Agreed with problem, not sure about solution Ex: 10X smaller enrollment. In top programs, most competitive undergraduate applicants have _already_ published to

Agreed with problem, not sure about solution Ex: 10X smaller enrollment. In top programs, most competitive undergraduate applicants have _already_ published top scientific papers. Making 10X more competitive will turn up the pressure even more. Ex: More funding. Competing is hard. CS PhD programs, with assuming occasional well-paid CS internships, having slightly-below-median salaries. Definitely tough for those with families, but the rest can easily come out with savings even in the highest COL areas. So the real issue is opportunity cost when competing with FAANG etc (which grad students would be able to get into). I believe > 50% of US PhDs are foreign-born because american cs undergrads know they can work in cool tech envs for more $ and less work by going direct to the great companies courting them before graduation. Competing with FAANG salaries is hard - most professor salaries are below FAANG starting salaries, which is its own problem.