The Trump Administration is Making Life Hell for International Students

Teen Vogue 9/15/2019

With new international student enrollment down overall, particularly for master’s degree and certificate programs at graduate schools, some fear that the prospect of less global diversity on college campuses in the U.S. could have far-reaching implications.

“These incidents,” said Okahana, “as isolated as they may be, are troubling and have created chilling effects.”

 

Universities Disturbed by Visa Delays

FYI Bulletin 9/13/2019

They cited recent reports from the Council of Graduate Schools and Institute of International Education that found new enrollments of international students in undergraduate and graduate programs has declined in the past two years.

 

Financial Education for College Students Can Also Benefit Families

InvestmentNews 9/13/2019

In an effort to learn about best practices for developing high-impact financial education programs, TIAA embarked on a three-year collaboration with the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and more than 30 leading universities. While the participating institutions developed a range of innovative approaches, some common suggestions emerged for financial education programs aimed at this demographic.

 

Advocates and Universities Say Student Visas Have Become 'Increasingly Uncertain'

WBUR 8/27/2019

Leaders with the Council of Graduate Schools, a membership organization representing more than 500 institutions in the United States and Canada, said their member schools have been reporting similar frustrations.

"Anecdotally, we're hearing that students are experiencing either rejections or delays with their visa processing," said Lauren Inouye, the group's vice president of public policy and government affairs.

 

Grad School Group Takes on Student Mental Health

Inside Higher Ed 8/21/2019

The Council of Graduate Schools and the Jed Foundation for youth emotional health and suicide prevention will partner to study and promote graduate student well-being, they said Tuesday. A report is due out by late 2020. The experiences of underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities will be a priority. A grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation will support a focus on students in the sciences, technology, engineering and math. A grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will support work on students in the humanities.

 

New Initiative to Support Graduate Student Mental Health and Wellness 

Yahoo! Finance 8/20/2019

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), an association of universities that grant master's and doctoral degrees, and The Jed Foundation (JED), a non-profit that exists to protect emotional health and prevent suicide for our nation's teens and young adults, today announced a new initiative to support the mental health and wellness of master's and doctoral students. The 22-month project will create a foundation for evidence-based policies and resources to support graduate student mental health and well-being, prevent psychological distress, and address barriers to effective support and care. CGS and JED will give particular attention to the experiences of underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities pursuing graduate education.

 

New Initiative Tackles Graduate Student Mental Health

Diverse Issues in Higher Education 8/20/2019

“Our overarching goal is to create a road map for our graduate deans and community to create services and a more supportive environment for all graduate students,” said Dr. Suzanne Ortega, president of the Council of Graduate Schools, “Because so very little is known about services that are already in place and policies that promote wellness.”

 

The Odds are Stacked Against Black, Latino Students Going to Grad School. Here are Some Solutions

PBS News Hour 8/9/2019

At a time when the numbers of students from backgrounds like these are growing more quickly than the number who are white and whose parents went to college, this has implications for graduate school enrollment and employers who need workers with graduate educations.

 

'No Singular Pathway'

Inside Higher Ed 8/1/2019

We still know surprisingly little about Ph.D. career pathways. So the Council of Graduate Schools’ data-collection effort on Ph.D. outcomes continues to yield valuable information. This time, the information is about recent jobs changes among Ph.D.s.

 

Groups Stick Up for Grad Students in Letter to Lawmakers

Diverse Issues in Higher Education 7/16/2019

Among groups singing the letter were the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Association of American Universities, Council of Graduate Schools, Council of Christian Colleges and Universities and the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students.

 

Higher Ed Groups Ask Lawmakers to Prioritize Graduate Education

Inside Higher Ed 7/16/2019

More than 30 groups signed on to the letter, including the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the American Council on Education, the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students, and the Council of Graduate Schools.

 

Could the Flow of International Students From India be the Next to Shrink?

Education Dive 6/12/2019

Economic and workforce-related factors are driving Indian graduate students to study in the U.S., said Hironao Okahana, associate vice president of research and policy analysis at the Council of Graduate Schools.

