The CGS Graduate Enrollment and Degrees report, published annually since 1986, presents the findings of the CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees, is a joint project of the Council of Graduate Schools and the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Board.

The latest report, Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2010 to 2020, includes more than 100 figures and data tables, as well as interpretative text, on applications for admission to graduate school, first-time and total graduate student enrollment, and graduate degrees and certificates conferred. Current year and trend data are presented by broad field, gender, race/ethnicity, citizenship, attendance status, institutional characteristics, and more.

Access the report

The current survey report is available to the public online:

Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2010 to 2020

Appendix A: Definitions

           Appendix B: Data Tables, Fall 2020 Data

           Appendix C: Data Tables, Trends between 2010 and 2020

           Appendix D: Taxonomy of Fields of Study

Downloadable Figures and Data Tables

Graduate Enrollment and Degrees Report by Fine Field: 2010 to 2020 (Members Only)

Press Release for the 2020 Report

CGS Webinar: Findings from the 2020 CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees (Oct. 19) - Recording and presentation slides

Historical reports

Reports dating back to 2006 are available free online to administrators, faculty, and staff members of CGS member institutions. Visit the CGS Member Library to view, print or download PDFs of past reports of the Graduate Enrollment and Degrees survey.

Contact

For more information about the CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees, please contact Enyu Zhou.

The complete survey report, Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2001 to 2011, is available below. This year's survey was sent to a total of 788 colleges and universities, and usable responses were received from 655 institutions, for an overall response rate of 83%. The responding institutions confer about 74% of the 688,000 master's degrees and 91% of the 69,000 doctorates awarded each year by U.S. colleges and universities.

The CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees is the only national survey that collects data on first-time and total graduate enrollment by field across all fields of graduate study. It is also the only source of data on graduate enrollment by degree level (master's versus doctoral) and the only national survey that collects data on applications to graduate school by field of study.

Information by broad field is publicly available here. CGS members also have access to a special online report, which includes data by fine field of study.

Click below to view the report. To print or download a PDF of the complete report, create a user account (free) at Issuu.com. 

Contact:
Julia Kent
jkent@cgs.nche.edu
(202) 223-3791
 

Washington, DC — The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) reported today that U.S. graduate schools saw a 1.7% dip in enrollments of first-time graduate students between fall 2010 and fall 2011, marking the second consecutive year of slight decreases. Across the board, graduate school enrollments remain ahead of where they were a decade ago, but the latest figures reverse increases for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years, when enrollments grew 4.5% and 5.5% respectively. These findings are the result of the CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees, an annual survey that has been conducted since 1986.

First-time enrollment in master’s and certificate-level programs declined 2.1% between fall 2010 and fall 2011, while doctoral degree programs enrolled 0.5% more new students during the same time period. Overall, according to survey respondents, more than 441,000 students began graduate studies in fall 2011.

The study also highlights an apparent gap between the aspirations of prospective graduate students and the realities of graduate enrollment: despite the overall decline in first-time enrollments, interest in pursuing graduate degrees remains high and continues to grow. The report showed a 4.3% bump in applications for admission to graduate programs between fall 2010 and fall 2011. Institutions that participated in the annual survey reported receiving nearly 1.88 million applications across all fields of study leading to master’s or doctoral degrees and graduate certificates. Engineering, business, and social and behavioral sciences accounted for the largest numbers of graduate applications in 2011.  

CGS President Debra Stewart observed that the gap between growing applications and dropping enrollments should be seen as a call to action. “Graduate education is a cornerstone of a thriving, highly-skilled workforce, and a graduate degree holds out lifetime benefits for individual students. The 4.3 percent increase in application numbers reveals that students are eager to attend graduate school. While the 1.7 percent decrease in first-time enrollment is not dramatic, the fact that we are now in the second year of reversed growth is a sign that we must respond with strong investments in graduate programs and student funding.”

The report presents statistics on graduate applications and enrollment for fall 2011, degrees conferred in 2010-11, and trend data for one-, five- and ten-year periods. Data are disaggregated for a number of student demographic and institutional characteristics. Other findings include:

First-time graduate enrollment

• More than 441,000 students enrolled for the first time in graduate certificate, education specialist, master’s, or doctoral programs for the fall term in 2011 at the institutions responding to the survey.
• Among survey respondents, over 62% of first-time graduate students were enrolled at public institutions.
• About 58% of all first-time graduate students in fall 2011 were women, according to survey respondents.
• First-time graduate enrollment of temporary residents increased 7.8% between fall 2010 and fall 2011, according to survey respondents, up from the 4.7% increase in fall 2010. In contrast, survey respondents reported that first-time graduate enrollment fell 2.3% for U.S. citizens and permanent residents between 2010 and 2011, following a 1.2% decrease the previous year.

