Foreign Enrollment in U.S. Graduate Schools Drops
Posted Sep 04, 2009
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The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) issued an August 20, 2009 press release (PDF 91.2KB), reporting a decline in offers of admission from U.S. graduate schools to prospective foreign students. This is the first decline in the rate of offers to foreign students since 2004. While the overall decline was three percent from the 2008-2009 level, students from individual countries were affected in varying degrees. These findings, which are based on a survey of U.S. institutions of higher learning, are available online (PDF 243KB) along with results from surveys conducted during the last four years.
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Changes in Enrollment of Students from India, South Korea, and China
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Decreases in the number of Indian and South Korean students offered admission to U.S. graduate schools registered at 16 percent, after dropping only two percent each in 2007-2008. While these significant reductions affected the overall decline in foreign student enrollment, the number of offers of admission to students from the People's Republic of China grew at a rate of 13 percent. The CGS press release indicates that this was the fourth year in a row of double-digit growth in the number of students from China offered admission to U.S. graduate schools.
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U.S. Domestic Applications Rise
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While the number of foreign students declines, U.S. graduate schools have seen a sharp increase in the number of applications filed by persons already present in the United States. The CGS report found that 75 percent of responding graduate schools had an increase in applications by U.S. candidates. This increased domestic demand is likely linked to the current economic recession and high rate of unemployment. Some undergraduate students who are completing their degrees may choose to pursue graduate school, rather than attempt to enter the job market when unemployment is so high. Individuals who have been laid off also are pursuing additional education in order to compete for limited employment opportunities.
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Impact on U.S. Economy
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As regular MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers may recall from our November 29, 2002 article, Update on Student Visas in the Aftermath of 9/11, the increased security requirements of 2001 and 2002 led to a sharp decline in the enrollment of foreign students at U.S. colleges, universities, and technical schools. At the time of that article, the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA) reported that foreign students contributed almost $12 billion to the economy during academic year 2001-2002. While it is certainly good to increase the educational level of our domestic workforce, there is a significant economic contribution made by foreign students in tuition and related expenditures, as well. Generally, a foreign student is required to pay tuition at the much higher out-of-state rate, even when attending a state school.
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Conclusion
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The Murthy Law Firm is always pleased to share the latest information for students on immigration. Many individuals present in the United States as H1B workers, permanent residents, and naturalized citizens initially came to the United States as foreign students. These individuals make up a substantial part of the skilled and technical workforce in the United States and, thus, help sustain and improve the U.S. economy.