Applications from India increase 12%; from China, a decrease of 2%.AB Wire
NEW YORK: Students from India are flocking in greater numbers to graduate school in the US, and while Chinese students still send the most number of students, the numbers have dropped drastically this year, giving the shivers to colleges and universities who rely on foreign students for their sustenance.
International applications to U.S. graduate schools overall rose 2% this year, driven by double-digit growth from Indian candidates and interest in science and engineering programs but tempered by declining demand from Chinese prospects, reported The Wall Street Journal, based on a tally by the Council of Graduate Schools, that took into account 377 schools that educate the bulk of international graduate students.
U.S. graduate schools overall received 676,484 applications, including more than 192,000 from Indian students—a 12% increase from India, according to the preliminary count. India provides the second-largest pool of international applicants to U.S. graduate schools, behind China, and two-thirds of all international applications come from those two countries.
“Students from India have a reputation for being very savvy shoppers when it comes to higher education,” said Jeff Allum, director of research and policy analysis at the Council of Graduate Schools, was quoted as saying by the Journal. “Right now, the U.S. is a very strong market and a very good value for them.”
Schools reported receiving 264,406 applications from China this cycle, a 2% drop from the prior year and the third year of declines. Before that, the Council of Graduate Schools had reported seven straight years of double-digit gains in Chinese applications.
Declining interest from Chinese students could devastate universities that had banked on a steady flow of foreign students to offset flat demand from domestic students. Many schools that created physical offices in China to support aggressive recruiting haven’t yet begun such elaborate outreach schemes in other countries, reported the Journal.
The most popular field of study for non-American students is engineering, and international applications increased by 4 percent for that program, reported iSchoolGuide. The number of international applications for the physical and earth sciences also increased by 14 percent. This category includes mathematics and computer science programs. Half of all international applications to U.S. graduate programs are for engineering and mathematics and computer science programs.
However, the number of international applications for the next most popular field of study for international students, business, dropped by 2 percent. This marks the first decline for that field since the Council of Graduate Schools began collecting data on this topic in 2004.
The survey found Chinese applicants make up 39% of the total applicant pool for graduate programs in the US. India now makes up 28% of the applicant pool and 84% of these students applied for master’s and certificate programs for the 2015-2016 school year.
Truth Dive reported that while Indian students most often apply for master’s and certificate programs, the survey found international students overall apply for US doctoral programs to a far greater extent than their domestic peers — 37% to 17%, respectively.
2 Comments
Or, you could go to gousavisacenter.com and read all about the process for coming to the USA for your college. Especially look at the section on Community Colleges and how they are your least expensive option for getting your F1 visa, getting into a college, and then transferring to a four year university after two years. It’s your golden ticket to a college education in the USA. I also wrote an ebook on the student visa process that will help you too, check out the gousavisacenter website for more details and good luck!!
Putting aside head counts, being an
international student isn’t easy, given our complex culture and language.
Assistance must come from numerous sources to aid these young people embarking
on life’s journey. A new award-winning worldwide book/ebook that aids anyone
coming to the US is “What Foreigners
Need To Know About America From A To Z: How to Understand Crazy American
Culture, People, Government, Business, Language and More.” It is used in
foreign Fulbright student programs and endorsed worldwide by ambassadors,
educators, and editors. It also identifies “foreigners” who became successful
in the US and how they contributed to our society, including students.
A chapter on education explains how to be
accepted to an American university and cope with a confusing new culture,
friendship process and daunting classroom differences. Some stay after
graduation. It has chapters that explain how US businesses operate and how to
get a job (which differs from most countries), a must for those who want to
work for an American firm here or overseas.
It also has chapters that identify the most
common English grammar and speech problems foreigners have and tips for easily
overcoming them, the number one stumbling block they say they have to
succeeding here.
Most struggle in
their efforts and need guidance from schools’ international departments,
immigration protection, host families, concerned neighbors and fellow
students, and books like this to extend a cultural helping hand so we all have
a win-win situation. Good luck to all wherever you study!