International Graduate-Student Enrollments and Applications Drop for 2nd Year in a Row

Associated Press

International graduate enrollment and applications have declined for the second year in a row, according to a new report from the Council of Graduate Schools.

The slump shows that President Trump’s travel ban and changes in visa policies may have an impact on international applications and first-time enrollment, leading to a “troubling” downhill trend, said Suzanne T. Ortega, president of the council, in a news release. In the fall of 2018, the final application count for prospective international graduate students declined by 4 percent, bringing the overall decline to 6 percent over the past two years, according to the report. First-time graduate-student enrollment declined by 1 percent, making for a total 2-percent drop since 2017.

Before the drop from 2016 to 2017, the rate at which international graduate students applied and enrolled had not fallen since 2003. Just two years ago, nearly 30 percent of doctorates in the United States were awarded to international students.

In the heat of the travel-ban debate, in 2017, university administrators and faculty members told The Chronicle that they feared other countries would in return make it tougher for American academics to travel and work abroad. They also feared for struggling colleges that rely on international-student tuition to stay afloat. The numbers in the council’s new report bring to light the validity of those fears.

China and India still lead the way in the number of international graduate applications and first-time enrollments. Chinese applicants and enrollments did not drop, but first-time enrollments by students from India dropped 2 percent, and applications fell 12 percent, according to the report.

Enrollment and application numbers might still look relatively high for China and India, but the council recommends that colleges consider broadening recruitment in other countries, especially as U.S. and Chinese relations become more turbulent over time.

First-time graduate-student enrollment from Latin America and the Caribbean increased by 5 percent, while 1 percent fewer Mexican graduate students enrolled at American institutions. And the sub-Saharan African first-time grad-student population continued to rise, with a 5-percent increase from 2017 to 2018.

Despite the drops, admissions yield rates were consistent with those of previous years, meaning international graduate students are still likely to accept admissions offers.

As for the changes across disciplines, engineering, physical and earth sciences, and business all experienced drops in international graduate applicants, while health sciences, mathematics, and computer sciences all saw increases. Engineering draws a majority of applicants, at 25 percent, but with drops as steep as 16 percent, those big-ticket fields now face concerning data.

Trump’s immigration policy has had a deterrent effect on students considering a higher education on an American campus, prompting unprecedented responses from foreign scholars, including a proposed boycott of conferences in the United States in 2017.

Follow Lily Jackson on Twitter at @lilygjack, or email her at lily.jackson@chronicle.com.