"Phoenix-Avery Sarían has been interested in astronomy ever since her mother bought her a telescope as a child. But the fourth-year university student faces a cosmic challenge in reaching the next stage of her academic career: enrolling in a PhD programme. Preliminary survey data show that dozens of US graduate programmes in astronomy and physics are planning to admit smaller PhD cohorts than usual for the next academic year - or even no graduate students at all."
"The cutbacks are being driven by several factors, including institutional decisions about which research fields to support. But the reductions are due in large part to the US political environment, researchers say. Since Donald Trump became president in January, his administration has frozen billions of dollars in research funding at targeted institutions, including Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and Harvard; although some of this has been reinstated, large deficits and uncertainties remain."
Dozens of US graduate programmes in astronomy and physics plan to admit smaller or no PhD cohorts for the 2026 intake, prompting applicants to apply to many more schools. A fourth-year student, Phoenix-Avery Sarían, may apply to as many as 20 programmes to improve her chances. Even highly ranked institutions are cutting admissions, with at least one Harvard science department reducing intake by roughly 75%. Cutbacks reflect institutional choices about which research fields to support and are driven in large part by the US political environment and frozen research funding, creating ongoing deficits and uncertainty.
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