US PhD admissions shrink as fears over Trump’s cuts take hold

Nature NewsCenterEN 4 min read 100% complete by Alexandra WitzeOctober 25, 2025 at 04:27 PM

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long article 4 min

US universities are reducing PhD admissions amid uncertainties over federal science funding following actions by the Trump administration. Preliminary data indicate that many astronomy and physics graduate programs plan to admit fewer students or pause admissions entirely for the 2026 academic year. This trend affects various scientific disciplines, with some top institutions like Harvard significantly cutting PhD admissions. The reductions stem from institutional decisions on research field support but are largely driven by political factors, including funding freezes at targeted universities and proposed cuts in federal research infrastructure support.

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Ohio State University 40% University of Southern California 50% Harvard University ×260% US ×370% Donald Trump ×280%

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us phd admissions 100% trump’s cuts 90% federal science funding 80% graduate-student cohorts 70% research funding 60% astronomy and physics 60% higher education 50% academic career 50% us universities 50% institutional decisions 40%

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United States

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us phd admissions trump’s cuts federal science funding graduate-student cohorts research funding astronomy and physics higher education academic career us universities institutional decisions

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