trying to “bring this crisis to a resolution.” She said she welcomed discussion about her decision to call in the police.

But she added: “Better adherence to our rules and effective enforcement mechanisms would obviate the need for relying on anyone else to keep our community safe. We should be able to do this ourselves.”

Reporting was contributed by Liset Cruz , Colbi Edmonds , Luis Ferré-Sadurní , Erin Nolan and Sharon Otterman .

Alan Blinder is a national correspondent for The Times, covering education. More about Alan Blinder

Campus protests: Pro-Palestinian demonstrations spread as some schools crack down

The latest on pro-palestinian campus protests.

• Protest encampments are in place on more than 40 college campuses across the U.S. and in Canada, including UCLA, Northwestern, George Washington, Harvard, Brown, UT Austin, the University of Michigan and MIT.
• The University of Southern California, where 93 people were arrested last night, announced today that it was canceling its main graduation commencement ceremony on May 10, citing safety concerns.
• Columbia University is engaged in an ongoing discussion with student protesters.
• Demonstrators waving Israeli flags gathered outside Columbia University and called for those taken hostage on Oct. 7 to be brought home. At UCLA, pro-Israel protesters clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters.

Coverage on this live blog has ended. Please click here for the latest updates.

Pro-Palestinian, pro-Israel protesters at USC find common ground: ‘It’s all about bridging that gap’

Alicia Victoria Lozano

LOS ANGELES — University of Southern California alum Charlotte Korchak stood outside the gates of her alma mater draped in an Israeli flag on Thursday evening.

She flew to the U.S. from her home in Jerusalem this year and arrived in L.A. last weekend to celebrate Passover with her family. 

When she watched on social media as pro-Palestinian students set up an encampment in solidarity with other campuses protesting the war in Gaza, she felt called to action. 

“What I was seeing gave me a physical reaction,” she said. “It’s been a very hard week.”

Korchak was part of a larger pro-Israel counterprotest that set up tables outside campus and left empty plates for each of the hostages taken by Hamas.

While she was giving an interview to a reporter, a pro-Palestinian student interrupted her, shouting that she supported “a terrorist state,” referring to Israel. 

Korchak said the two argued but eventually calmed enough to share their individual perspectives and hope for lasting peace. After a few minutes, they exchanged phone numbers and agreed to keep in touch. 

“It’s all about bridging that gap and hearing each other,” Korchak said. 

As USC cancels commencement, Columbia students worry theirs could be disrupted

Daniella Silva

As the University of Southern California in Los Angeles canceled its main commencement ceremony because of safety concerns over student protests, students at Columbia University in New York, where anti-war demonstrations led to dozens of arrests, said they feared theirs could be disrupted.

Schools across the country where protests have flared up are keeping mum about whether they will adjust or outright cancel their ceremonies, but some students said they feared a domino effect — much like what happened after students at  students at Columbia  became the first to set up an encampment on campus.

Those at other schools, from the University of Michigan to Cornell University in New York, then began to erect their own tents in shows of opposition to the Israel-Hamas war and to urge their schools to divest from companies that do business with Israel.

Graduating college students whose high school commencement ceremonies were canceled or delayed by the coronavirus pandemic say it is just another knock on their rocky road to getting an education.

Read the full story here.

Second gentleman Emhoff speaks with Columbia, Barnard Jewish leaders

Tara Prindiville

Megan Lebowitz

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff spoke with two Jewish leaders from Columbia and Barnard this week, a White House official said.

Emhoff spoke with one leader from Orthodox Union-JLIC at Columbia and Barnard and another from Columbia/Barnard Hillel, a nondenominational campus-based Jewish organization.

The official said Emhoff's conversations "focused on the immediate need to address antisemitism on college campuses," and he offered his support on the Biden administration's behalf.

"During the calls, the Second Gentleman recognized that while every American has the right to freedom of speech and to protest peacefully, hate speech and calls for violence against Jews is both antisemitic and unacceptable," the official said.

Arrests made at Ohio State University

Phil Helsel

A number of people were arrested at Ohio State University in Columbus after demonstrators refused to leave part of campus Thursday night, a university spokesperson said.

The number of arrests was not immediately available.

“Well established university rules prohibit camping and overnight events. Demonstrators exercised their first amendment rights for several hours and were then instructed to disperse,” spokesman Ben Johnson said in an email.

“Individuals who refused to leave after multiple warnings were arrested and charged with criminal trespass,” he said.

The Columbus Dispatch newspaper reported that its reporters witnessed at least a dozen people being taken into custody.

