International admissions increase

Admissions of international students into US graduate schools increased 12% from 2005 to 2006, which Council of Graduate Schools president Debra Stewart said indicates a “hopeful sign of a recovery of international admissions.” The increase, based on data from 150 of CGS’s 450 US members, shows large gains in admissions of students from China (up 20%) and India (up 28%). Admissions of South Korean students increased by 4%, while admissions of Middle Eastern students declined 2%.

A severe tightening of US visa policies in the wake of the September 11 attacks triggered double-digit declines in international applications and admissions to US graduate schools. Those restrictions have been eased over the past year, due in part to cooperation between the US Department of State and the academic community. As a result, international admissions, which had dropped 18% between 2003 and 2004 and increased only 3% between 2004 and 2005, have now jumped by the 12% cited in the CGS study.

The largest increase by field of study was 26% in admissions to engineering programs, with business admissions coming in second at 12%. Admissions of international students to physical-sciences programs were up 5% over last year. Admissions to humanities and arts programs dropped 4%, while admissions to social-sciences programs were down 2%.