 

Alt-What?: Pathways Beyond the Professoriate

Inside Higher Ed 6/10/2019

While I can understand the sentiment behind the term “alt-ac” (having used the phrase myself as I was beginning to explore the field), it all too often becomes  shorthand for university staff jobs that are taken in desperation, the plan B (or Q or Z) that people can fall back on when the tenure track doesn’t work out. This is hardly a new critique of the term and the Council of Graduate Schools offers some other possible phrasing for these career pathways here.

 

More Universities Shut Down Traditional M.B.A. Programs As Popularity Wanes

The Wall Street Journal 6/5/2019

Full-time enrollment is down across master’s and doctoral programs in the arts and humanities, education and social sciences, according to an October report by the Council of Graduate Schools. Over the last five years, online and part-time degrees have gained ground in those fields, the data show.

 

F1 students contributed $39 billion to US economy and supported 455,000 jobs during 2017-18: Study

The American Bazaar 6/4/2019

The brief also says that international students bolster US academic programs. It quotes a February 2019 survey from The Council of Graduate Schools, which revealed that the new international enrollment declined through the previous two fall admission cycles.

 

China Issues Warning to U.S.-Bound Students

Inside Higher Ed 6/4/2019

The number of Chinese students in the U.S. has not declined yet: the IIE data show a 2 percent gain in Chinese undergraduate students and a 4 percent gain in Chinese graduate students from fall 2017 to fall 2018, while data from the Council of Graduate Schools found that the number of new Chinese students at American graduate schools did not change from fall 2017 to fall 2018.

 

Visa Woes, Politics, and Fears of Violence Are Keeping International Students Away, Report Warns

The Chronicle of Higher Education 5/29/2019

The trend continued for graduate students, who have declined in rates of both application and enrollment for two consecutive years, according to a Council of Graduate Schools report released in February.

 

Will the Enrollment Scandal at U.S. College Impact International Student Applications?

Forbes 04/07/2019

According to a Council of Graduate Schools survey of more than 240 institutions, international graduate student applications fell by four percent between the fall of 2017 and the fall of 2018.  While the total number of international students in the U.S. grew last year to a total of over 1 million, new student enrollment declined by over six percent over the same period. 

 

Convening Explores Strategies to Improve Grad Student Diversity

Diverse Issues in Higher Education 03/26/2019

Improving diversity, equity and inclusion in graduate education should involve intentional efforts to enhance student experience by cultivating a nurturing campus climate through broadening access, mitigating bias and providing strong support services.

 

Those were persistent themes Tuesday at “Strategies for Increasing Graduate Program Diversity,” a day of speakers, sessions and panels at American University presented by Educational Testing Service in collaboration with the Council of Graduate Schools.

 

Financial Literacy is New Website's Goal

Think Advisor 03/25/2019

According to TIAA, the free website program, developed with technology firm EVERFI Inc., utilizes research findings from a study of 13,000 graduate students over a three-year collaboration between TIAA, the Council of Graduate Schools and more than 30 universities.

 

TIAA Launches National Higher Education Initiative

Associated Press 03/20/2019

The program leverages key findings from research conducted with 13,000 graduate students as part of a three-year collaboration among Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), TIAA and more than 30 leading universities.

 

What to Know About U.S. Computer Science Degrees

U.S. News and World Report 03/19/2019

At U.S. universities, the number of international graduate applications grew by 6 percent in mathematics and computer sciences between fall 2017 and fall 2018, according to the Council of Graduate Schools.

 

This White House Student Loan Proposal Could Limit How Much You Can Borrow

Bustle 03/19/2019

But some education advocates worry that new limits would disproportionately affect low-income students — particularly those who pursue a master's degree. Susan Ortega, head of the Council of Graduate Schools, told Inside Higher Ed that a postgraduate degree should not be looked at as a luxury.

 

White House Looks to Curb Student Lending

Inside Higher Ed 03/19/2019

Susan Ortega, president of the Council of Graduate Schools, argued that capping graduate lending would disenfranchise low-income and minority students who need loans to pursue further postsecondary education beyond a bachelor's degree.