UCLA students can stay inside encampment, officers say

LOS ANGELES — Public security officers at UCLA have set up metal fences around the pro-Palestinian student encampment perimeter to secure the area.

UCLA students are allowed to remain inside a large encampment indefinitely as tensions with counterprotesters eased on campus, officers said.  

Outside the perimeter, pro-Israel protesters argued with security officers over protecting the encampment. 

“We’re trying to keep both sides safe,” said Gary Johnson, head of campus security. “Because this is a public campus, they are allowed to be here as long as they want to be.” 

Pro-Israel counterprotesters marched near Columbia University today as pro-Palestinian demonstrations continued there and at campuses across the U.S.

Columbia University calls rumors of NYPD untrue, says talks are progressing

Josh Cradduck

Columbia University said tonight that progress is being made in talks with students who are protesting at the Manhattan campus, and it shut down rumors that police were on their way.

“There is a rumor that the NYPD has been invited to campus this evening. This rumor is false,” the university said.

Students have set up an encampment on the campus to protest the war in Gaza and to bring attention to the suffering of people there, which the university has said must be dismantled.

The university said a formal process is underway.

"The talks have shown progress and are continuing as planned," Columbia said.

Northwestern protesters meet with university over encampment, demands

Selina Guevara

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern University officials met with a small group of the organizers of the campus’s growing pro-Palestinian encampment for two hours today, according to a  release  from the school and conversations with a student who attended.

The university said it offered during the meeting to let the demonstrators continue to assemble as long as they got rid of the bullhorns and tents that go against the school’s policy — but “the offer was declined.”

“Because of the fact that we left the meetings, without the demands that we were looking for, we have no intention of leaving the encampment,” said a student who was at the meeting and asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation and to protect the integrity of future talks.

The student said the administrators would not commit to anything concrete tonight in terms of the university’s divesting funds from defense stocks or Israeli companies.

“Our interest is not in protesting for the sake of protesting but rather to see these demands being committed to,” the student said. “The purpose of the encampment was to stay there as long as necessary.”

The demands also include protecting student civil liberties and ending university partnerships with Israeli institutions.

The school said in its release that it “will move forward with other options to protect the safety of the community.” Earlier in the day a university spokesperson said students who refuse to remove tents are subject to arrest.

Families of American hostages held in Gaza respond to joint statement calling for release of hostages

Rebecca Cohen

The families of eight American hostages held in Gaza said a joint statement the U.S. and 17 other countries released today calling for the immediate release of all hostages "makes it clear that the hostage crisis is much more than an Israeli issue."

"The remaining 133 hostages pose a global humanitarian crisis and require an immediate, coordinated international response," the families said in a statement.

They added that they are "grateful" to President Joe Biden "for building this coalition of nations to bring attention to the magnitude of this crisis."

Their statement said that "the significant nature of this statement is a tragic indicator that our window to rescue the hostages is closing."

"Together, the international community must continue to act in coordination and with determination to keep the pressure on the terrorist leaders of Hamas," the statement said. "It is up to them to end this humanitarian crisis by releasing ALL of the remaining hostages as soon as possible."

Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protesters clash at UCLA

LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israel counterprotesters faced off at UCLA tonight, each waving the flags of their movements and shouting at one another. 

Israeli flags flew behind demonstrators who chanted “Free Palestine!”

“We see ourselves as part of a legacy of student activists,” said Tai Min, a second-year undergraduate student who helped organize UCLA’s encampment. “This is not our first time out here, and this won’t be the last.”

Min spoke from outside a perimeter that demonstrators against the war in Gaza set up, which was made of signs, a makeshift wooden fence and students with linked arms. 

Inside the encampment, at least 40 tents have been erected within the last 24 hours. Protesters have set up supply stations with masks, food, water and first aid.

Outside the perimeter, Charlene, who asked that her last name not be used for fear of facing antisemitic harassment, stood with nine members of her family. Charlene flew in from New York this week to observe Passover with her Los Angeles-based extended family. Her cousin attends UCLA and told her that she was recently spit on while wearing a Star of David and called a “Zionist pig,” Charlene said. 

“I obviously have to support them,” she said. “We are Iranian, but we’re almost Zionist.”

State Department veteran resigns over U.S. handling of Gaza

Abigail Williams

Hala Rharrit, a U.S. diplomat and veteran foreign service officer, resigned from the State Department yesterday in protest over the Biden administration's policy in Gaza as the death toll in the six-month war climbs over 34,000.

