New Report Shows Spike in International Graduate Applications

International graduate applications and new enrollments saw significant growth in 2022.

A new report from the Council of Graduate Schools found that in 2022, U.S. colleges and universities received 468,336 applications from outside the U.S. for master’s programs or graduate certificates, up from 369,829 the year before. For doctoral programs, there were 221,659 international applications in 2022, up from 203,448 the year before.

“This increase in enrollment across both types of degrees is likely a combination of continued rebounding in a post-COVID education landscape as well as positive trends in international enrollments from key regions of growth around the world,” according to the report.

STUDENT REPRESENTATION IS SHIFTING

International student representation is also changing amongst U.S. universities. Applications and enrollments from India and countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have surged since Fall 2020. First-time enrollment of Indian nationals increased by 22% between Fall 2021 and Fall 2022.

“Indian students continue to apply to master’s and certificate programs more quickly than doctoral programs, a pattern that mirrors last year’s data. India’s two incredibly strong back-to-back years of enrollment reverse the largely negative growth between Fall 2016 and Fall 2019 and now exceed preCOVID levels,” according to the report.

Meanwhile, graduate applications from Chinese nationals have decreased by 11% between Fall 2021 and Fall 2022.

“China’s numbers meanwhile seem to be continuing on a slightly downward trend,” the report adds. “Increasing competition from Chinese institutions of higher learning and the growing geopolitical tension between China and the United States may be contributing to this trend.”

GROWTH IN INTEREST IN “OTHER FIELDS”

Applicants are also increasingly interested in “other fields,” such as Architecture and Environmental Design, Communications and Journalism, Family and Consumer Sciences, Library and Archival Studies, Religion and Theology, Homeland Security, and Military Technologies.

According to the report, there was a 42% increase for applications and a 3Visit Site

5% increase for the enrollments in “other fields” from Fall 2021 to Fall 2022.

Sources: Inside Higher Ed, Council of Graduate Schools