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In the newsroom, stay informed about the Council's activities with frequent updates and press coverage.
Citing data from the latest CGS International Graduate Admissions survey, the Washington Post reports that 17 percent of all graduate students in U.S. graduate institutions come from other countries, up from 14.5 percent in 2012.
BusinessWeek calls out the latest findings from the 2014 CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey, Phase III: Final Offers of Admission and Enrollment, including how new students from India are offsetting declines in first-time enrollment among students from China.
Shifts Emerge in Student Demographics, Fields of Study
Contact:
Julia Kent
jkent@cgs.nche.edu
(202) 223-3791
Washington, DC — The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) today reported that first-time enrollment of international students at U.S. graduate institutions has grown for the fifth consecutive year. Between 2013 and 2014, first-time enrollment of international graduate students increased by 8%, while total graduate enrollment also increased by 8%. The findings are based on the 2014 CGS International Graduate Enrollment Survey, Phase III: Final Offers of Admission and Enrollment.
The new data indicate that U.S. graduate programs continue to be a destination of choice for many of the world’s prospective graduate students, despite increasing global competition to attract top talent. This trend is consistent with a growth in applications from prospective international students, which has grown each year over the past nine years.
CGS President Suzanne Ortega noted that the growth trends may also reflect the fact that U.S. graduate institutions have become more strategic about recruiting international students to their campuses. “Given the growing international competition for top students, U.S. institutions have been developing new ways of communicating with prospective students and offering students who matriculate stronger support services after they arrive. Universities understand that they can’t afford to lose the contributions of these talented students to research and innovation on their campuses.”
Despite the general upward trend of first-time enrollments of international graduate students, survey findings also indicate emerging shifts in students’ countries of origin and fields of study. For example, first-time enrollment of students from India increased 27%, marking the second year in a row of double-digit growth in first-time enrollments of students from that country. The increase in Indian enrollment offset a 1% dip in first-time enrollments of students from China in 2014, the first decline measured since the survey was initiated in 2004. This change in Chinese first-time enrollment concerns a relatively large number of students, since Chinese students constitute 33 percent of the total enrollment of international graduate students in the U.S.
The survey report also provides a glimpse of shifts in interest in various fields of study. Fields that have historically drawn a high proportion of graduate students, physical & earth sciences and engineering, showed the highest growth in first-time enrollment for 2014, at 20% and 11% respectively. On the other hand, arts and humanities programs, not traditionally associated with international graduate students, have shown modest but steady gains in first-time enrollment, increasing by 3% for 2014, and following gains of 9% for 2012-2013, 5% for 2011-2012, and 5% for 2010-2011. A 2% increase in first-time enrollment in business marks a slowing down of growth documented earlier in this field, which had seen an increase in first-time enrollment of 6% for 2012-2013, 15% for 2011-2012, and 9% for 2010-2011.
Trends by country/region of origin
Substantial variations in growth were found among the sending countries and regions analyzed in the study:
Trends by broad field of study
First-time enrollment of international graduate students increased in all but one of the fields for which the survey collects data. Survey data showed a 1% decrease in first-time enrollment of international students in education, although it is important to note that the number of international students pursuing graduate studies in this field is relatively small compared with other fields. The largest gains in enrollment occurred in physical and earth sciences (20%) and engineering (11%), followed by life sciences (7%), arts and humanities (3%), ‘other’ fields (2%), business (2%), and social sciences and psychology (2%). Changes in first-time enrollment by field are shown in the table below.
Field | Increases in International First-Time Enrollment, 2013 to 2014 |
Arts & Humanities | 3% |
Business | 2% |
Education | -1% |
Engineering | 11% |
Life Sciences | 7% |
Physical & Earth Sciences* | 20% |
Social Sciences & Psychology | 2% |
Other Fields | 2% |
*Includes Mathematics and Computer Sciences
International first-time graduate enrollment increased at both public institutions and private, not-for-profit institutions in 2014. At public institutions, international first-time graduate enrollment increased 9% in 2014 following an 11% gain in 2013, while at private not-for-profit institutions, international first-time graduate enrollment increased 6% in 2014 following an 8% increase in 2013.
About the report
Findings from the 2014 CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey, Phase III: Final Offers of Admission and Enrollment is based on the third phase of a three-part annual survey of international graduate student applications, admissions, and enrollment among U.S. member institutions. The survey had a response rate of 62%, including 80 of the 100 institutions that award the largest number of graduate degrees to international students. The report is posted at http://www.cgsnet.org/benchmarking/international-graduate-admissions-survey. Overall, the 308 institutions responding to the Phase III survey conferred 67% of the approximately 109,000 graduate degrees awarded to international students in the United States in 2011/12.
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is an organization of over 500 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada engaged in graduate education, research, and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees. Among U.S. institutions, CGS members award 91% of the doctoral degrees and 81% of the master’s degrees.* The organization’s mission is to improve and advance graduate education, which it accomplishes through advocacy in the federal policy arena, research, and the development and dissemination of best practices.
* Based on data from the 2013 CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees
Inside Higher Ed discusses preliminary results of CGS' Doctoral Initiative on Minority Attrition and Completion (DIMAC) project, which were presented at the annual meeting of the Institute on Teaching and Learning. The complete report of DIMAC findings is expected to be released in December 2014.
