As members of the University of Missouri—Columbia Graduate Professional Council, Rachel Owen and Michael Hendricks recognized the impact of science policy on their doctoral research. Upon learning of a state science policy fellowships program in California, Owen (Ph.D. candidate, School of Natural Resources) and Hendricks (Ph.D. candidate, Department of Political Science) set out to start a similar program in Missouri. What developed are the Missouri Science & Technology (MOST) Policy Fellows, and Co-Directors Owen and Hendricks hope the program ensures legislators understand the benefits and consequences of their policies to the scientific community.

The proposed fellowship model will provide an opportunity for in-state doctoral graduate students who wish to work in science policy upon graduation to work in the state legislature in Jefferson City. Owen and Hendricks argue that retaining students within the state that invested in their training and education is in the state’s best interest. MOST is currently fundraising and hopes to have raised enough money to fund a fellowship for the 2021 legislative session.

“Just doing my science isn’t really enough,” Owen said. “That is enough for a lot of people, but I really want to be able to connect my science with society and make my science, or make other people’s science, more impactful.” To learn more about Rachel and Michael’s work visit the Missouri Science & Technology Policy Fellows website.

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Applications from Indian national students to American graduate programs fell 12% from 2017 to 2018, leading to an overall decline in international enrollment in U.S. universities, according to a new study from the Council of Graduate Schools.

Evidence is mounting that the U.S. is becoming a less attractive place for international students to study.

The latest sign: A report published Thursday by the Council of Graduate Schools, which found that applications from international students to U.S. graduate schools dropped 4% between fall 2017 and fall 2018, the second year in a row of declines. First-time graduate student enrollment is also down 1% for the second year in a row.

The overall downturn is primarily driven by a 6 percent decrease in applications and a 2 percent decrease in first-time enrollment in master’s and certificate programs, the report stated, citing less welcoming government policies as one of the reasons for the decline. The drop in overall graduate applications and first-time enrollment was 4 percent and 1 percent, respectively. In contrast, the report noted that first-time international doctoral enrollment grew by 3 percent.

For the second year in a row the number of students from abroad who enrolled in U.S. graduate schools fell by 1%. The drop was led by a decline in students from Saudi Arabia and India, according to a report released Thursday from the Council of Graduate Schools, a Washington, D.C.,-based organization whose members include 500 colleges and universities.

Evidence is mounting that the U.S. is becoming a less attractive place for international students to study.

The latest sign: A report published Thursday by the Council of Graduate Schools, which found that applications from international students to U.S. graduate schools dropped 4% between fall 2017 and fall 2018, the second year in a row of declines. First-time graduate student enrollment is also down 1% for the second year in a row.

“This is the first time we’ve seen declines across two consecutive years, and while we think it’s too soon to consider this a trend, it is troubling,” Suzanne Ortega, president of CGS, said in a statement. “We continue to monitor issues, including changes in immigration and visa policy, with growing concern over the possible negative impact to the U.S.’s image as a welcoming destination for international students and scholars.”

International graduate enrollment and applications have declined for the second year in a row, according to a new report from the Council of Graduate Schools.

The slump shows that President Trump's travel ban and changes in visa policies may have an impact on international applications and first-time enrollment, leading to a "troubling" downhill trend, said Suzanne T. Ortega, president of the council, in a news release. In the fall of 2018, the final application count for prospective international graduate students declined by 4 percent, bringing the overall decline to 6 percent over the past two years, according to the report. First-time graduate-student enrollment declined by 1 percent, making for a total 2-percent drop since 2017.

Applications and first-time enrolments by foreign students to postgraduate courses in North America have fallen for the second straight year, in a“troubling” shift, the institutions said.

The applications from prospective international students shrank 4 per cent, and first-time enrolments fell 1 per cent, said the Council of Graduate Schools, which represents some 500 universities, mostly in the US and Canada.

According to the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), women earned 53% of all doctorates—a total of 41,717 degrees—during the 2016–2017 academic year. The CGS study found that first-time doctoral program enrollment among females was 27.3% in Engineering and 27.8% in Mathematics/Computer Sciences, while doctoral degrees awarded to women in these fields were 23.4% and 25.1%, respectively.