CHINA: Graduates on the move

Graduates from China are enrolling in American universities in greater numbers than ever before, with a 16% increase on 2008 figures. Likewise, applications to US graduate institutions from Middle East students have rocketed upwards by 20% in the past year.

But it is not clear if these rises are a result of the global financial downturn and graduates are looking to America as a source of employment because applications from India and South Korea have fallen after small gains in 2008.

Collectively, students from these three countries account for about half of all non-US citizens on temporary visas attending graduate schools. Flows from the three provide a good indicator of the overall trend, says a report by the Council of Graduate Schools.

The report notes that applications from prospective international students to US graduate schools in 2009 varied dramatically according to the country they came from and the field of study.

Moreover, the overall rate of increase for international graduate applications slowed for the third year in a row, down to 4% following rises of 6% last year, 9% in 2007, and 12% in 2006. Almost half the universities responding to the CGS survey reported either no growth or a decline.

Despite the small increase this year and the rises in the previous three years, total applications from foreign students are still below those of 2003 at some institutions, the report says. Adding to the complexity is that that this year's small overall increase was concentrated at universities with the largest international enrolments. Those that hath shall be given, you might say.

Almost 300 graduate institutions responded to the survey which provided details on more than 400,000 applications from foreign students.

"As growth in international applications slows for the third consecutive year, with absolute declines from India and South Korea, we must be concerned about what we will see in the future," CGS President Debra W Stewart said.

"While it is good news that international applications continue to increase overall, amid the current economic crisis we cannot predict whether this will yield a similar increase in first-time enrolment in the fall."

As with the rise in applications from Chinese students, the increase from prospective graduate students in the Middle East is also the fourth straight year of double-digit growth. But Middle Eastern and Turkish students account for only 5% of the total international graduate student population in America.

As for the fields of study, more than six in every 10 foreign graduate students in America is enrolled in engineering, physical and earth sciences or business. Applications for the first two fields rose by 4% this year but jumped by 7% for business studies following a 10% rise at this time in 2008.

Although more than one in five international graduate students were enrolled in life sciences, social sciences and psychology in 2007, this year the number of applications in the life sciences was down 2% and this field was the only one to show a decline.

geoff.maslen@uw-news.com