A CGS Data Sources article on graduate student loan debt is mentioned in a Huffington Post article on wage growth and education levels.

American graduate schools face a changing global outlook in the market for international graduate students, according to the latest CGS International Graduate Admissions survey. CGS President Debra W. Stewart and Director of Research Jeff Allum discuss the findings with the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The latest application and admission numbers from China may signal faltering growth as a source of international students for U.S. graduate institutions. CGS's Debra Stewart and Jeff Allum discuss the findings of the latest International Graduate Admissions survey report.

Speaking with BusinessWeek about the latest report of the CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey, Debra Stewart explains that the numbers show the U.S. remains a very attractive destination for international graduate students, but competition is getting stronger around the world.

Contact:
Nate Thompson
nthompson@cgs.nche.edu
(202) 223-3791

Today the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) reported that initial offers of admission from U.S. graduate schools to prospective international students increased 9% from 2012 to 2013, following an increase of 9% last year. The new data marks the fourth consecutive year of growth in international graduate admissions.

In contrast to previous years, however, the report uncovered a wider divergence between applications and offers of admissions trends. For fall 2013, the final overall growth in the number of applications was 2%—much lower than the stronger gains of 9% in 2012 and 11% in 2011—even as the year-to-year increases in initial offers of admission have remained steady over the 2010-2013 period.

Debra. W. Stewart, President of the Council of Graduate Schools, commented that “For now, the year-to-year decline in applications has not appeared to have a measurable impact on the overall number of international students who are offered admission to U.S. graduate programs. This is a sign that U.S. graduate programs continue to see international applicants to U.S. graduate programs as competitive, high-caliber students.”

Admissions trends by country

The increase in the overall number of offers of admission to U.S. graduate schools was driven by a 27% increase in initial offers of admission to prospective students from India, a sharp turn upward following the previous year, in which there was no change in offers of admission to prospective students from that country. Admission offers also grew by 5% to prospective students from China, even though there was a 3% decline in the number of applications from that country. The data for fall 2013 marks the eighth year in a row of increases in the number of offers of admission for prospective Chinese students. Offers of admission to students from the Middle East rose 12%, marking the sixth year of significant growth, and offers of admission to Brazilian students rose 46%. (It should be noted that offers of admission to prospective students from Brazil make up only 1% of the total number of offers of admission to prospective international students.) However, offers of admission to students from South Korea, the third largest sending country of international students to U.S. graduate programs, declined 10%.

Admissions trends by field

The survey results show that initial offers of admission increased in all broad fields of study except the life sciences and education, where numbers of admissions declined by 4% and 3% respectively. Engineering, physical and earth sciences, and ‘other fields’ saw the largest increases in admissions offers, with gains of 16%, 11%, and 10% respectively. Gains also occurred in arts and humanities (7%), business (3%), and social sciences and psychology (3%).

Admissions trends by institution size

Increases in international offers of admission in 2013 were equally strong overall at institutions awarding larger numbers of graduate degrees to international students and at institutions awarding smaller numbers of graduate degrees to international students, with both cohorts showing a 9% increase in offers of admission to prospective international students. At institutions awarding larger numbers of graduate degrees to international students, stronger increases were seen on average for offers of admission to prospective graduate students from China, Mexico, and Europe. By contrast, increases in offers of admission to prospective graduate students from Brazil, India, Canada, and Africa were larger on average at the institutions outside the largest 100.

Admissions trends by region

As was the case last year, offers of admission by U.S. graduate schools to prospective international students increased in all four major regions of the United States. The Midwest saw the most growth (12%), followed by the West, the South, and the Northeast, with 11%, 8%, and 6% increases respectively.

About the report

Findings from the 2013 CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey, Phase II: Final Applications and Initial Offers of Admission is based on the second 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 57%, including 79 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.

CGS data is cited in an advice column that says graduate admissions decisions are not just about undergraduate GPA.

Many students and higher education advocates were relieved when Congress passed a bill averting a big hike to student loan interest rates. But the changes are not all improvements: rates will increase in the long run. And as CGS points out, the new bill is the latest in a series of policy changes that put graduate students at a disadvantage. Southern California Public Radio discussed the interest rate changes and the impact to students with Debra Stewart of CGS and Neal McCluskey of the Cato Institute. Listen to the interview live at scpr.org.

CGS data is referenced in an article that examines the rates of underrepresented minority participation in PhD programs.

The CGS announcement of research partners for the Enhancing Student Financial Education project is covered in MarketWatch.

Data from the 2013 CGS International Graduate Admissions report is cited in an op-ed by the president of the Consumer Electronics Association advocating the economic benefits of increasing student visas.