Temple Pauses Doctoral Admissions in Nine Programs
Temple University will not accept new students to nine Ph.D. programs in its College of Liberal Arts for 2027-2028.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in College Applications
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Temple University has paused admissions to nine Ph.D. programs in its College of Liberal Arts for the 2027-2028 academic year, including the Africology and African American Studies program. Students already enrolled in the affected programs, 228 in total, will not be affected and will continue their studies.
Why it matters
A committee review found that doctoral degrees in the college often take seven to 10 years to complete, exceeding the university's seven-year maximum. The pause gives departments time to restructure programs so students can finish in five or six years, according to the college's dean.
Nine Temple Ph.D. programs enroll 228 students, and the university's policy caps doctoral study at seven years, yet a committee found typical completion takes 7 to 10 years. Nearly a quarter of current Ph.D. students needed an extension this fall, and the specific program redesigns that would shorten timelines have not yet been announced.
The players
Temple University
A public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for its large urban campus and its College of Liberal Arts.
The details
Temple's Africology and African American Studies Ph.D., established in 1988, is described as the oldest African American doctoral studies degree in the United States and is among the programs affected. Departments overseeing the nine paused programs have been tasked with investigating how to improve their doctoral degrees.
Timeline
1988: The Africology and African American Studies Ph.D. program is established.
This fall: Nearly a quarter of Ph.D. students needed program extensions.
2027-2028 academic year: Admissions are paused for nine Ph.D. programs.
Fall 2028: Admissions are expected to resume.
Season Trajectory
Temple's pause follows a national pattern in which U.S. doctoral students have long taken well beyond the typical five- to six-year target to finish, as tracked in the National Science Foundation's Survey of Earned Doctorates. The move signals that at least one major Philadelphia institution is treating completion timelines as a structural problem to fix rather than an individual student issue.
Prospective Ph.D. applicants to the nine affected Temple programs should plan for the 2027-2028 admissions gap and consider Fall 2028 as the earliest expected entry point. Current students in these programs will continue their studies uninterrupted, but anyone weighing a doctorate should factor the seven-year completion cap into their timeline.
The takeaway
Doctoral applicants should weigh completion timelines alongside program prestige, since the seven-year cap at Temple is tighter than what many students actually take. Asking programs directly about median time-to-degree and extension rates is a practical step before committing.
What happens next
Admissions for the paused programs are expected to resume for the Fall 2028 semester, according to the university's stated timeline.
Further reading
For more on how graduate admissions shifts affect prospective students, explore College Applications coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.
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