Foreign Grad Student Enrollment Declining in American Universities

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Date: November 10, 2004 6:48:27 PM EST
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Foreign Grad Student Enrollment Declining in 
American Universities
Reply-To: dewayne () warpspeed com



[Note:  This item comes from reader Randy Burge.  DLH]

> From: Randy Burge <burge () proactive to>
> Date: November 9, 2004 1:36:24 PM PST
> To: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () dandin com>
> Subject: Foreign Grad Student Enrollment Declining in American 
> Universities
>
> Foreign Grad Student Enrollment Declining in American Universities
> Thirty-Six Percent Drop in First-Year Foreign Engineering Students 
> Reported
>
> Increased global competition, changing visa policies and diminished
> perceptions of the U.S. abroad have lead to an overall decline in 
> first-time
> international graduate student enrollment, according to a survey from 
> the
> Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). Overall enrollment decreased 6 
> percent
> between 2003-2004, the third straight year of decline after a decade of
> growth, survey results show.
>
> First-time international graduate school enrollment fell 10 percent 
> between
> 2002 and fall 2003 and fell 8 percent the year before.
>
> Results from the third survey in a trio of studies conducted by CGS 
> indicate
> the U.S. may be slipping as a leader in higher education. Although the
> numbers are distressing, CGS President Debra Stewart says, graduate 
> schools
> are battling the declines by streamlining their admissions processes,
> enhancing their use of technology, and forming important international
> partnerships.
>
> Highlights of the October 2004 survey include:
> * 68 percent of responding graduateschools reported a decline in 
> first-time
> international graduate studentenrollment;
> * First-time enrollment decreasedby 8 percent in China and by 4 
> percent in
> India;
> * First-time enrollment decreased10 percent in life sciences and 
> agriculture
> and 8 percent in engineering;
> * Physical sciences, the onlyfield to show a rise in first-time 
> enrollment,
> increased 6 percent; and,
> * Public institutions and researchintensive universities faced the 
> largest
> decline, 12 percent each, whileinternational enrollment in private
> institutions decreased only 3 percent.
>
> In the fall of 2003, CGS discovered a 47 percent decline in 
> international
> enrollments for fall compared to the previous year, prompting them to 
> launch
> a three-part survey to gather data on applications, admits and 
> enrollment.
> The first part indicated that international graduate applications 
> through
> February 2004 decreased by 32 percent. A significant decrease in
> applications was reported from China, India and Taiwan, specifically in
> engineering and the sciences.
>
> The second part, administered in June 2004, was designed to ascertain 
> the
> relationship between applications and to determine the initiatives 
> being
> taken by schools to counter the declines. Approximately 88 percent of
> responding institutions reported a decrease in international 
> applications,
> with programs in life sciences reporting declines averaging 20 percent.
> Engineering saw the largest drop with applications declining by 36 
> percent
> between 2003-2004. In response to the findings, graduate schools 
> reported
> instituting policy changes to address the admissions process.
>
> CGS notes that first-year declines also must be viewed in the context 
> of
> overall patterns of graduate enrollment. Other related factors such as
> economic and labor market cycles may also be driving the enrollment
> patterns. Another three-part survey will be conducted over the next 
> three
> years to further evaluate the trends. Complete survey results are 
> available
> at: http://www.cgsnet.org <http://www.cgsnet.org/>
>
> From:
> SSTI Weekly Digest
> A Publication of the State Science and Technology Institute
> SSTI, 5015 Pine Creek Drive, Westerville, Ohio 43081
> Phone: (614) 901-1690 http://www.ssti.org


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