Decline in applications from China.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: US graduate school applications from India saw a sharp increase in 2014, according to a new report by the Council of Graduate Schools, while applications from the normally leading China saw an unusual decline.
The report, entitled “CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey, Phase I: Applications,” analyzed applications sent from foreign countries for the term beginning in the fall of 2014. According to those figures, applications from India increased by 32%, and were largely responsible for the overall increase of 7% in total foreign applications.
China, on the other hand, saw a dip of 1% in applications, its second consecutive year in decline. In 2013, Chinese applications fell 3% compared to the year before; last year for India, there was a 22% increase in applications, and a 40% increase in actual enrollments into US-based graduate programs.
“The 32% overall increase in prospective students from India to all reporting institutions appears to be driven in part by the 38% increase in applications from prospective students from India to institutions outside the top 100,” says the report. “It is important to note, however, that institutions of all sizes, in terms of their international graduate student populations, saw substantial gains in applications from prospective students from India.”
In addition to India, Brazil has seen robust growth in its number of applicants to the US. In fact, Brazil saw an increase of 33%, which is even more than India, and is a tremendous improvement over its already healthy 25% from last year. Applications from students based in Africa and the Middle East also saw noticeable increases of 6% and 7%, respectively.
The Far East, however, appears to be in decline in more places than just China. The world’s most populous nation accounts for about 18% of all the international graduate students currently in the US, but South Korea and Taiwan, which are also significant contributors, also saw their application numbers decrease by 5% and 4%, respectively.
Breaking things down in terms of field of study, foreign students favor engineering, physical sciences, and business – not exactly surprising, especially since most students consistently come from India and China. All three of those academic disciplines, when combined, account for an incredible 64% of all international graduate students currently enrolled in US-based institutions.
They are also the fastest growing disciplines – engineering saw an increase of 14%, physical sciences applications grew 16%, and business applicants rose by 7% in 2014.
Overall, however, CGS is focusing on the 7% increase from around the world, noting that the Indian surge and Chinese dip is unusual, but not overly problematic.
“Historically, our ability to recruit the best and brightest international graduate students has enabled the U.S. to become a leader in ground-breaking research and innovations,” said CGS President Debra W. Stewart. “International students stimulate the U.S. economy and research enterprise in many important ways, and we must develop policies that encourage strong, stable growth in international graduate applications and enrollments.”
The report does note, however, that “this year’s increase is not necessarily a sign of ongoing stability in international graduate applications and enrollments […] especially since a large share of the growth appears to be driven by a single country.”