US: Foreign graduate applications up for fifth year

The number of applications from prospective international students to American graduate schools has increased for the fifth consecutive year. In a report released last week, the Council of Graduate Schools says the 7% growth in 2010 is the largest since a 9% gain three years ago.

In what the council calls an "initial snapshot of graduate applications" taken in the American autumn, those from China were up 19% following a 14% increase in 2009. Similarly, applications from prospective graduate students from the Middle East and Turkey also rose by double-digits for the fifth consecutive year, by 18%.

The council represents more than 500 institutions of higher education in the US and Canada engaged in graduate education, research and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees.

Its report says applications from India and South Korea appear to have stabilised after significant declines last year, with those from India showing a 2% fall but with no change from South Korea.

China, India and South Korea are the three largest source countries for international graduate students in the US, the report notes. It says that for the first time in seven years, the number of international applications appears to be above its 2003 level, reversing large declines that occurred in 2004 and 2005.

Despite the overall growth, though, 39% of all institutions responding this year reported an average decline of 10% in applications.

"The continued recovery in international graduate applications has been a positive trend," said CGS President Debra W Stewart. "However, we must not be overconfident. The lack of growth from India and South Korea is an ongoing concern and, as we saw in 2009, an increase in applications does not necessarily result in equivalent enrollment growth."

Applications from foreign graduates increased in the three most popular fields: engineering, physical and earth sciences, and business. Collectively, these enroll 62% of all international graduate students.

Physical sciences applications rose 10%, compared with 2% last year, while the only area to have smaller growth this year was 'other fields', up 8% after an 11% gain in 2009.

The report says that, similar to last year's trend, growth in applications was concentrated in the institutions with the largest international graduate enrolments. The 25 schools with most international graduate students experienced a 10% increase while those outside the 100 largest had only a 4% increase.

Applications from India rose 6% at the 10 largest schools but fell 14% at those outside the biggest 100. This trend was reversed in applications from South Korea where numbers fell by 4% at the 10 largest but rose 14% at the smallest institutions.

Differences also emerged between private and public institutions, the report says.

Applications increased 12% at private, not-for-profit schools but rose only 5% at public graduate schools. Last year, application growth was slightly higher at the public than the private institutions.