Shift in International Mix

April 17, 2014
By Elizabeth Redden

The number of applications to U.S. graduate schools from prospective international students climbed by 7 percent this year, but shifts in the countries from which applicants are coming raise questions about the stability of international enrollments.

These were key takeaways from the Council of Graduate Schools’ annual survey of international student applications, which recorded a modest drop in the number of applications from China, the largest country of origin for international graduate students, for the second straight year. After years of double-digit gains, the number of graduate applications from China fell by 3 percent in 2013, and another 1 percent in 2014.

At the same time, applications from the second-largest country of origin, India, increased by 22 percent in 2013 and an even more dramatic 32 percent in 2014.

Chinese nationals make up about 33 percent of all international students in the United States, while Indian nationals are another 18 percent. Rounding out the top five countries of origin, applications from South Korea and Taiwan decreased by 5 and 4 percent, respectively, while applications from Canada were flat.

Other notable figures included a 33 percent increase in applications from Brazil, which is attributable at least in part to the Brazilian government’s massive scholarship program. The survey also includes data for three world regions, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, all of which showed increases in the numbers of graduate applications. All figures for the current year are preliminary and subject to revision in a subsequent report planned for August.

“In the case of both India and China, what we’re seeing are numbers that are counter to historic trends,” said Debra W. Stewart, CGS’s president.


Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/04/17/survey-shows-increase-international-applications-us-grad-schools-mix-applicants#ixzz2zADJfGjh 
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