A regular digest for UW faculty with updates on federal, national and local issues of relevance to their teaching, research and service; actions the University is taking; and ways for faculty to be involved.
Federal Landscape
Office of Research collecting input on proposed changes to Uniform Guidance
UW and UW Medicine leadership are preparing a single institutional response on behalf of the University as a whole to proposed changes to federal grant oversight. Because OMB will accept only one response per institution, we request that individuals do not submit responses in their official capacity at the UW.
Instead, individuals may contribute their feedback by June 28 through a UW Office of Research survey for UW faculty, staff or students. Input collected through this survey, accessible only with a UW NetID, will inform the University’s single response.
The OMB proposal would significantly revise the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance (also known as the Uniform Guidance) to establish political oversight of federal grants. If enacted, the modifications could heavily influence award conditions, compliance expectations, subrecipient oversight, and authority to terminate grants and awards. UW leadership strongly opposes these proposed changes, which are summarized here by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
NIH clarifies expectations regarding foreign collaborators
The National Institutes of Health has clarified expectations for disclosing foreign components in grant applications. This includes a requirement that foreign collaborators must be disclosed in the grant application or approved by NIH before publication if the award has already been made. More information is on the UW Office of Research site.
Workforce Pell rule takes effect July 20
The U.S. Department of Education’s final Workforce Pell rule takes effect July 20, 2026, with early implementation of eligible-workforce-program provisions permitted beginning July 1, 2026.
The final rule largely retains the proposed framework, including short-term program-length limits, governor approval after consultation with the state workforce board, U.S. Secretary of Education review and approval, 70% completion and job-placement thresholds, and a value-added earnings test. It also addresses Pell ineligibility when a student’s non-Federal grant or scholarship assistance equals or exceeds cost of attendance.
International
Federal judge strikes down $100,000 H-1B visa fee
A federal judge entered a decision this week vacating the $100,000 fee on new H-1Bs coming from outside the U.S. Twenty states, including Washington, joined a lawsuit objecting to the fee. Washington state agencies, including the UW, should be covered by the federal judge’s decision. The White House has announced that it intends to appeal this ruling. In the meantime, the UW continues to follow procedures set forth in this blog post. Please email International Scholars Operations for more information.
Federal judge declares USCIS hold policies unlawful
A U.S. federal judge has declared U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Benefits Hold Policy, Asylum Hold Policy, Comprehensive Re-Review Policy, and Country-Specific Factors Policy to be unlawful. The June 5 decision vacates the USCIS policy to halt all benefit requests for applicants from “high-risk” countries subject to an entry ban; the policy affected applications including F-1 Optional Practical Training, changes and extensions of status, and other USCIS-reviewed benefits affecting UW students and scholars. The decision is believed to have nationwide effect but government appeal is expected. For more information, see the following:
Key links
- Office of the Provost’s Federal Policy Updates
- UW Medicine’s Federal Policy Updates (UW NetID required)
- Office of Research’s Federal Policy Guidance
- UW Research Makes America
Tell us what you think
Leadership
Understanding the UW’s budget and finances
Academic and administrative leaders gathered recently to deepen their understanding of the UW’s budget and financial context, and to actively shape how shared environments, shared services and operational excellence can better support the UW’s work. Through small group discussion and open dialogue, the session emphasized early engagement and shared understanding to ensure that faculty and staff voices directly inform priorities and next steps in the process. The summary of the meeting, as well as slides and follow-up questions and answers are available online. Leaders will meet again in July for continued discussions.
Student Support
$14.4 million raised to support graduate students, research continuity and capacity
When federal research funding was disrupted last year, the future of research was thrown into limbo – as was the future of graduate education. In response, the Graduate Student Research Resilience Fund was created to rapidly bridge support for graduate students and provide continuity for research across the UW.
With a goal of raising $30 million by December 2026 and supported by University Advancement, the fund has raised $14.4 million through efforts led by the provost, Graduate School, and schools, colleges and graduate programs across the University. Because of the critical role Ph.D. students play in research, this funding is helping to preserve graduate student continuity, faculty research capacity, and the long-term competitiveness of our research enterprise. Of the funds raised, $1.7 million is available for awarding. Ph.D. students and faculty should work through their units to request support from this fund.
As funding impacts continue to evolve, the goal remains to sustain and create predictable funding streams to meet graduate student needs.
Resources for Researchers & Instructors
REMINDER: Open private funding opportunities for faculty, researchers
Faculty and researchers may search current open funding opportunities from private sources for their research and programs through a dashboard developed by the UW Corporate & Foundation Relations team.