On Friday, April 11, Wellesley College announced an immediate hiring pause for the next six months.

The email, sent to Wellesley College faculty and staff by Provost Courtney Coile, Piper Orton, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer, and Carolyn Slaboden, Chief Human Resources Officer, stated that the “pause will apply to tenure track, non-tenure track, administrative (both exempt and non-exempt), and union staff positions,” but not for students who are hired by the College.

Despite the pause, the College acknowledged that they may need to hire faculty and staff in “critical” positions that participate in “essential College operations.” Those positions will be filled at the discretion of the Provost Budget Committee, with final confirmation from senior leadership.

The new policy will be reviewed in late fall by the College.

This announcement comes as other peer institutions have enacted similar hiring pauses in regards to growing economic uncertainty in higher education, including a comprehensive freeze at Harvard University on March 10 and a partial freeze at Middlebury College on April 2.

The News previously reported that the College faces a projected $8 million deficit for the 2026 fiscal year. The College also faces uncertainty around federal funding losses and a proposed endowment tax in Congress.

The email also emphasized that the pause may not be the only action taken in response to financial constraints. It stated that the College was “exploring other actions…including reviewing discretionary and non-salary spending across academic and administrative departments.”

Contact the editor responsible for this story: Sazma Sarwar.