The number of people headed to graduate school is increasing, and that’s largely thanks to international students, according to a report from the Council of Graduate Schools. The results of an annual survey, released today, include responses from 655 institutions.
Overall there was a 1 percent increase between fall 2012 and fall 2013 of graduate students who were enrolling for the first time. The increase for first-time enrolled temporary U.S. residents, though, was 11.5 percent, according to the report.
[Learn which schools topped the 2015 Best Graduate Schools rankings.]
The surge in new international graduate students falls in line with data from previous years. Between fall 2011 and 2012 there was an 8 percent increase, and between 2010 and 2011 there was a 7.8 percent increase, says Jeff Allum, director of research and policy analysis at the Council of Graduate Schools. Admissions offers for prospective international graduate students increased 9 percent between 2013 and 2014, according to an August report from the council.
The new “Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2003 to 2013” report explores enrollment trends for graduate students by discipline, gender, race, nationality and other factors.
International students are typically drawn to certain concentrations. “They come here to study STEM,” says Allum, referring to the science, technology, engineering and math fields.
Math and computer sciences had the largest one-year change in graduate applications between fall 2012 and fall 2013 — an 11.2 percent increase. The increase in computer sciences is being driven largely by international students, Allum says.
Some international students are better equipped to handle the financial obligations and cultural differences that come with studying abroad.
“Students from emerging economies such as China, India, Brazil are more likely to afford the US tuition than before,” Xiu Chen Cravens, associate dean for international affairs and an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, said in an email. “Universities in these countries are internationalizing their curricula and many courses are taught in English, and undergraduate students often spend time abroad and feel comfortable doing their graduate studies internationally.”
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U.S. citizens and permanent residents are strongly represented in other areas of study, such as health sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and education. Business has the largest number of first-time enrolled students of any broad field, Allum says, and education is second.
First-time enrollment among U.S. citizens and permanent residents between fall 2012 and 2013 decreased by 0.9 percent.
The report also highlights other graduate student trends, such as the number of women going to school.
[Find out which business schools have the most full-time female students.]
“Women earned about two-thirds (66.2%) of the graduate certificates awarded in 2012-13, 59.2% of the master’s degrees, and 52.2% of the doctorates,” it states. “Academic year 2012-13 marked the fifth consecutive year in which women earned the majority of the degrees awarded at the doctoral level.”
Within racial groups, first-time enrollment at the graduate level among Hispanics increased by 5.7 percent, but it fell 4.9 percent for American Indians and Alaska natives, 0.1 percent for African-Americans and 2.1 percent for white students.
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International Students Give Graduate Schools an Enrollment Boost originally appeared on usnews.com