 

Moody's: Slow Enrollment Gains Raise Colleges' Financial Risk

Education Dive 03/07/2019

Recently, however, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) reported that enrollment growth of new graduate students stayed flat and that application levels had dipped between the fall of 2016 and 2017. In a news release, CGS President Suzanne Ortega attributed the slowdown to "typical cycles in the economy."

 

America is Shutting Its Doors to Some of the World's Best Young Minds

CNN 03/04/2019

In early February, the Council of Graduate Schools released a study showing a 4% decrease in international graduate applications over the past year, following a 3% decrease the year before. Late last year, the Institute for International Education reported a 6.6% decline overall in our international student population -- the first such decline in a decade.

 

AAHE Conference Highlights Latinx Scholarship

Diverse Issues in Higher Education 03/03/2019

Dr. JoAnn Canales, chair of the AAHHE board and Dean-in-Residence at the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) said that this year’s conference was focused on building a robust pipeline.

 

Increasing Diversity is a Challenge at Harvard Graduate Schools

The Boston Globe 03/02/2019

“We still have a very long way to go,” said Suzanne Ortega, president of the Council of Graduate Schools, a trade group that represents graduate deans.

 

Tough Student and Work Visa Policies Are Pushing Legal Immigrants to Canada

CNBC 02/25/2019

The overall decline is primarily driven by a 6 percent decrease in applications and 2 percent decrease in first-time enrollment in master's and certificate programs, according to a report conducted by the Council of Graduate Schools, which surveyed 240 institutions in 2017 and 2018.

 

Specialty Master's Programs Attract Graduate Students

University Business 02/21/2019

International student master’s applications have fallen as well, according to the Council of Graduate Schools, with a 12 percent decline from the prior year in India, and a 13 percent decline from European countries. While some attribute the international decline to unwelcoming visa and immigration policies, the U.S. decline is usually attributed to the economy.

 

US: Int'l Graduate Applications and Enrolments Decline Again

The Pie News 02/08/2019

Data reflecting the number of international students seeking master’s and doctoral degrees from US colleges and universities has continued along a “troubling” trajectory for the second year running, with a new Council of Graduate Schools report showing a 1% decline in international graduate enrolments from fall 2017-18 and a 4% drop in applications.

 

A Threat to the Future of Graduate Education

Axios 02/07/2019

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.

 

Why Are International Students Turning Their Backs on American Colleges?

Education Writers Association 02/07/2019

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.

 

Grad School Applications from International Students Down for Second Year

Diverse Issues in Higher Education 02/07/2019

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.

 

International Student Enrollment Drops for Second Year, Report Says

The Wall Street Journal 02/07/2019

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.

 

Why Are International Students Turning Their Backs on American Colleges?

MarketWatch 02/07/2019

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.

 

New International Graduate Enrollments Decline, Again

Inside Higher Ed 02/07/2019

“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-Student Enrollments and Applications Drop for 2nd Year in a Row

The Chronicle of Higher Education 02/07/2019

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.

 

US Postgraduate Courses Lose Foreign Students for Second Year

Times Higher Education 02/07/2019

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.

 

Women Earn 53% of All Doctoral Degrees But Only 1 in 4 in Tech

Grit Daily 02/04/2019

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.

 

More Than Half of Humanities PhDs Go Right Back to College to Teach

The College Fix 01/08/2019

The Council of Graduate Schools conducted surveys last year on the career aspirations of current Ph.D. students and Ph.D.-program graduates. They found that the products of a humanities doctoral program have far lower career diversity than do other fields: 56 percent are “teaching at the postsecondary level as their principal job.”

 

What the Numbers Can Tell Us about Humanities Ph.D. Careers

The Chronicle of Higher Education 01/06/2019

Until recently, that type of data was hard to come by, said McCarthy, the director of best practices at the Council of Graduate Schools. The council conducted two surveys last year — one geared toward current Ph.D. students and their career aspirations, one geared toward Ph.D.-program graduates — to fill in those gaps.

 

Falling Tuition Revenues Could Pinch US Universities

Nature 01/03/2019

Reports from the US Council of Graduate Schools in Washington DC and the Institute of International Education in New York City found that international graduate-student enrolment in US institutions is falling.