Rharrit served the U.S. government for almost two decades, holding positions in the Middle East, Hong Kong and South Africa, and most recently worked as a spokesperson for the State Department’s Middle East & North Africa, leading the Dubai regional media hub.

"I resigned April 2024 after 18 years of distinguished service in opposition to the United States’ Gaza policy,” Rharrit wrote on her public LinkedIn page. “Diplomacy, not arms. Be a force for peace and unity.”

Rharrit is the latest State Department official to publicly resign since Israel’s military campaign against Hamas started in response to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,200 people.

Josh Paul, another veteran U.S. diplomat, resigned in the department’s bureau of political-military affairs less than a month into the conflict, citing the Biden administration’s “blind support” for Israel and the continued provision of U.S. lethal arms.

The State Department declined to comment directly on Rharrit’s resignation, citing personnel matters.

"Our workforce can share their points of view when they disagree with a certain policy or a certain action that the US government is taking. You’ve heard us talk about the dissent channel. That option that channel continues to be in place,” deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters today.

Trump says Charlottesville 'was nothing' compared to current protests

Zoë Richards

Isabelle Schmeler

Former President Donald Trump downplayed a 2017  white nationalist rally  in Charlottesville, Virginia, that left a young woman dead in comments outside a New York courtroom this afternoon following proceedings in his hush money trial.

Taking aim at President Joe Biden over protests related to the Israel-Hamas war, Trump said "Charlottesville was a little peanut" by comparison.

It "was nothing," Trump said of the Charlottesville rally. "This is tremendous hate, and we have a man that can’t talk about it because he doesn’t understand it."

Biden has often referred to Charlottesville as a key reason he decided to run for president in 2020. Trump's remarks today echoed comments he made on Truth Social yesterday, w hen he w r ote , "Charlottesville is like a 'peanut' compared to the riots and anti-Israel protests that are happening" nationwide.

White House spokesman Andrew Bates blasted Trump's remark in a statement.

"Minimizing the Antisemitic and white supremacist poison displayed in Charlottesville is repugnant and divisive," Bates said. "That moment compelled President Biden to run in 2020, because he has fought Antisemitism and hate his entire life."

College protesters are demanding schools ‘divest’ from companies with ties to Israel. Here’s what that means.

In addition to a cease-fire in Gaza, protesters on college campuses across the country are calling on their schools to divest from all financial support of Israel.

Divestment usually refers to selling shares in companies doing business with a given country. Divestment has long been a goal of a movement that seeks to limit what it considers hostile operations by Israel and an end to expanding what the United Nations has ruled are illegal settlements.

Now, college protesters hope to force their universities to divest to put financial pressure on companies doing business in Israel to meet those two objectives.

Nearly 30 arrested at Emory; police used chemical irritants, school official says

Antonio Planas

Charlie Gile

Twenty-eight people were arrested while objects were thrown at police who used chemical irritants for crowd control today during a protest at Emory University in Atlanta, a school official said.

Shortly before 8 a.m., dozens of protesters pushed past police on the campus quad and set up tents where equipment and materials were in place for commencement, Cheryl Elliott, the college’s vice president for public safety, wrote in a letter to the university community tonight.

Of those arrested, 20 were “Emory community members,” Elliott said.

Emory police issued warnings, and when the police orders were ignored, Atlanta police and officers with the Georgia State Patrol assisted with crowd control and detaining protesters, Elliott said.

“During this process and the subsequent confrontations, objects were thrown at police officers,” Elliott said, adding that an officer who was not with Emory police may have used a stun gun on a protester.

Police also used other tactics, Elliott said, to gain control of the crowd.

“Due to the direct assault of officers, law enforcement released chemical irritants into the ground to assist with crowd control,” Elliott said.

The university's goal, Elliott said, was to clear the quad “of a disruptive encampment while holding individuals accountable to the law.”

Northwestern gives no timeline for removing tents, says it is in 'active discussions' with demonstrators

Daisy Conant

Northwestern University did not give a specific timeline today when it was asked when it will remove tents as a part of pro-Palestinian protests on campus.

The university said it is in "active discussions with the demonstrators to ensure the safety of members of the Northwestern community while also providing a space for free expression."

Earlier today, a spokesperson for the university said, "Students who refuse to remove their tents will be subject to arrest and their tents will be removed by the University."

The university president announced  interim rule changes  to the student handbook this morning, which include a ban on installing tents on university property that aren’t approved.

The school said tents near The Rock, a monument on campus that people can decorate, would be allowed to remain, as students have to "guard" The Rock for 24 hours to paint it with messages and typically sleep in tents to do so.