Dive Brief:
- The Council of Graduate Schools' annual international graduate admissions survey found a continued increase in overall applications by international students interested in attending US institutions, led by 12% growth from India.
- The survey, based on responses from 377 schools, including 80% of the institutions awarding the most degrees to international graduate students, found a continuing decline in Chinese applicants, though they still make up 39% of the total applicant pool.
- India now makes up 28% of the applicant pool and 84% of these students applied for master’s and certificate programs for the 2015-2016 school year.
Dive Insight:
The CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey: Preliminary Applications has been conducted every year since 2004, tracking the number of international graduate student applications by country of origin and field of study. This year's study was the first to disaggregate data based on program type, giving new information about whether international students are coming for master’s programs, Ph.Ds, or certificates. While Indian students most often apply for master’s and certificate programs, the survey found international students overall apply for US doctoral programs to a far greater extent than their domestic peers — 37% to 17%, respectively.