My first rejection in astronomy.

I started applying to PhD positions in computational astronomy in UK and Australia since last December. I have a B.Sc in Physics and M.Sc in Data Science and currently working in IT in Database DevOps. I used think I could never do a PhD in astronomy until I spoke to people here who said my qualifications only made me a better candidate.

I was called for interview from one in UK. They had given me a short research paper to read and share my interpretations during the interview. The interview went well but I got my rejection mail today.

They said: 'The panel was impressed by your application and by your performance at interview. We thought that you demonstrated a good understanding of the research paper. It was clear that your experience with Machine Learning would be useful for the project, However, we received a large number of very high-class applications for this project; the successful candidates had a great deal more experience with extragalactic astronomy and cosmology.'

Where I'm from, during college there are no proper research experience that I could acquire, there are not enough resources. I'm not looking for motivation here, but I'm seeking help to strengthen my profile. I'm a good learner, highly self motivated, persistent. Got 8/10 and 9/10 CGPAs.

As far as I understand, I didn't message up in the interview. So where could I improve? Or where can my profile get a chance? I would appreciate any insight that you guys could provide.