Graduate applications and first-time graduate enrollment are witnessing an upward trend mostly in mathematics and computer science fields.
The figures released by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) reported a 2.2 percent increase in graduate applications and a 2.1 percent increase in first-time graduate enrollment during fall 2018.
Doctoral schools led the increase in applications among all institution types, followed by higher, and moderate research institutions and master’s colleges and universities.
The increase was recorded among students of color with Hispanic students leading the first-time enrollment with a 6.8 percent increase, followed by Asians and black students.
Among the different fields of study, mathematics and computer sciences registered a 4.3 percent increase in first-time enrollment, which is the largest one-year gain in between fall 2017 and fall 2018. Health sciences recorded a 3.3 gain while education saw a 3.2 percent increase in first-time enrollment.
Most of the applications for fall 2018 were received in engineering. The field is witnessing a decline in first-time graduate enrollment in recent years. Last fall, the enrollment recorded a negative -4.6 percent growth compared to -3.8 percent between fall 2016 and 2017. The decline is largely attributed to a decrease in international enrollments.
Lately, higher education institutions across the country have witnessed a decline in the enrollment numbers of international students. The 2018 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange saw a decline in the enrollment of international students for the third consecutive year.
“We do take note of the continued decline in the number of international students pursuing graduate education in the U.S,” said CGS President Suzanne Ortega.
“As we move to an increasingly globalized economy and workforce, domestic students benefit from training alongside international students, who also make important contributions to graduate education and research and the U.S. economy.”
On a positive note, women surpass men when it comes to first-time graduate enrollments at all degree levels with 54.4 percent at the doctoral level and 59.7 percent at the master’s degree and certificate level.
Declining International Students Enrollment Affects US Economy