Writing for the Carpe Careers blog at Inside Higher Ed, senior research associate at Harvard Law School, Melanie Sinche, discusses the 'undeniable' need for comprehensive data on PhD career pathways. CGS's Best Practice project in this area is uniquely poised to address this need, Sinche notes.
Warrenton, VA — Over fifty experts in graduate education met last week to investigate the challenges of understanding the career pathways of PhD holders. Currently little is known about the full range of careers held by doctoral recipients. Since many PhD holders do not ultimately take university positions, there is a corresponding lack of information about the contributions of this population to the U.S. workforce.
The workshop, which met on September 29-30, represents a key component of the project Understanding PhD Career Pathways for Program Improvement, a Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) initiative funded by the Alfred P. Sloan and Andrew W. Mellon foundations. Participants in the workshop included graduate deans; researchers from major studies on career tracking; representatives of disciplinary societies, including prominent faculty in different fields; graduate students; and other experts.
CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega explained, “A better understanding of doctoral careers will allow programs to develop curricula and professional development opportunities that better prepare graduate students for the full range of careers they are likely to follow.” She added, “Better transparency about where PhDs ultimately pursue work will also empower current and prospective PhD students to make informed choices with respect to graduate education.”
Over the course of the two-day workshop, there were many calls for continued analysis of the gaps in the current research, as the next step toward developing a common set of definitions, processes, and procedures that would allow universities to improve their graduate programs and better inform key stakeholders.
This fall CGS will analyze the results of the workshop, and outline next steps for future work in this area, for a report that will be shared widely with the higher education community.
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is an organization of over 500 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada engaged in graduate education, research, and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees. Among U.S. institutions, CGS members award 91% of the doctoral degrees and 81% of the master’s degrees.* The organization’s mission is to improve and advance graduate education, which it accomplishes through advocacy in the federal policy arena, research, and the development and dissemination of best practices.
* Based on data from the 2013 CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees
Jeff Allum & Suzanne T. Ortega of CGS share insights with The PIE News on growing international graduate enrollments at US programs. One-in-five new graduate students in the US was a temporary resident in 2013, according to the report, Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2003 to 2013.
Enrollment of U.S. citizens fell 0.9%, while enrollment of temporary residents rose 11.5%
Contact:
Nate Thompson
nthompson@cgs.nche.edu
(202) 223-3791
Washington, DC — The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) today reported a 1.0% increase in first-time enrollment between fall 2012 and fall 2013. More than 459,000 students enrolled for the first time in graduate certificate, education specialist, master’s, or doctoral programs for the fall 2013 term, according to institutions responding to the CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees, an annual survey that has been conducted since 1986.
Despite the gains in first-time enrollment, total graduate enrollment fell 0.2% between fall 2012 and fall 2013 following a 2.3% decline in the previous year. Total graduate enrollment was about 1.7 million students in fall 2013.
The data show diverging trends by residency status. While first-time enrollment of U.S. citizens and permanent residents shrank by 0.9%, the increase of 11.5% in first-time enrollment of temporary residents was enough to push the overall rate of change into positive territory. Temporary residents represented one-in-five new graduate students at U.S. programs in fall 2013.
CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega pointed out that graduate enrollments are increasingly important to U.S. economic competitiveness. “People with graduate degrees are driving growth and innovation in our economy, and graduate-level skills are in higher demand every year. However, enrollments are not keeping pace with the projected growth in jobs requiring advanced degrees. We can’t put more qualified American workers into these high-level jobs until we create more opportunities for them to earn graduate degrees. To meet the needs of our economy, we must invest in graduate education and better support the students who enroll in master’s and PhD programs with more grants and fellowships to reduce their reliance on loans.”
Ortega added that the strong growth in enrollments of international students was an encouraging trend. “International students are making vital contributions to graduate education and research. Welcoming more of the world’s top talent will help our economy, especially if we allow more international graduates to stay and work in the U.S. after completing their degrees.”
First-time enrollment for Hispanic/Latino students rose 5.7%. Such growth is important, as Hispanic/Latino students have long been underrepresented in graduate programs. However, other underrepresented groups lost some of the ground gained in previous years, as first-time enrollment fell 4.9% for American Indians/Alaska Natives and 0.1% for Blacks/African Americans between fall 2012 and fall 2013. Meanwhile, first-time enrollment of White students fell 2.1%. For Asian/Pacific Islander students, first-time enrollment grew 0.7%.
Other report findings include:
Trends by field
Trends by degree level
Student demographics
About the report
Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2003 to 2013 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 74% of the master’s degrees and 93% of the doctorates awarded each year. The survey report presents statistics on graduate applications and enrollment for fall 2013, degrees conferred in 2012-13, and trend data for one-, five- and ten-year periods.
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is an organization of over 500 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada engaged in graduate education, research, and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees. Among U.S. institutions, CGS members award 91% of the doctoral degrees and 81% of the master’s degrees.* The organization’s mission is to improve and advance graduate education, which it accomplishes through advocacy in the federal policy arena, research, and the development and dissemination of best practices.
* Based on data from the 2013 CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees
Inside Higher Ed shares quick takes from the CGS/GRE Graduate Enrollment and Degrees report, including the diverging rates of growth in first-time graduate enrollment for domestic and international students.
CGS director of research and policy analysis, Jeff Allum, speaks with U.S. News about the trends reported by the 2013 CGS/GRE Graduate Enrollment and Degrees survey.