Physics Ph.D. grads depart U.S. at record rates as new policies sweep science

An August report from the American Institute of Physics reveals a troubling indicator for the direction of U.S. physics. “Over the past two academic years, there’s been a very sharp increase in the proportion of new physics Ph.D.s that leave the U.S. following receipt of their degree,” says Jack Pold, a social scientist and one of the report’s coauthors.

The observations come from the institute’s annual survey of newly minted doctorates, which revealed that among international students who earned their Ph.D.s last year, 29% left the U.S. — a 30-year high. A similar trend extends across U.S. citizens, with nearly 1 in 8 who earned a physics Ph.D. in 2025 choosing to launch their career outside the country. Two years before, that number was just 1 in 20.

The findings for physics graduate students echo the results of a recent working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. That study found a decline in the intent of current early-career biomedical scientists to stay in the U.S. at the end of their programs.

Many worry trends like these could indicate a more systemic “brain drain” across the U.S. STEM research enterprise — bad for science and the economy. By one estimate, the U.S.'s current rate of exclusion of international students will be felt in the nation’s GDP within a decade — equivalent to eliminating the entire $470 billion economy of Wisconsin.

The trends for American-born and international students “always kind of mirror each other,” says Pold. Usually, that’s because students are making choices in the context of major world events, like the great recession of the 2000-aughts, which impacted countries across the globe.

But in this case, Cal Poly physicist Stamatis Vokos thinks the answer lies closer to messaging from Washington, D.C., and choices the federal administration is making. “It’s very hard to stay in a place which communicates to you that you are not welcome,” says Vokos. “You have other countries which treat scientific innovation as a much higher priority.”

In 2025, just months into his second term, the Trump administration revoked the visas or terminated the immigration status of over 1,400 international students and scholars. The administration also attempted to freeze, cut, or otherwise tie up $3 billion in research funding through the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. An estimated $1.4 billion remains frozen or canceled as of early 2026.

“These issues are of existential importance to the physics enterprise,” says Vokos. “When you shut down a lab, the people make other life choices. They go elsewhere, and they start new things.”

Then, on July 17, the Department of Homeland Security published a rule change to student and scholar visas. Scheduled to go into effect Sept. 15, the new rule gives international students four years to complete their study programs, after which they must apply for extensions. But the average U.S. physics Ph.D. program takes 6.2 years to complete.

According to 2024 AIP data, about 40% of first-year graduate physics students started their programs on temporary visas — the same visa types now under attack from the administration.

“Grad students, as they are learning to do the work, are actually doing some of the most important work,” says Michael Wittmann, head of education at APS. “They’re the ones in the lab.” And concerningly, he added, American physics graduate programs already saw a drop in enrollment in 2025, especially for international students.

“To develop a [research] program,” says Vokos, “you need stability.” In turn, those programs — whether undergraduate or graduate — offer students and postdocs the stability they need to feel confident about relocating to or staying in the U.S.

Vokos, born in Greece, immigrated to the U.S. in 1984 for graduate school in theoretical physics. For him, America was the preeminent choice for advancing his studies. While at the University of California, Berkeley, he fell “in love” with the U.S., eventually pursuing citizenship — a decision he didn’t take lightly.

“I care deeply,” he says, “and it hurts me to see that politics and political forces get in the way of people coming to this country, to make it their home and contribute their talents, their intelligence, their hard work, their mentorship.”

APS supports international students and scholars, and all scientists affected by policies that threaten U.S. science. For more information, please visit:

• APS toolkit for departments, faculty, and students on navigating visa changes
• APS resources on supporting international students in the U.S.
• APS white paper on the rule changes, including an assessment of the impact and potential solutions for physics and astronomy Ph.D. programs
• APS' advocacy portal, where you can message your member of Congress and learn more about APS's advocacy on behalf of physicists worldwide