Инженерный вестник: Graduate-School Applications From Foreign Students Continue to Rise

Foreign-student applications to American graduate schools are up 9 percent over last year, with much of the increase fueled by a double-digit expansion in applications from prospective Chinese students, according to a report released today by the Council of Graduate Schools.

Applications from India and South Korea, meanwhile, saw renewed growth after stagnating last year. The three countries send the largest numbers of international students to the United States.

The report's author, Nathan E. Bell, called the findings "encouraging," saying they suggest continued strong interest around the world in American graduate education, despite increased global competition for top students. Application figures tend to overstate actual enrollment trends because prospective students may apply to multiple universities, but Mr. Bell, who is director of research and policy analysis at the graduate-schools group, said he expects international enrollments this fall to climb between 3 and 6 percent.

Foreign-student enrollments grew 3 percent in fall 2010.

Particularly heartening are larger numbers of applicants this spring from India and South Korea, Mr. Bell said. Applications from potential Indian students are up 7 percent. Last year, applications from India held steady, increasing just 1 percent, after declining by 12 percent the previous year.

Likewise, the number of applications from South Korea were flat in 2010 and fell 9 percent in 2009, during the height of the global recession. This year, Korean applications rose 2 percent.

Chinese applications continue to expand robustly, increasing 18 percent this year. This is the sixth consecutive year of double-digit growth in applications from China.

Applications from the Middle East and Turkey also rose, by 12 percent over 2010. The council tracks students collectively from that region because of its geopolitical importance.

Over all, three-quarters of American graduate programs reported an uptick in overseas applicants from last year to this. Some 230 institutions responded to the survey, which was conducted between late January and early March. Together, those universities account for about 60 percent of all international graduate students in the United States.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education

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