Sequestration Presents Uncertain Outlook for Students, Researchers, and Job-Seekers

As the midnight-Thursday deadline came and went, steep federal spending cuts were set in motion, leaving college students, administrators, and researchers bracing for the effects of impending reductions in financial-aid, research, and job-training programs. Adding to the anxiety is the fact that no one is certain exactly how or when those effects will be seen.

Advocacy groups, colleges, and President Obama have all called on Congress numerous times to come to a compromise and avoid the across-the-board reduction in federal spending, which will take place through a process known as "sequestration."