Total graduate enrollment

• There were about 1.73 million students enrolled in graduate programs in fall 2011 at the responding institutions.
• Among institutions responding to the survey, more than half of all graduate students in fall 2011 were enrolled in programs in education, business, or health sciences.
• About 75% of all graduate students in fall 2011 were enrolled in programs leading to a master’s degree or a graduate certificate, according to survey respondents.
• About 56% of all graduate students enrolled full-time at institutions responding to the survey in fall 2011 were women.
• Among survey respondents, total graduate enrollment fell 6.0% for American Indians/Alaskan Natives and 1.5% for Whites between fall 2010 and fall 2011. Over the same period other groups saw gains: Hispanic/Latinos (4.0%), Blacks/African Americans (2.9%), and Asians/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
• Total graduate enrollment at institutions responding to the survey decreased in education and in arts and humanities between fall 2010 and fall 2011.
• Between fall 2010 and fall 2011, total enrollment increased by 2.1% at the doctoral level, but decreased by 1.8% at the master’s degree and graduate certificate level, according to institutions responding to the survey.

Graduate degrees and certificates awarded

• Responding institutions awarded approximately 62,900 doctoral degrees, 517,000 master’s degrees, and 25,200 graduate certificates in 2010-11.
• About 40% of all doctoral degrees awarded in 2010-11 were in health sciences, engineering, and social and behavioral sciences while about 50% of all master’s degrees were awarded in education and business, according to institutions responding to the survey.
• According to survey respondents, women earned two-thirds of the graduate certificates, 60% of the master’s degrees, and 53% of the doctorates.
• Academic year 2010-11 marked the third straight year women earned a majority of doctoral degrees.

Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2001 to 2011 presents the findings of an annual survey of U.S. graduate schools, co-sponsored by CGS and the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Board. It is the only annual national survey that covers enrollment in all fields of graduate study and is the only source of national data on graduate applications. The report includes responses from 655 institutions, which collectively confer about 81% of the master’s degrees and 92% of the doctorates awarded each year.

CGS signed onto a community letter organized by the Coalition For International Education and sent to the U.S. Department of Education and Office of Management and Budget urging "a partial but robust restoration of funding to $109,96 million: $100.25 million for Title VI and $9.71 million for Fulbright-Hays" for FY 2014. The Department of Education's International Education and Foreign Language Studies programs of the Higher Education Act, Title VI and Fulbright-Hays support all levels of education and research broadly and ensure the nation's ability to develop and sustain the capacity for global leadership.

Click here to read the letter in its entirety.

CGS signed on to the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin amicus brief that was filed by ACE in early August on behalf of the higher education community. The brief was submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court and urged the court to reaffirm that it is constitutional to consider race and ethnicity among other factors in the admissions process.

For the full text of the brief, please click here.

CGS signed on to a higher education community letter organized by the American Council on Education (ACE) to the Senate Committee on Finance and the Committee on Ways and Means which expressed strong support for the extension of expired or expiring higher education tax incentives including Section 127, Employer-Provided Educational Assistance benefits which allows an employer to offer an employee up to $5,250 per year in tax-free educational assistance for undergraduate or graduate-level courses. The extension of these tax provisions, which are set to expire at the end of 2012, will increase the accessibility of higher education for millions of Americans.

To read the full letter, please click here. 

International Guidelines Created for Supporting Global Skills and Careers

Contacts:
Julia Kent, CGS: (202) 223-3791 / jkent@cgs.nche.edu
Undine Ziller, TUM:  +49 8161 71-5403 / ziller@zv.tum.de

Seeon, Germany (September 6, 2012) — Higher education leaders from 15 countries agreed today on a set of principles to guide the preparation of graduate students for the demands of the global workforce and economy.

The statement was released following the Sixth Annual Strategic Leaders Global Summit, “From Brain Drain to Brain Circulation: Graduate Education for Global Career Pathways,” jointly hosted by the U.S.-based Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and the Technische Universität München. The Global Summit is an annual event designed to promote international best practices on current issues in master’s and doctoral education.

This 2012 summit re-examined the concept of “brain drain” in light of several global trends:

• Global R&D networks, along with new technologies for collaboration, are stimulating research that benefits multiple countries and regions.
• Many countries are making new investments in graduate education in order to maintain a strong domestic talent pool and recruit international students.
• Evidence suggests that researchers and highly educated professionals may work in multiple countries over the course of their careers.

Session topics addressed new patterns of talent mobility by country and region, new opportunities for students to develop global skills, and collaborations between international universities that prepare students for the global workforce.

Professor Ernst Rank, Director of the TUM Graduate School and the International Graduate School of Science and Engineering, explained: "In the past and to a large extent still today, many countries have seen themselves either on the side of brain gain or brain drain. The global summit clearly showed that these categories can no longer simply be associated with 'winning' or 'losing' talents. On the contrary, the globalized scientific and economic community demands circulation of brains — that is, mobility in networks, openness for exchange, and flow of minds and ideas."

In the final session, participants discussed key issues that emerged in the forum and developed a consensus statement to guide future action. The “Principles for Supporting Global Careers in Graduate Education” include integrating international experience into graduate degree programs, defining high-level global skills, and collaborating with external partners to stimulate multi-directional flows of knowledge workers.

CGS President Debra Stewart noted, “The principles will help advance the global conversation about a key priority for graduate schools—helping students and new researchers make the transition to successful careers. But they also take us into important new territory, providing guidelines that will help universities prepare future researchers to understand the global possibilities and impacts of their professional lives.”

