Temple Pauses Ph.D. Admissions in Nine Programs

Prospective doctoral applicants won't be able to enter nine College of Liberal Arts programs during the 2027-2028 academic year.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in College Applications

Temple Pauses Ph.D. Admissions in Nine Programs

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Should universities pause doctoral admissions when students take too long to finish?

Temple University will pause admissions to nine of its Ph.D. programs in the College of Liberal Arts for the 2027-2028 academic year, including its Africology and African American Studies doctoral program. Currently enrolled students in those programs are not affected and will continue their studies.

Why it matters

The pause affects prospective doctoral applicants who would have entered these programs in 2027-2028, since the nine programs enroll 228 students combined. The decision followed a committee review finding that these degrees often take seven to 10 years to finish, well beyond the university's seven-year cap.

Temple's doctoral policy caps completion at seven years, and the College of Liberal Arts dean has set a goal of five or six years for program completion. Nearly a quarter of Ph.D. students in the college needed an extension this fall, and the nine paused programs enroll 228 students.

The players

Temple University

A large public research university in Philadelphia whose College of Liberal Arts offers the affected doctoral programs.

The details

Temple has tasked the departments overseeing the nine paused Ph.D. programs with investigating how to improve their doctoral degrees. The pause follows a committee review of College of Liberal Arts doctoral programs, which found that degrees often take seven to 10 years, exceeding the university's seven-year limit. The dean's stated aim is to restructure programs so students can finish in five or six years.

Africology and African American Studies Ph.D. program established in 1988.
Nearly a quarter of Ph.D. students needed program extensions this fall (2026).
Admissions paused for nine Ph.D. programs during the 2027-2028 academic year.
Admissions expected to resume for the Fall 2028 semester.

Education Landscape

Temple's action responds to a documented gap between its seven-year doctoral completion limit and the seven-to-10 years students often need. The move reflects a broader scrutiny of how long doctoral study takes at universities nationwide.

If you were planning to apply to one of the nine paused Ph.D. programs for 2027-2028, you will need to consider alternatives or a later entry year. Prospective applicants can ask the College of Liberal Arts admissions office how the restructured programs will set completion expectations.

The takeaway

Doctoral completion timelines are becoming a central concern for universities, and Temple's pause signals that program structure may change before admissions reopen. Prospective applicants should ask programs directly about typical time to degree and funding length before committing.