Impact of Federal Government Shutdown

From President Frank H. Wu:

I am writing to inform you about the shutdown of the federal government that began at midnight. While we remain hopeful that Congress will reach an agreement soon, Queens College has been preparing to ensure that our operations continue smoothly should a shutdown occur.

Please note: The campus will remain open and all operations will continue as usual. For most of us, day-to-day activities will be unaffected, but there are a few areas where the impact may be felt.

Student Financial Aid

Minimal impact is expected. Pell Grant funds for the current semester have already been disbursed.
New York State aid programs (including TAP and Excelsior) are not impacted.

If you have questions related to student aid, please reach out to Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management Vivek Upadhyay at VPESR@qc.cuny.edu.

Military and Veterans Benefits

Students who are veterans or active-duty military may see delays. The Department of Veterans Affairs has stated that education benefits will remain a priority, but the timing of stipends or housing allowances could be affected.

Immigration Services

International students and scholars should note that U.S. embassies and consulates will remain open, so visa applications can continue. Some processing delays may occur depending on staffing and agency priorities.

Federally Funded Research Grants

Research funding may be delayed. Federally funded projects are reimbursed as expenses occur, and payments could be impacted if the shutdown is prolonged.
Proposal submissions should proceed as scheduled, though reviews and new awards may be delayed until government operations resume.
Funding opportunities will not be issued during the shutdown.
The Research Foundation of CUNY (RF-CUNY) is closely monitoring developments. Guidance will be posted on their site: RF-CUNY Federal Shutdown Guidance.

For questions regarding federally funded grants, please contact Poline Papoulis, Director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, at poline.papoulis@qc.cuny.edu or the RF-CUNY team at fedshutdown@rfcuny.org.

Private funding is not affected.

Moving Forward

We understand that a federal shutdown causes concern and great impact on the federal workforce. Please know that Queens College and CUNY leadership are actively monitoring the situation and will provide updates as new information becomes available.

Thank you for your attention, understanding, and continued commitment to our college community.

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