The 34 participants included deans and other leaders of graduate schools and representatives of national and international associations devoted to graduate education. Along with Germany and the United States, the countries represented were: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China (PRC and Hong Kong), Denmark, Hungary, Luxembourg, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, and South Korea.

The consensus statement is attached. A proceedings volume will be published in 2013.

Principles for Supporting Global Careers
in Graduate* Education

Today’s doctoral and master’s students will enter and lead a rapidly globalizing economy and research enterprise.  In a world where technology and research offer new opportunities for global collaboration, all early-stage researchers must be prepared for the challenges and opportunities of a globalizing workforce.  The participants of the 2012 Global Summit on Graduate Education encourage ‘brain circulation,’ or the multi-directional flow of talents, education and research that benefit multiple countries and regions and the advancement of global knowledge. It is the responsibility of graduate schools to match expectations for doctoral and master’s students and faculty training with opportunities and incentives.

At the same time, a productive discussion of “brain drain” and “brain circulation” requires careful examination of terms, assumptions, and values. Graduate leaders recognized the need to distinguish between a short-term and a long-term perspective on the global mobility of talent. While it is useful to track short-term patterns of student mobility, it is also important to understand long-term impacts of mobility on individuals, national and global economies, and global research and development.

In this context, it is important for universities and graduate schools to:

1. Communicate the value and relevance of the broader concept of ‘brain circulation.’ Graduate leaders have an important role to play in communicating the importance of global training opportunities for students, early-stage researchers and faculty on their campuses.
2. Integrate international experiences and training into graduate degree programs. These experiences can take place both at home and abroad. Not only should universities promote joint and dual degree programs, academic research exchanges, and internships, they should also use the international diversity of their campuses as a basis for training in cross­-cultural skills.
3. Provide robust support systems, programs and services for international students and early-stage researchers on their campuses.
4. Respect reciprocity in international collaborations and recognize both material and non-material contributions.
5. Engage the intellectual leadership of faculty and students in developing innovative and interdisciplinary global research practices and related experiences appropriate to the field. 

6. Identify specific global competencies within and across degree programs. As they prepare future knowledge leaders, faculty and researchers have an important role to play in identifying these competencies by degree type and across fields of study, and across sectors.

7. Prepare students and faculty to use emerging technologies to advance and share knowledge globally.  New technologies are essential to research collaboration and management, communication, and networking.

8. Prepare graduate students for ethical issues that emerge in a globalizing workforce. At stake in this preparation is human health and safety, the protection of the environment, and the quality of research.

9. Assess and share the outcomes of global experiences and partnerships. Assessments of institutional benefits, research outcomes, and learning are essential and will be most meaningful if designed to improve the quality of programs. It is critical to differentiate desired outcomes for different career pathways, e.g. in academia, industry, government and non-profit sectors.

10. Collaborate with external partners in government, industry, professional societies, and non-governmental (NGO) sectors to facilitate multi-directional talent flows. In particular, universities have an important role to play in communicating the impact of policies regarding, for example, immigration and professional credentials, on research productivity, national and regional economies, and on individual career trajectories.

11. Encourage funding agencies to allocate funding for international research experience and global competency training for PhD candidates.

* The definition of the term “graduate” varies by country and region. In the context of this statement, it designates master’s and doctoral education.

The Fifth Annual Strategic Leaders Global Summit on Graduate Education brought together graduate leaders from 16 countries to address professional skills and career outcomes for graduate students. These proceedings provide brief essays on emerging best practices for improving the professionalization and employability of students. Readers will find summaries of rich discussions of topics such as integrating workforce demands into degree design and evaluation, developing professional development programs, and defining specific and transferable skills.

This best practice guide documents the results of the Project for Scholarly Integrity, a multiyear, multi-institutional CGS initiative to identify promising practices in embedding research and scholarly integrity into graduate education. Discusses a wide range of innovative strategies including the use of assessment to enhance and build support for high quality, relevant research integrity programs. Includes participant case studies, useful tools, and analysis of baseline survey results on activities, resources, and institutional climate for research integrity. Accompanied by interactive, online data "Dashboard."

From Brain Drain to Brain Circulation:
Graduate Education for Global Career Pathways

Kloster Seeon, Germany

“Brain drain/Brain gain” has been a topic of ongoing discussion in the global graduate education community, particularly as countries make new investments in graduate education and research.

In recent years, a more optimistic model for the circulation of global talent has been put forward. Many argue that as research networks become more global, so do career pathways. Global R&D networks, along with new technologies for communication and collaborations, now make it possible for academics and research professionals to work in and between different international locations, stimulating research that benefits multiple economies and institutions.

Co-hosted by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and the Technische Universität München (TUM), the 2012 Global Summit focused on the role of graduate institutions in supporting new pathways of brain circulation and preparing future research professionals to create and share knowledge across local and global contexts.

Event Materials:

• Press Release: University Leaders Issue Statement on Preparing Graduate Students for Global Careers
• Graduate Education for Global Career Pathways

CGS contributions to the 2012 Summit were supported by a generous gift from ProQuest.