The pipeline for Ph.D.s out of U.S. universities is shrinking

The pipeline for Ph.D.s from U.S. universities is experiencing an unprecedented decline. Many universities are cutting admission slots significantly, with Harvard reducing science Ph.D. admissions by 75% and humanities by 60%. Other top institutions are also shrinking their admit pools or pausing admissions altogether. This trend is an acceleration of a long-standing issue, not solely attributable to the Trump administration. Rising costs and the increasing unionization of graduate students are making it more expensive for universities to employ them. International students are increasingly choosing to pursue Ph.D.s in countries like Australia, China, and the UK over U.S. institutions. Concerns about the value of higher education and student debt are also deterring prospective graduate students. Political pressure, including canceled federal research funding and stricter visa policies for international students, is exacerbating the problem. The administration is also pressuring universities to align with its ideologies for funding. This decline in Ph.D. production threatens to cede America's leadership in science and technology to other nations.